Choose one of the following prompts for your research paper:
School Lunches:
In recent years, a spotlight has been turned on the
nation’s school lunches. Many have pointed to lax dietary standards, budgetary
issues, and the prevalence of processed foods, as indications that kids’ school
lunches are routinely nutritionally shortchanged. Indeed, standards for student
meals haven’t been updated since the Carter Administration. What is the state
of the American school lunch and what is being done to ensure the nutritional
needs of our school children are being met?
Endangered Foods:
A byproduct of the climate change debate has been the
emergence of so-called “endangered foods.” Due to everything from
overharvesting and depleted environments to drought and disease, foods as
diverse as cocoa beans, salmon, and bananas, may be threatened in the coming
decades. For example, in North America, sugar maples (a major source of maple
syrup) are now considered one of many threatened native species. What would be
the impact of losing some of these foods? Profile three threatened foods (plant
or animal), examining both the cause for their decline, as well as efforts to
save them.
Food Customs and Rituals:
For many, it’s unthinkable to mark a birthday without a
cake or to propose a toast without champagne. In fact, many of our country’s
customs and rituals are entrenched in food. For example, what would Halloween
be without candy, or tailgating without BBQ? Examine three food-based American
customs or traditions, and explore how they evolved to have eating as a key
component.
Food and Social Class:
French gastrome Brillat-Savarin once said, "Tell me
what you eat, and I will tell you who you are." Was he right?
Specifically, can the foods you eat say anything about your social standing?
Can a correlation be made between the types of foods you eat and your income
level, access to health care, even your education? Likewise, is it a foregone
conclusion that rich people eat better than poor people? Why or why not?
Illustrate the links between social class and food in America, including the
effects on the society as whole.
Contemporary Food Movements:
Eating has likely never been as complicated as it is
today. Today, what we eat is not only a reflection of our personal tastes, but
of our philosophical and political beliefs. These days, what and how we eat
makes a statement. Still, it can be difficult to follow everyone’s particular
food perspectives. Therefore, it is helpful Investigate the varying points of
view. Examine, in depth, three of the following current food movements:
Localism
Pescetarianism
Flexitarianism
Raw Food
Pollotarianism
Foodies
Hydroponics
Paleo
Macrobiotics
Veganism
Molecular Gastronomy
Slow Food
Urban Foraging
Freeganism
Women In (and Out) of the Kitchen:
In most cultures around the world, women have
traditionally been the primary cooks in households. America is no exception.
However, at around the mid-20th century, females' roles began to change. While
American women today are still the primary cooks, their roles (and the
expectations placed upon them) have changed dramatically. It is now
substantially more acceptable for a contemporary American woman to not know the
most basic of homemaking skills: how to cook. Fifty years ago, the idea of a
wife or mother who did not cook for her family would’ve likely been met with
scorn. Today, it's much more the norm. How did we reach this point? What
cultural, technological, and economic forces have impacted the role of women as
cooks?
Requirements:
- Minimum 10 pages in length
- MLA Style, including parenthetical citation
- Minimum of 6 outside sources—at least 3 from peer-reviewed academic texts
- Works cited page
Include in your research paper:
- A thesis outlining a clear argument
- An analysis of your subject matter
- A conclusion that illustrates an understanding of your subject matter
Due:
Week 11: We 11.05
THESIS
Week 12: We 11.12
OUTLINE
Week 13: We 11.19
UP TO PAGE 2; BRING 2 COPIES
Week 14: We 11.19
UP TO PAGE 4; BRING 2 COPIES
Week 16: We 12.03
UP TO PAGE 8; BRING 1 COPY
Week 18: Sec. 03—Fr 12.12 (7:15 – 9:30 AM)
FINAL DRAFT
Week 19: Sec. 06—Tu 12.16 (7:15 – 9:30 AM)
FINAL DRAFT
