explore and critically analyze issues in the food system using the lens of one food product.

Your Food System Project

This assignment will encourage students to explore and critically analyze issues in the food system using the lens of one food product. The assignment includes three stages that will require each student to work individually and with a group (up to 5 members). Part 1 – Group Proposal (10% of the final grade) As a group, students will explore a food item at various stages of the food supply chain or food system. Follow the steps below to sign up to a group. Selecting a food item and forming a group You are required to self-enroll in a group for two of the required assignments – the Group Proposal and the Group Presentation. Your instructor will create groups in D2L under the category titled ‘Food System Project’. • Selecting a food item: Each group is labeled with a different food item. Sign up to the item you wish to explore in more detail. This will be the food item that you will explore in more detail in the Group Proposal, Individual Paper, and the Group Presentation. If there is a food item you are interested in as a group, but it is not listed, please contact your instructor and propose the new food item. • Group enrolment: You will be required to self-enroll in a group on D2L. To enroll in a group, go to ‘Communication’ in the navigation bar and then ‘Groups’. When viewing the ‘Groups’ table, you will find a list of food items (each food item represents one group) and you will see how many members have already enrolled in each group. The group limit is 5 people. To select a group – click select and confirm your enrollment in the group. Once you enter a group, you will be able to view the related assignments and discussions associated with the group. You can use the group discussions to contact your group members. You can also email your group members using the email icon. When you email your group this way, the emails will remain anonymous and will not be displayed. You have to ask fellow group members to share their email. You can find more information about groups in D2L here: https://www.ryerson.ca/courses/students/tutorials/groups/ If you do not sign up by that time, you will automatically be placed in a group. However, you are encouraged to sign up to a group as soon as possible. This will ensure you have sufficient time to communicate with your group and submit a good quality proposal. By default, users cannot self-enroll in more than one group. If you want to change groups, you must leave a group first and then sign up to a new group. Leaving and changing groups is not permitted after the end of week 3. Completing the “Group Proposal” Review the document titled ‘Group Proposal Template’. You will find this document on D2L under ‘Assignments’. The document outlines specific instructions for the proposal and provides a template of what you are required to submit as the Group Proposal. The group proposal forms the basis of the next stages of the assignment – the individual paper and the group presentation. In completing the template, each student will focus on one stage of the food system for the food item, such as production, processing, or environmental, political, or cultural aspects of the food item. Please ensure each group member focuses on a different stage of the food system for the food item. Aim to minimize overlap between topics. There are many topics you can consider under each stage of the food system. Develop a focused topic. A more focused topic will allow you to explore an issue more rigorously and more thoroughly. To do this, narrow the scope of your topic. For example, pesticide use of coffee production, corporate concentration in the production of coffee, the environmental impacts of coffee pods or the impacts of fair trade on small coffee producers. These are all good examples of a focused topic. Criteria Description Required Elements All required components are completed Organization Presents relevant information in the table that relate to the stages of the food system and the thesis statements. Thesis statements Thesis statements are clear and concise. Each student in the group is to provide a thesis statement for their proposed topic. The topic is to relate to the food item and take a sociological perspective. References Includes a list of relevant, scholarly sources. A minimum of 5 sources in total at this stage (or the number of students in your group). Any additional nonscholarly sources used to research the proposal, such as web sources and news items are also to be listed. Although each group member is responsible for a different stage of the food system, you are welcome to share and use the same sources for your papers and identify themes that connect between your various topics. Ensure that the sources are relevant for your topic. Do not underestimate the significance of the proposal. Use the proposal to ensure your topic is well researched and that this is something you are interested in. The goal of the proposal is to illustrate to the instructor that you have begun researching your topic and that you have a good idea of what your individual paper will focus on. Developing a good group proposal will save you a lot of time in writing your paper and developing the group presentation. Coordination with your group for this work can be done in multiple ways. There are numerous social media platforms as well as D2L that will allow you to communicate with your group members online. As a group, you are responsible to communicate and collaborate with one another in a fair and just manner. Submission: The deadline to sign up to a group is by the end of week 3. Only one submission is required per group. Do NOT email your submissions. Emailed assignments will not be marked.