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K. P. PENNER, Food Science Institute, Kansas State Univ., Dept. of Animal Sciences & Industry, 216 Call Hall, Manhattan, KS 66506 Integrating ethical concepts, issues, and discussions into an introductory course in food science was implemented at Kansas State University for several semesters. The instructor's interest in various issues, her belief in the importance of having issue-oriented discussions in the classroom, and an opportunity to attend a bioethics workshop provided the impetus. Ethical discussions would provide a means to increase interaction among the many students in the classroom, promote critical thinking, and broaden students' perspectives. From the instructor's perspective, the introductory course provided many opportunities to develop and include case studies and discussions. Over several semesters, various case studies were used, modified, continued, or deleted based on student reactions, instructor's assessments, and on scheduling constraints. Evaluation of the impact and effectiveness of including ethics activities in the introductory food science course were anecdotal. Generally, students responded positively to the case studies, and many noted they perceived the value of such discussions. Some students, however, did not appreciate or take seriously certain role-playing activities, particularly when students were assigned to roles or positions they would not take outside the classroom. Including the ethical case studies and activities in the course took class time away from other subjects, but were worth the effort from the instructor's perspective.
Session 7, Food science education: A question of ethics
2005 IFT Annual Meeting, July 15-20 - New Orleans, Louisiana |