This course examines the role of U.S. food and agricultural policy in perpetuating racial and economic inequality. Topics include agriculture, class and race in the 19th century; farm size and inequality; farm labor; low-wage workers in the food chain; food insecurity; and environmental inequality. The class covers both historical and contemporary social movements that respond to inequities within the food system. By introducing students to historical documents, empirical research, and the academic literature on these and related topics, the course prepares students to effectively evaluate contemporary legal and policy responses to food systems inequality.
