Note: Your seminar grade will be determined by the quantity of your responses (how many questions you answer and how many other students you respond to) and the quality (how well you demonstrate an understanding of the ideas you're responding to, how detailed your responses are, how coherent and in-depth they are, etc.)
Directions:
1. Read Fast Food Nation, pages 108-223
2. Choose one question from the list below and respond with 3-5 paragraphs. Include quotes and/or specific references to the text to back up your responses. No matter what question you choose, make sure one of your paragraphs discusses whether you agree with Schlosser’s assessments and claims, and why you agree or disagree.
- In Chapter 5, "Why the Fries Taste Good", Schlosser writes “America's agricultural economy now resembles an hourglass.” What does he mean by this, and why does he see it as a problem? How did it get to be that way, and what effect does it have on the folks on the top and bottom of the hourglass? What about the folks in the middle?
- Summarize the information that Schlosser presents when he discusses how the tastes and smells of our food are manufactured. Why does the industry go to such lengths to chemically produce flavors and aromas? How does Schlosser seem to feel about the chemical manufacturing of taste, and what does he think are some of the effects of these chemical procedures on the average American consumer?
- Schlosser traces the history of ranching in this country in Chapter 6, "On the Range". What changes have taken place in the last century within the ranching world, and what are the major influences of these changes? What does Schlosser mean when he writes "The ranchers most likely to be in financial trouble are the one who live the life and embody the values supposedly at the heart of the American West"? What does he feel is being lost with the decline of the independent rancher?
- In Chapter 7, "Cogs in the Great Machine", Schlosser writes "The industrialization of cattle-raising and meatpacking over the past two decades has completely altered how beef is produced - and the towns that produce it." Summarize some of the changes that have taken place within the meatpacking industry, as laid out by Schlosser, and explain why he believes these changes are for the worse, and not the better. What are some of the effects of these changes on the industry, its workers, and the communities they live in?
- What, according to Schlosser in Chapter 8, is "The Most Dangerous Job"? Why is it so dangerous? Describe the working conditions for these jobs, and discuss the physical, mental, emotional and psychological dangers that Schlosser points out.
- In Chapter 9, "What's in the Meat", Schlosser explores some of the health concerns related to the fast food industry. What are some of these concerns? Why does Schlosser call fast food "an ideal system for new pathogens"? Why have we been unable (or unwilling) to confront the dangers of pathogens in our fast food, and what have been the results of our unwillingness or inability to do anything about the current crisis?
- Throughout the book, Schlosser lays the blame of a lot of these problems at the feet of the Republican party and its constituents. Why does he feel Republicans are more to blame for these problems than other people? Is that a fair assessment?
3. Save your work as a .doc or .rtf document and submit your response to the Assignment Chamber by midnight on Monday, April 7.
4. Post your responses to the appropriate forum by midnight on Monday, April 7.
5. Read all the other students' posts throughout the seminar period.
6. Respond to at least two other student's post (more is better). You will have until midnight, Sunday, April 13 to read and respond to the other students' ideas in the website. |