Context:
In the first section of Eating Animals, Jonathan Safran Foer discusses his own cultural and family background as the grandson of a Jewish immigrant who survived harrowing experiences as part of a persecuted group in Nazi-occupied Europe. He uses this context to talk about his relationship to food in order to get at how deep and even unconscious our instincts about food can be– touching on topics such as history, class, ethnicity, religion, war, survival, pleasure, family and ritual.
Prompt:
Read Foer’s opening sections (p.1-41) and then stop to consider your own less investigated relationship to food. On a word doc or notebook, free-write (Links to an external site.) or brainstorm about your specific familial, cultural and historical relationship to food (suggested: set a timer for 10 min). Then reflect on you personal relationship to eating and eating animals in particular (set a timer for 10 min.) Drawing from ideas you developed in your free-write or brainstorm, answer the following and number your responses:
Initial post:
1) What factors contribute to your understanding of eating that relates to your cultural or family history and background. What assumptions does your family carry collectively about food- where it comes from and where or how to get it. What are the ‘rules’ around food and eating food- spoken and unspoken.
2) What are your personal values around food? What is most important to you when choosing the food you eat: cost, lack of waste, taste, convenience, health, something else?
3) How might the above relate to or inform your feelings about animals and food. What does your culture, family and your own inner voice say about eating animals? Do they align somewhat or is there conflict or tension between these “voices.”
4) Finally, Include a quote from Foer’s pages to reference and relate to your response for this post. Make sure to use a signal phrase and cite the quote in MLA format. (see your textbook’s index or google how to write an MLA citation). Finally, follow up the quote with four lines of explanation or interpretation, explaining what it means in your own words and tying the quote into your discussion.
Replies:
In your two replies to peers find do one or more of the following: find some common ground and elaborate, comment on something that the post said that struck you and explain why, and/or ask a follow-up question with related context, make a connection between a peer’s idea and an idea from the text.
What are your personal values around food? What is most important to you when choosing the food you eat: cost, lack of waste, taste, convenience, health, something else?
Refer to the author by his complete name, or last name, rather than first.
Write your post in a document. Spell check, edit, and proofread before submitting. Keep copies of your work.
Review the posts written prior to yours and aim to add a new idea or interpretation to progress the conversation that is already taking place.
In replies, mention your peers by name, and aim to deepen understanding, elevate the discussion, or push your peer to further investigate or think critically. Avoid responses that are only virtual head nods, points already mentioned or empty compliments.
Remember to be sensitive and respectful to your peer’s background or experience, which may differ form yours!
Submission, Feedback, and Grading
Discussions are an important tool for interaction and development of a learning community. Your timely participation is essential. Please plan to submit your initial reply by Wed, and reply to at least two of your peers by Saturday. Make sure to check back and respond to your peers replies to keep the conversation going!
The attached rubric will be used to grade this assignment. Review it to make sure you are meeting the grading requirements. In discussions, grammar, wording and punctuality for both the initial post and reply are all part of the evaluation.
