The first half of the class will be a survey introduction to the major religions of the world, addressing them each as powerful philosophies and valuable sources of guidance for social ethics in the world today. Having dipped our toes into these wisdom traditions, we shall address the subject of social ethics this semester through the lens of food and agriculture in particular. An array of social ethics issues relates back to this realm: from the economics of poverty, hunger and inequity to the ecology of natural resources, human health, and plant and animal bioethics. Moreover, the ethics of women's rights, of civil rights, of globalization and immigration, of war, democracy, incarceration, and empire all involve questions of agriculture: food production, distribution, and consumption. Therefore, our readings, screenings, community service assignments, research, class discussions, projects, papers, and presentations shall all follow this critical throughline. Together, we shall engage with philosophies, debates, and case studies from around the world and from our local communities that relate to the social ethics of agriculture, food, hunger, and health. The class is designed so that our brief foray into the world's religions and wisdom traditions may help us shed light on these complicated and significant ethical debates before us today.
Teaching Objectives:
* To introduce the major world religions/wisdom traditions as resources for philosophy and social ethics.
* To present the core role of food and agriculture in regards to many of the social ethics issues facing us today.
* To encourage critical, creative, and conscientious thinking, both in written reflections and in class conversation.
* To provide a safe seminar forum so as to facilitate honest and thorough student engagement with the texts and with each other.
Learning Objectives:
* To glean useful knowledge from the world's religions/wisdom tradition, from elders, and from renowned growers, in regards to the ethics of food, agriculture, hunger, and health.
* To practice and hone writing, speaking, and research skills.