Homelessness, minorities in media, food ethics on syllabus for 3 classes
USC students will be exploring complex social issues in the classroom this semester, from homelessness to the ethical debate over what goes onto their plate.
One of those classes is South Carolina Honors College course 33OT, Addressing Homelessness in South Carolina, an Honors College course that instructor Bret Kloos hopes to bring to a general group of students in future semesters.
“I want students to come to the issue with open eyes,” Kloos said. “I really encourage them to dig deeper and go beyond the stereotypes that we have about homelessness which can happen partly through reading and learning about homelessness through different stakeholder perspectives.”
In past semesters, Kloos has seen students become more active in advocacy efforts and volunteer work relating to the local homeless population, which has recently been a major topic of discussion at Columbia City Council meetings.
“Seeing students get involved, seeing people use their skills and their talents to address community well-being is very rewarding,” Kloos said. “There are many classes like this on campus. We have many challenges — homelessness is one of them.”
Students will be examining the roles of women and different racial and ethnic groups in the media in journalism course 311, Minorities, Women and the Media, taught by Kenneth Campbell. Campbell developed the course in the early 1990s. At first, it chronicled the presence of women and minorities in the media. It recently shifted its focus to how minorities and women are presented.
“I think one of the biggest ‘aha moments’ for students in the class is that they come to realize they learn or internalize so much from consuming mass media,” Campbell said. “We learn so much about gender, race, culture and all the things that make up our identity from mass media, so, when we sit down and enjoy our favorite shows, whether we’re watching online, or DVDs, or in real time, we are learning something about someone that can influence who we are and how we see who they are.”
Through this course, Campbell said he pushes students to think critically and to implement discussions and reflection both in class and in essays to accommodate students who may not be fully comfortable discussing certain topics in class.
“Opinions about the course vary — students who talk to me about the course say it is one of the best courses they have taken at USC because it pushed them to think and the factual material is new and eye-opening to them,” Campbell said. “Some students find the course very practical because it helps them understand behavior — their own and that of others, past and present.”
While the class is listed as a journalism course, Campbell said it would be a benefit for students of every major to consider taking it because of the role media has in our culture and the way it allows students to understand mass media’s broader societal function.
One social issue that may not be on the forefront of most students’ minds can be discussed in Kevin Elliott’s Ethics of Food course. Taught both as an Honors College course as well as a general course for any USC student, the class takes a look at the many factors of our society that involve what we eat.
“The first part of the course talks about the differences between current industrial agriculture versus other alternatives or innovative approaches to growing food that are often more environmentally friendly,” Elliott said. “We also cover issues such as hunger and obesity and the role that the government should play in addressing those issues.”
Through this course, students can gain a better understanding of the issues surrounding their food choices on both a personal and societal level. This course helps students understand how a lot of different issues faced today are interconnected, Elliott said.
“A course like this can point to environmental concerns, economic concerns, health concerns and other concerns about people’s welfare,” Elliott said. “These issues come together and I think it’s fun for students to see that there are so many interconnected problems that could be examined at once.”