FRS 002C — Sec. 001 — (2 units) — CRN 65520 — R 10:00 – 11:50 am — 25 Wellman
Obesity and the Politics of Food

Instructor: Diana Cassady, Department of Epidemiology & Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine

Description: This course will examine the food industry's influence on government food policy and its contribution to the obesity crisis in the U.S. The course will introduce students to the obesity crisis and its public health implications. It will critically examine five ways in which the food industry influences government policies, as described by Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition at New York University, in her new book Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health (U.C. Press, 2002). Strategies to influence nutrition policy include lobbying, contributions to nutrition professionals and critics, litigation, and exclusive soda pouring contracts with school districts. Students will critically discuss each strategy as well as the impact, merits, and practicality of limiting industry influence on food policy. Seminar goals for student learning are: 1. To understand trends in obesity and the health implications; 2. To understand economic and political forces influencing the rise of obesity; and 3. To improve critical thinking skills, as demonstrated in oral and written communication.

Format: The seminar will meet for two hours each week for ten weeks. The time will be divided between lecture presentations and discussion. Marion Nestle's Food Politics will be the required reading. Several articles from public health journals will be provided for background reading. Lectures will introduce the topic for the week, and will bring in other material to illustrate the topic. Discussion will be directed in part by questions assigned to students in advance to help them analyze the problem described in the reading, to critically evaluate the conclusions of the author, and to debate solutions to the problem. Students will submit a term paper that summarizes class discussion of one topic. The topic will be assigned to each student at the first meeting. The term paper will be submitted electronically - no hard copy will be needed. Grading: The course grade will be based on the quality of their term paper (60%) and on the frequency and quality of their participation in class discussion (40%).

About the Instructor: Diana Cassady is an assistant adjunct professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine. Her research interests include the application of social marketing to improve diet, and improving access to healthy foods in low-income, urban communities. Current projects include a campaign to increase enrollment in the food stamp program, and studying cost effective ways to overcome the ‘grocery gap’ in low-income areas.