FALL 2001

This information effective for Fall 2001.
Check with instructor the first day of class for any changes.

Sociology

[SOCY-169] [SOCY-184]

169. Social Inequality

Instructor: Dana Takagi

In this class we will study inequality and stratifcation in post-WWI America. The focus will be on cultural representations of inequality and social stratification, through, primarily, film and video. Our main objective this quarter is threefold: a) to understand the broad contours of inequality and social stratification research in sociology, b) to locate the contour sociological research about stratification to different historical periods in the post-war era, and c) to analyze the realm of "popular" culture in relation to sociological research.

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184. Hunger and Famine

Please Note: This syllabus from Spring 2000 quarter

Instructor: Ben Crow
Office: Room 320, College 8
e-mail: bencrow@cats.ucsc.edu
Phone: 459-5503 (O); 650-367 8272 (H); 650-245-6769 (Mobile)
Office Hours: 2 p.m. - 4 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays

Famine, mass death from starvation, has been recorded throughout human history. In the twentieth century, this most terrible form of hunger became uncommon in the industrialized world, but famines still occurred in Asia and Africa. Even in parts of the industrialized world, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, persistent hunger and poverty continue to be widespread. Recent findings suggest that famine can be prevented; and in some parts of the world, there has been marked progress in the reduction of poverty. Nevertheless, hunger and poverty remain widespread in Africa, Asia, and the USA.

Course Description

In this course we will examine key writings on hunger and famine and use them to explore film and newspaper representations of these issues. We will debate some questions, including "democracy can prevent famine," and "global institutions should prevent famine and hunger."

Books and Reader

Dreze, J., and Sen, A. (1989). Hunger and Public Action. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
De Waal, A. (1997). Famine Crimes: Politics and the Disaster Relief Industry in Africa. Indian University Press, James Currey.
Eisinger, P. K. (1998). Toward an End to Hunger in America. Washington DC: Brookings Institution.
A Reader will be available in class during Week 2.

Films

Films will include:

Consuming Hunger - about television coverage of famine in Ethiopia.
When Ireland Starved - Irish famine of 1850s.
Isle of Flowers - Brazilian film about the poverty which requires people to search garbage dumps for food.
Hunger in America - classic late 1960s documentary describing poor Mexican Americans in Texas, tenant farmers in Virginia, Navajos in Arizona, and African American sharecroppers in Alabama.
Distant Thunder - film of World War II Bengal famine by famous Indian film-maker Satyajit Ray.
A Woman's Place - women's initiatives in six countries.

Activities and Evaluation

Personal project: choose a country or region. Collect newspaper articles and journal papers about hunger, famine, poverty in your chosen area. Analyze what these papers say, using ideas from the course. Write an essay describing what you have found.
Debates in weeks 4 and 10. You will need to take part in one of the debates - either doing research and/or making the case for or against one of the motions.
In-class tests week 3 and week 9. If you come to class and do the readings, the tests should be straightforward.

Weekly Readings and Activities

1. Introduction

What the course is about - how it is organized

Films: Isle of Flowers - Brazilian film about the poverty which requires people to search garbage dumps for food. Vt5480 13 min

Challenge to End Hunger (Food First 87)

2. Eating and Hunger

Dreze, J., and Sen, A. (1989). Hunger and Public Action. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Chapter 3.
Crow, B. (2000). "Understanding Famine and Hunger." Chapter 3 in Allen, T., and A. Thomas. Poverty and Development into the 21st Century. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

FAO (1999). The State of Food Insecurity in the World. Summary. (http://www.fao.org).

Garrow, J. (1994). "Diseases of Diet in Affluent Countries." In Harriss-White, B., and Hoffenberg, R. Food: Multidisciplinary Perspectives. Oxford and London: Blackwells.

Myntz, S. (1994). "Eating and Being: What food means." In Harriss-White, B., and Hoffenberg, R. Food: Multidisciplinary Perspectives. Oxford and London: Blackwells.

Whitehead, A. (1994). "Food Symbolism, Gender Power and the Family." In Harriss-White, B., and Hoffenberg, R. Food: Multidisciplinary Perspectives. Oxford and London: Blackwells.

NYT Fight Food. New York Times Magazine.

Film: When Ireland Starved

Discussion of projects

3. Analysis of famine

Dreze, J., and Sen, A. (1989). Hunger and Public Action. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Chapters 1, 2, and 4.
De Waal, A. (1997). Famine Crimes: Politics and the Disaster Relief Industry in Africa. Indian University Press, James Currey. Chapter 1.

Payne, P. (1994). "Not Enough Food: Malnutrition and Famine." In Harriss-White, B., and Hoffenberg, R. Food: Multidisciplinary Perspectives. Oxford and London: Blackwells.

Film: Consuming Hunger - about television coverage of famine in Ethiopia

In class test

4. Famine

Dreze, J., and Sen, A. (1989). Hunger and Public Action. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Chapters 5 and 6.
De Waal, A. (1997). Famine Crimes: Politics and the Disaster Relief Industry in Africa. Indian University Press, James Currey. Chapters 2 to 4.

Discussion of projects

Debate: "Democracy can prevent famine"

5. Preventing famine

Dreze, J., and Sen, A. (1989). Hunger and Public Action. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Chapters 7 and 8.
De Waal, A. (1997). Famine Crimes: Politics and the Disaster Relief Industry in Africa. Indian University Press, James Currey. Chapters 7 - 11

Sen, A. (1999). The Value of Democracy. Lecture given in Korea, February. Development Outreach. Summer.

Distant Thunder - film of World War II Bengal famine by famous Indian film-maker Satyajit Ray

6. Chronic Hunger and Poverty: progress in some places, global debate

In some parts of the world, including South Korea, Cuba, Sri Lanka, and Kerala (India), there appears to have been marked progress in the reduction of hunger and poverty. What can we learn from these cases?

Dreze, J., and Sen, A. (1989). Hunger and Public Action. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Chapters 9 and 10, 12, and 13.
UNDP (1999). Human Development Indicators. Selected tables from Human Development Report 1999 (http://www.undp.org).

Hunger in America - classic late 1960s documentary describing poor Mexican Americans in Texas, tenant farmers in Virginia, Navajos in Arizona, and African American sharecroppers in Alabama

7. Hunger in the US

Eisinger, P. K. (1998). Toward an End to Hunger in America. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution. Ch 1-3.

A Woman's Place - women's initiatives in six countries (UCB).

Project discussion

8. Preventing hunger in the US

Eisinger, P. K. (1998). Toward an End to Hunger in America. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution. Chapters 4 - 9.
Uchitelle, L. (1999). "Devising New Math to Define Poverty: Millions more would be poor in fresher census formula." New York Times. October 18.

Film: Legacy of Malthus?

9. Attacking hunger and poverty

World Bank (2000). Draft World Development Report: Attacking Poverty. Chapters 1 and 2. (http://www.worldbank.org/wdr/)
Diane Elson critique (part of an online discussion of the draft World Development Report).

Oxfam film on Grameen Bank

In class test

10. Projects

Presentation of projects

Final debate: "Global institutions should prevent hunger and famine"

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