POL S/ENVIR 385

Hungry Planet Paper Assignment

Spring 2014
Spend some time browsing Peter Menzels Hungry Planet, a photographic
essay on the dietary habits of families all around the world, which you will
find on reserve at Odegaard Library. You may also wish to browse through
Peter Menzels online Hungry Planet gallery, which has more photos but less
text than the book. Choose one affluent country and one developing or
middle-income country. Take note of such differences as the disparities in
cost, the kinds of foods being eaten, where they come from, how they are
prepared, the familys living conditions, whether the diet is traditional or
modern. Using the course readings, lectures and videos, elucidate the key
political, economic, ecological and/or cultural factors that help to explain the
differences in the photographs. Do you believe that international institutions
are relevant to explaining the differences? If so, which ones and how? Be
observant: what, for instance, do you glean from the photos that might not
be conveyed in writing?
You are strongly encouraged not to do outside research for this essay; the
purpose of this paper is to demonstrate your ability to interpret the
photographs in Hungry Planet on the basis of our course material. In other
words, this paper is an opportunity for you to hone your integrative thinking
skills. Your paper should be double-spaced and printed in 11 or 12-point font
with one-inch margins. When citing course material, simply include the
authors name and page number in parentheses at the end of the sentence
or the date of lecture or name of the video. No bibliography is necessary.
Your 3-4 page paper is due in section on Friday, May 2.