Spring 2021 - SA 326 E100
Food, Ecology and Social Thought (S) (4)
Class Number: 3228
Delivery Method: In Person
Overview
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Course Times + Location:
Jan 11 – Apr 16, 2021: Mon, 4:30–8:20 p.m.
Burnaby
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Instructor:
Yildiz Atasoy
yatasoy@sfu.ca
Office Hours: Fr 8:20-9:30 via Zoom
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Prerequisites:
SA 101 or 150 or 201W.
Description
CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:
Modernization narratives have placed food and agriculture on the margins of social thought. The current ecological crisis requires us to take a new look at the global agrifood system and its social, political and ecological relations. This course develops analytical perspectives on contemporary issues concerning food, ecology and agrarian change.
COURSE DETAILS:
This course focuses on the sociology of food and agrarian change and their ecological relations. Modernization narratives have placed agriculture and food relationships on the margins of most social analysis. However, the current ecological crisis is forcing us to take a new look at global agrarian transformation and shifting relations of food, as well as their implications for the well-being of humans and non-human nature. This course adopts various analytical approaches to examine pressing contemporary issues concerning the centrality of food and agriculture in the relationship between humans and the rest of nature. Among the particular issues examined are: the contested commodification of landscapes and territories; the gendered and racialized processes of production and labour in farming and farming practices; peasant dispossession and seed enclosures; agro-biotechnology and super-marketization of food; agricultural knowledge(s) including indigenous knowledge and non-market values of well-being; as well as actual and potential resistance movements involved in reimagining the relationship among agriculture, farming, food getting, and the nature.
Grading
- Written summary 15%
- Written commentary 10%
- Class presentation 30%
- Critical journal 30%
- Presenting international news of the week 5%
- Participation 10%
NOTES:
Grading: Where a final exam is scheduled and the student does not write the exam or withdraw from the course before the deadline date, an N grade will be assigned. Unless otherwise specified on the course syllabus, all graded assignments for this course must be completed for a final grade other than N to be assigned. An N is considered as an F for the purposes of scholastic standing.
Grading System: The Undergraduate Course Grading System is as follows:
A+ (95-100) | A (90-94) | A- (85-89) | B+ (80-84) | B (75-79) | B- (70-74) | C+ (65-69) | C (60-64) | C- (55-59) | D (50-54) | F (0-49) | N*
*N standing to indicate the student did not complete course requirements
Academic Dishonesty and Misconduct Policy: The Department of Sociology & Anthropology follows SFU policy in relation to grading practices, grade appeals (Policy T 20.01) and academic dishonesty and misconduct procedures (S10.01‐S10.04). Unless otherwise informed by your instructor in writing, in graded written assignments you must cite the sources you rely on and include a bibliography/list of references, following an instructor-approved citation style. It is the responsibility of students to inform themselves of the content of SFU policies available on the SFU website.
Centre for Accessible Learning: Students with hidden or visible disabilities who believe they may need classroom or exam accommodations are encouraged to register with the SFU Centre for Accessible Learning (1250 Maggie Benston Centre) as soon as possible to ensure that they are eligible and that approved accommodations and services are implemented in a timely fashion.
Materials
MATERIALS + SUPPLIES:
Please see SFU Bookstore website for information on textbook purchase options.
REQUIRED READING:
Atasoy, Y. (2017). Commodification of Global Agrifood Systems and Agro-Ecology: Convergence, Divergence and Beyond in Turkey, London, New York: Routledge.
Additional readings will be available through Canvas, the SFU Library, or otherwise online as noted.
Registrar Notes:
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS
SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating. Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.
Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community. Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html
TEACHING AT SFU IN SPRING 2021
Teaching at SFU in spring 2021 will be conducted primarily through remote methods. There will be in-person course components in a few exceptional cases where this is fundamental to the educational goals of the course. Such course components will be clearly identified at registration, as will course components that will be “live” (synchronous) vs. at your own pace (asynchronous). Enrollment acknowledges that remote study may entail different modes of learning, interaction with your instructor, and ways of getting feedback on your work than may be the case for in-person classes. To ensure you can access all course materials, we recommend you have access to a computer with a microphone and camera, and the internet. In some cases your instructor may use Zoom or other means requiring a camera and microphone to invigilate exams. If proctoring software will be used, this will be confirmed in the first week of class.
Students with hidden or visible disabilities who believe they may need class or exam accommodations, including in the current context of remote learning, are encouraged to register with the SFU Centre for Accessible Learning (caladmin@sfu.ca or 778-782-3112).