Sociology of Food SOCI 238: Food Documentary Film Analysis
For this assignment you will be conducting a critical analysis of a food documentary. Your analysis will
need to respond to the questions below (PART 1 and PART 2). PART 1 is generic – everyone will need to
answer these questions and PART 2 questions are specific to the film you choose so please read the
instructions carefully.
Organization:
▪ Your complete assignment must be between XXXXXXXXXXwords (4-6 pages double spaced).
▪ Your assignment MUST be in a .doc or .docx (word) or PDF
▪ Your assignment will be checked by anti-plagiarism software
Assignment Instructions:
Choose one of the three following films to watch and then answer the questions below.
1. Cowspiracy (Available on course site and on Netflix)
2. Food Inc. (Available on course site and online)
3. Fed Up (Available online and Amazon Prime)
PART ONE:
First, answer all of these questions (2 pages, double spaced)
1. Briefly describe what the film is about and the position that it advocates.
2. List five statistics given in the film that you found alarming and explain how each fact relates to
the film’s premise or main theme. Explain the significance or implication of these facts.
3. Does this film shed light on the food system? How so? Explain.
4. Give a
ief account of your own personal reaction to the film. i.e. How did the film make you
feel? What aspect of the film did you most engage with? What does it make you think about?
PART TWO:
For this part, answer the questions that relate to the documentary you chose to watch (2-3 pages,
double spaced).
For Food Inc. Answer these additional questions:
1. What does the industrial food system look like? What are the key features and characteristics of this
food system? What are the consequences and implications of this industrial food system? Consider:
Economic, political, social, environmental and ethical dimensions.
2. What did you learn from this film about the relationship between how our food is produced and the
state of human health, workers’ rights, animal welfare and our ecosystem?
3. What are the efficiencies and inefficiencies of corporate concentration in our food system?
4. How do inequalities of power (i.e. lo
y groups) from the food industry shape food policy?
5. What individual or collective actions are required in order to improve our food system, and what would
their impact be?
For Cowspirarcy: The Sustainability Secret - answer these questions:
1. What are the impacts of agricultural practices on the environment? (e.g. land, soil, water, air & climate).
What is the potential impact of climate change on future food production?
2. What kind of power (i.e. economic, political etc.) does the Animal Agriculture lo
y have? How does this
power shape our food systems?
3. What are the environmental and political implications of our food choices? Explain
4. Is a vegetarian diet more environmentally friendly than eating meat? Explain and assess your reasoning
with reference to the film Cowspirarcy.
5. How can we as individual citizens encourage policymakers and change makers to address the problems
inherent in animal agriculture and overfishing?
For Fed Up Answer these additional Questions:
1. How has the inclusion of sugar in our food changed over the years and who is responsible for this
change?
2. What are the implications of so much additional sugar being added to our food?
3. Why is the U.S. leading the world in obesity? What is it about the North American food system that has
allowed the food industry to let this problem get so out of hand?
4. Do you think the film placed too much focus on sugar as the primary culprit in obesity? What, if any,
factors were overlooked in the wider issue of obesity?
5. What was served in your school cafeterias - including Humber’s? Where else do you see the problem of
processed and high-sugar foods in your life? What can you do about it?