Editor's note: This is part of an occasional series in
which reporters drop in on interesting classes throughout
the university's nine academic divisions. Suggestions are
welcome at
gazette@jhu.edu.
The course: Food Politics is offered by the Department of Political
Science in the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences. The
semester's work for the 15 upperclassmen and graduate
students is worth 3 credits.
Meeting time: Tuesdays from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., fall
2008.
The instructor: Adam Sheingate, an associate
professor, joined the Department of Political Science in
2000. He earned his doctorate in political science at Yale
and his bachelor's degree in political science and
philosophy at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He also
has held fellowships at Oxford University and the University
of California, Berkeley. Sheingate's specialties are American
politics and comparative public policy, subjects he covers
in the undergraduate courses The Politics of Health
— Policy and The American Presidency, and graduate
courses such as American Political Development and
American Political Institutions. His first book,
The Rise of the Agricultural Welfare State: Institutions
and Interest Group Power in the United States, France, and
Japan, was published by Princeton University Press in
2001 and was named a Choice Outstanding Academic Title by the
American Library Association. He has also published a number
of articles and book chapters on a wide range of topics,
including biotechnology policy in the United States and
Europe. Sheingate is currently writing a book on the
development of political consulting and its consequences for
American democracy titled Building a Business of
Politics.
Syllabus and course work: In Food Politics, Sheingate
presents a 21st-century take on the old adage "You are what
you eat" by surveying a variety of policy issues associated
with food and agriculture.
"Food is central to our lives," Sheingate points out in his
syllabus, "yet few of us consider the political implications
of what we eat." To that end, Sheingate and his students
discuss a range of both global and local concerns such as
genetically modified food, international conflicts over
agriculture subsidies, the heightened concern about food
safety, the national obesity epidemic and the economic impact
of buying produce and meat grown or raised by local farmers.
The course work relies on numerous articles on electronic
reserve in the library, as well as on following the news,
including a recent class discussion of The New York Times
Magazine's food issue, which the newspaper billed as "an
open letter to the next farmer-in-chief." Students also keep
a food journal for a five-day period early in the term,
write two policy briefs on issues covered in class and
complete either a take-home final exam or a term paper.
Adam Sheingate says: "Two years ago, I realized that
my research and teaching covered a range of topics related
to food, including agricultural policy, biotechnology and
health. Putting these topics together in a single syllabus
made me appreciate just how much our food system is shaped by
a whole host of government policies. One of the main goals
of the course, in fact, is to help students see these
interconnections: to understand how issues surrounding the
environment, food safety and even obesity are shaped by
policies that govern the production and consumption of food.
The same farm subsidies that improve the food industry's
bottom line are responsible for our country's expanding
waistline."
Students say:
"My research primarily focuses on the
effectiveness of international organizations, so Food
Politics was slightly outside of my typical course schedule,
but I am so glad that I registered for it. I have genuinely
enjoyed the class so far. It has been a great way to see the
complex systems that contribute to something as simple as
grabbing a breakfast bar on the way out the door to class. My
family owns a niche farm in California's San Joaquin Valley
producing primarily walnuts and cherries, and I was excited
to see this class offered. It is an amazing way to view the
way that global policy influences our operations and the
transforming nature of the dirt-to-plate process. I would
highly recommend the class, especially for people looking at
issues of political economy or policy; after all, we all
eat, and there is so much to gain from knowing more about our
food."
—Lindsay La Forge, senior, international studies
major, Colorado Springs, Colo.
"I love Professor Sheingate. He truly is one of Hopkins' best
professors, and his classes are very unique and interesting.
I took his American Presidency course in the spring and
really enjoyed his casual, yet extremely informative
teaching style and interesting perspectives he brings to all
kinds of issues, so I thought I would look into his Food
Politics course this semester. Over the summer, I did
research in New Zealand on water values and in the process
learned a tremendous amount about worldwide agricultural
issues and the impending water scarcity and food crises
around the world. Now, I am so happy to be in Professor
Sheingate's Food Politics course. I'm answering the questions
that plagued me over the summer. What are the relationships
between farmers and consumers? Where does our food actually
come from? Why do some countries have food subsidies and
others do not? Why is there controversy over genetically
modified foods when there could be obvious life-saving
nutritional benefits involving them? These are very
complicated issues, but Professor Sheingate does a wonderful
job explaining each of them and helping us to better
understand the intricacies of our food and political
systems. I would wholeheartedly recommend this course and any
other taught by Professor Sheingate to my friends."
—Justine Mink, senior, engineering and international
studies major, Durham, N.Y.
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