Joe Lau

CCHU9005 Food and Values

Please note that this page will be updated throughout the semester. Do come back to check for changes.

General information

  • Lecturer: Dr Joe Lau, Department of Philosophy, HKU
  • Lecture: Every Wed 14:30 - 16:20 LE1 (during term time except reading week, university and public holidays)
  • Enrolment: All done by the computer system. The lecturer will not be able to enrol individual students.
  • Contact and office hours: By appointment only. Contact your tutor first if possible.
  • HKU Official common core course page: http://commoncore.hku.hk/cchu9005/
  • Announcements: See Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/cchu9005 Please check the page regularly for updates. If you have questions about the content of the course, post them to Facebook rather than email the lecturer, so that other students can also participate in the discussion.
  • Course description - Food is a fundamental aspect of human existence. This course examines philosophical issues about food and its relation to ethics, objectivity and values. Topics include moral issues such as the debate about animal rights, world hunger, the use of genetic engineering in agriculture, and the justification of health policies about food and drugs. We shall also look at the relationship between food and art, and the objectivity of taste. The main objective of the course is to help students adopt new perspectives in thinking critically about what they might normally take for granted in their daily lives.
  • Learning Outcomes: On completing the course, students will be able to: Compare and contrast the various absolutist, relativist and contextualist positions about morality and values. Identify the critical factors to consider in moral evaluation and apply such knowledge in analyzing selected ethical problems related to food. Critically examine the nature of subjectivity in aesthetic and taste preferences and the possibility of objective evaluative standards, and demonstrate an awareness of their connections to moral reasoning. Use relevant research information related to the course to collaborate with others in presenting ideas creatively, clearly and systematically.
  • Course locker: All powerpoint files and any other relevant documents will be posted here: https://app.box.com/s/049zammtb995pyjp2uas
  • Moodle - We will use moodle for tutorial signup. If you have just registered, it might take a few days before you can logon to the course moodle site.

Schedule and readings

  • There is no course text. See https://cchu9005.wordpress.com/ for list of topics and required readings.
  • There are also links to additional recommended readings that would provide more information. You are strongly encouraged to read them to get a better understanding.
  • Reading a philosophy text is not easy and takes a lot of time, but it is an excellent training of your comprehension skills. Read this page for some advice: http://www.jimpryor.net/teaching/guidelines/reading.html

Tutorials

  • You are required to attend tutorials. Details later.
  • Tutorial timeslots
  • Tutorial signup will begin at 8pm Thur 10 Sept 2015 on moodle. First come first served. You should signup before Sunday 13 Sept. 5 marks will be deducted if you need to change tutorial group for any reason afterwards, even if you have made a mistake. See facebook page.

Assessment

100% coursework. No exam. Deadlines and details will be posted later.

Remember to fill in this form before 12 Sept: https://goo.gl/KlucC5

  1. Short tasks - You have to complete them but they are not graded, e.g. fill in an online survey; prepare some questions for tutorials, etc.
  2. Tutorial participation (15%) - You will be assessed for your contribution and active participation in the tutorials. We look for constructive comments and thoughtful questions. Talking non-stop or asking irrelevant questions will not earn you any points.
  3. Written essay (about 1000 words, 45%)
  4. Journal (20%) - A record of your thoughts and comments on some of the lectures.
  5. Group project (2 in a group, 20%) - You will be asked to conduct interviews with people outside the class and write up the interviews.

Details: see course locker

Plagiarism

  • Plagiarism is not tolerated. See HKU's policy. NEVER copy from others without proper acknowledgement. You can get expelled from HKU.
  • You need to submit your essays online to http://www.turnitin.com to check for plagiarism.

Other things you should know