People, Power and Food

1. The Global Seminar http://www.globalseminar.org/ People, Power and Food Titti Schmidt, PhD Department of Cultural Anthropology Titti.schmidt@antro.uu.se

2. What is Global Seminar? The Global Seminar is a consortium of educational institutions concerned with crucial issues for the future of our planet. • We believe shared understandings that transcend national boundaries, cultures and backgrounds offer the best hope for a sustainable environment and a safe, secure food supply.

3. What is Global Seminar? The Global Seminar is a learning community of students and faculty from around the world who study key global issues, simultaneously and interactively. • Fully interactive technology, including live videoconferences, supports intellectual discussions among students and faculty members.

4. What is Global Seminar? Global Seminar Partners and Participants comprise an international problem-solving team, addressing case studies of the highest order of importance for the survival of our planet. • Our goal is to prepare future leaders and citizens of the global community to articulate policy agendas that will lead to a sustainable environment, a high level of public health, and a stable and secure food supply. Our partners include academic, business and government leaders.

5. The Global Seminar • International 50 institutions in six continents, several clusters of 4-7 institutions. • Interdisciplinary School of Resource Management Institute of Land and Food Resources, Department of Cultural Anthropology, Escuela Agricola, Department of Food Science, etc.

6. The International Approach Our group (6 countries) • Cornell University, USA • Uppsala University, Sweden • EARTH University, Costa Rica • Beijing National University (BNU), China • The University of Melbourne, Australia • Zamorano University, Honduras

7. The Interdisciplinary Approach Dimensions of sustainability: • ecological • social/cultural • political and legal • technical • economic

8. “Sustainable development meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” (The Brundtland Report, the World Council on Environment and Development, 1987)

9. Global Seminar Topics:Case Studies • Sustainability • Population • GMOs • Water quality • Ecotourism • Climate Change • Responsibility

10. The Case Study Our understanding of the case study should lead to a decision!

11. The Global Seminar Model

12. Course Structure The case study sequence: • Lecture/seminar • Seminar/discussion • Video-conference • The Blackboard • Reflective essay

13. Course Structure The group work process: 1) Joint paper on policies, attitudes and current situations in all sites on your topic. 2) Work with the students at the other sites on the Blackboard. 3) Post your joint paper on the Blackboard. 4) Present the result to your local class.

14. Study Groups • The International Study Group (ISG) (choose a case study) • Study Group in Class (choose a case study other than the one you work with in the ISG)

15. The International Study Group (ISG) • Choose a case study • Joint paper (6-8 pages) on policies, attitudes and current situations in all sites on your topic. • Work with the students at the other sites on the Blackboard. • Post your joint paper on the Blackboard. • Present the result to your local class.

16. The ISG Project:Your Contribution • What information do you want to contribute with to your joint paper? - What kind of problem is this? • How will you get this information? • Who will do what? • Time plan for the project? • When will you meet next?

17. The ISG Project:Contributions of the other Sites • What information would you like to get from the other sites? • How will you get it? • Time plan for the joint writing? • Who will do what when?

18. The Group Work in Class • Choose a case study other than the one you work with in the ISG • Discuss • Compile • Prepare • Present in class and at the videoconference

19. Reflective Essay • Individual work • 1-2 pages, choose 6 of the 7 case studies • Hand in according to the schedule Grading: • Use the literature/lecture/discussion board/VC • Discuss this critically and reach an independent conclusion moving beyond the literature

20. Grading • The reflection essay (6 of the 7 case studies) (60%) • Videoconference presentation (10%) • The discussion board (20%) • A local presentation – related to the ISG (10%)

21. Increase the understanding of complex problems of sustainability. • Increase practical skills in working in international problem-solving teams.

22. The Blackboard Course Sitehttp://blackboard.cornell.edu 1. I will send your email address to Cornell University. When that is done you should: 2. Complete the guest ID registration form athttp://guestid.cit.cornell.edu/reg/register.cfm.You'll need a name and password just to get to the registration form.They are:name: blackboardpassword: getguestidThe guest ID will be of the form firstname.lastname like "john.doe".The instructions are at: http://atc.cit.cornell.edu/atc/course/guestid.cfm

23. The Blackboard course sitehttp://blackboard.cornell.edu 3. After you submit the form, you will receive an email requiring you to verify the account. Once you verify the Guest ID account, go to the following page to create your Blackboard account:http://atcsupport.cit.cornell.edu/bbtools/. You will receive an email notification once it is complete. 4. Observe that the NetID is the same as the GuestID. Make sure to select GUEST.CORNELL.EDU from the Realm menu.

24. Tasks for the first week… • Get an account on the Blackboard site. • Get to know the course site. • Make a presentation of yourself on the site. • Read the sustainability literature. • Decide what Case Study Group you want to be part of (class group and ISG).