Course: English 1010 Composition CRN13474
(Co-requisite ESOL0912)
Professor’s Name: Mrs. Paula Lenge
Assignment: Essay #2 Argument-based Essay
Topic: The Role of Government in the Food Industry and Ensuring Citizens’ Health
Example arguments: The government should/should not play a role in controlling the fast-food industry. The government should/should not control the contents of school lunches for children.
Requirements:
Due Dates:
Over the next few weeks, we will read various perspectives on the politics and business of food. Some writers, such as Radley Balko, concern themselves with the importance of individual dietary choices, while others, such as Michael Pollan, write about the government’s role in ensuring the health of its citizens. In some way or another, all the voices we read are concerned for Americans’ health but have different ideas about how to best approach it.
Drawing from at least one of the authors from class and outside research, write an essay in which you assess federal, state, and/or local government policy on obesity and controlling the food industry.
Some questions to consider in your research are: How, if at all, should the government regulate the fast-food industry? Would ideas like a “fat tax” or “sugar tax” be effective? Have other places tried them, and if so, what was the result? What is some recent federal, state, or local legislation that has passed or been introduced to combat obesity? Do you think it will work? Do you believe in giving government more control over health matters, or less? Why? What other systemic or structural factors contribute to obesity? What role does fatphobia play in how we shape policy? What is the danger of focusing too much on obesity at the expense of other health concerns?
Using the 80/20 rule for original writing vs. source material, be sure to quote from and cite at least one of the authors we read together in class (Pollan, Balko, Zinczenko, or Maxfield) as well as from your two additional sources from the library databases