700.630.01
Food Ethics

Location
East Baltimore
Term
2nd Term
Department
Berman Institute (Bioethics)
Credit(s)
3
Academic Year
2024 - 2025
Instruction Method
In-person
Class Time(s)
Friday, 1:30 - 4:20pm
Auditors Allowed
Yes, with instructor consent
Available to Undergraduate
Yes
Grading Restriction
Letter Grade or Pass/Fail
Course Instructor(s)
Anne Barnhill
Contact Name
Anne Barnhill
Frequency Schedule
Every Year
Prerequisite
Description
Eating is an essential human activity: we need to eat to survive. But how should we eat? What kinds of foods should we eat, how should we produce these foods, and who should decide?
Introduces students to the primary ethical challenges in the global food system and explores ethical issues in the United States food system. Provides students with the opportunity to think critically about a variety of conflicting views about the ethics of animal agriculture, healthy eating efforts and decision-making about food. Uses theories and tools from practical ethics, political philosophy, and theories of justice to shed light on these issues.
Learning Objectives
Upon successfully completing this course, students will be able to:
  1. Describe the major challenges facing the global food system
  2. Identify major forms of injustice in the United States food system
  3. Analyze and critique the ethical arguments against different forms of animal agriculture
  4. Analyze and critique the ethical arguments for and against public health efforts to promote healthy eating
  5. Describe different views about appropriate decision-making in the food system – that is, different views about how important decisions should get made and who should make these decisions
Methods of Assessment
This course is evaluated as follows:
  • 20% Short paper
  • 20% Weekly writing assignments
  • 20% Participation
  • 40% Final Paper
Enrollment Restriction
Enrollment Priority given to Master of Bioethics students
Instructor Consent
Consent required for all students
Consent Note
Consent required for ALL students
Consent Contact
abarnhi1@jhu.edu
Special Comments

In addition to the textbooks, there are several useful online resources that you’re encouraged to consult: The FEWresources.org website. This website, maintained by Madison Powers, provides an eye-opening roadmap of the food-energy-water nexus from a global justice perspective. David M. Kaplan’s “Philosophy of Food Project” (http://www.food.unt.edu). This website has useful summaries of philosophical arguments related to food.