Provide relevant background information about the food item and present some of the key social issues associated with that food item.

– Individual Report (20% of the final grade) Individually, each student will be responsible for writing a report about one food system issue related to their food item. Write a 1500-word report that outlines and analyzes one of the issues from your proposal. This is to be completed independently. Each paper topic should be unique. It is not sufficient to simply describe the stage of the food system or food chain. For example, it is not sufficient to simply describe how coffee is produced or processed. You will find that each stage of the food system/food supply chain will have any number of sub-issues. Think about the social implications of each topic. Think about: Who are the winners and losers during the production of the food item? Who holds the power in the processing of your item? What knowledges are considered most important and valuable during the promotion or marketing of your food item? As in the proposal, each group member is to select one stage of the food system/food supply chain, focus on a specific topic within that stage of the food system and write an analytical paper about it, on their own. Avoid overlap of topics between group members. Each group member should have a different topic. This way, each student can contribute new and unique knowledge to the group presentation. The goal is for each of you to contribute to an overall “big picture” of the food system for the food item you are researching. Content and style requirements: The writing of an assignment from a sociological perspective requires the primary use of scholarly sources, such as scholarly journals, or books. The report should be approximately 1,500 words (+/-) 50 words. The abstract is included in this word count. This word count does NOT include the title page or bibliography. Please use the format in the chart below to structure your paper. Use Times New Roman, 12-point font size, and double line spacing. You are required to include a full reference list of all materials used in the paper. • Sources of Evidence: At least four scholarly sources (peer-reviewed) journals, book chapters or books, plus the required textbook (Koc, Sumner, & Winson, 2021) are included (for a minimum of five references). There is a list of suitable sources in Chapter 1 of the text on page 13. The list on page 13 includes examples of suitable sources. These are examples of academic, peer reviewed scholarly sources. Feel free to use other scholarly and peer reviewed sources. You are not limited to that list. • Currency and quality: Sources are carefully selected, with attention to timeliness and relevance. • Application and Relevance: Research is appropriate and relevant for the assignment topic and sufficiently integrated into the analysis. • Non-scholarly Sources: In addition to scholarly sources, you may include other relevant sources from media or web sources to highlight current discourse on the topic. Analysis provides context for why these sources are relevant, and how they relate to the research presented. See note below. • Follow APA guidelines for citation format (APA 7th edition preferred) – see Ryerson University Library’s Citation Guide. In addition to sociological sources, you may require other data, such as government data from Statistics Canada, Health Canada, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UNFAO), the World Health Organization (WHO), or other reputable sources such as Food Secure Canada (FSC) to provide a rationale for your argument. If you are providing any context for your paper from news sources, please note that these are NOT scholarly sources and will NOT count towards your minimum required number of scholarly sources. For example: • Newspaper articles (Toronto Star, The National Post, Huffington Post, etc.) • Magazine articles (Macleans, Newsweek, The Economist) • Encyclopedia reference (including Wikipedia) • Dictionary references • Non-scholarly websites, blogs, etc. The content in the online modules is NOT to be used as a source of reference for your paper. Any issue raised in the module must refer to the original scholarly source(s) upon which it was based. Criteria Description Abstract The abstract provides a 150-word synopsis of your paper and has the following elements: • 1–2 sentences on the central issue and context • The abstract is on the main points of the analysis • 1–2 sentences on key conclusions Introduction The essay introduction provides brief context for your topic. It should include your thesis statement and an overview of the essay’s structure. Background In this section you can provide background information about your food item and your stage of the food system or supply chain. You can outline why this topic is important. You can also outline a few major debates that are currently taking place regarding your topic. This will help the reader situate your topic within a broader body of literature. You are welcome to incorporate relevant course content here as well. Analysis/Discussion In this section, please focus on providing evidence in support of your thesis statement or argument. Please ensure that your analysis incorporates scholarly sociological (and/or food studies) literature. Your writing should clearly incorporate several key themes or concepts from the course in a way that demonstrates a solid understanding. You will be required to think critically and assess how this content supports your thesis statement. • Use a critical approach. Critical analysis focuses on the source nature and consequences of power relationships. Critical sociologists who study food raise questions such as how differential access to land, resources, and healthy food affects human health and how the environment is affected. They also emphasize how social institutions and popular beliefs can resist or reinforce the existing distribution of power and of resources. • Both direct quotes and an author’s ideas must be referenced in your paper script using in-text citations (APA style). Do not use more than 10% of the word count as direct quotes. Conclusion Your conclusion should clearly link to the opening remarks from your introduction. It should provide a brief summary and highlight significant points from your analysis. It is not a section of the paper to introduce new evidence and analysis. Writing Style • Your paper is to be organized as outlined above and presented in a coherent style. • Your analysis is to be clearly written and free of grammatical and spelling mistakes. • Proper referencing style (APA) for citations is required. See Ryerson University Library’s Citation Guide for support on using APA. No hard copies or email submissions will be accepted. Note: You will not be required to share your paper with your group members, but you are encouraged to share your abstracts with your team as you prepare your final presentation. Part 3 – Group Presentation (20% of the final grade) As a group, students will develop a presentation that provides a critical analysis of the food system using what they have learned in their individual reports. As a group, you will develop a 5 – 10 minute presentation about your food item, highlighting key issues from your written report. Content: By this time, you have all researched and written individual reports about different stages of the supply chain/food system of a specific food item. In the group presentation you will put all that knowledge together and present a broader story about the food item. In the presentation: • Provide relevant background information about the food item and present some of the key social issues associated with that food item. • Work together to share and synthesize information to create a holistic and fluid presentation that is interesting and engaging. Avoid simply having each group member present their piece separately. Work on the presentation together as a group by sharing and exchanging information and helping each other develop a cohesive representation of the food item. Avoid reading from your paper, it will not make for an engaging presentation. Find connections or common themes between the different stages of the supply chain/food system and demonstrate the significance and implications of those connections. • The style and content of the presentation should be at a level that would be informative and engaging for your peers in the class. That is, your audience has a general familiarity with the issues, but your task is to provide a detailed and critical presentation of the issues that occur along the food chain for your food item.