Fast Food Nation Assignments

General Assignment Parameters

The following was developed as a template for use in the classroom. It assumes that teachers will read part of the book, participate in a campus event, have students produce something, have students share something publicly, and assess student learning.

READ
Read an excerpt from Fast Food Nation

PARTICPATE
Participate in a campus event (film, speaker, performance, simulation, panel, etc.)

CONNECT
Through a writing assignment, required presentation, in-class discussion or on-line discussion board, have students

• Connect the book and campus event to class skills or class content or both.
• Connect personally, locally, nationally or globally

SHARE
Students share what they've learned with broader community:

• Poster sessions
• On-line postings
• Design brochures/handouts
• Public installation
• Interdisciplinary activities
• Campus writing showcase
• Public event/community events
• Classroom visitations
• Service-learning projects

ACHIEVE
Outcomes:

• Connecting skills and knowledge from multiple sources and experiences
• Understanding issues contextually
• Applying theory to practice in certain settings
• Understand interdependence (personal, local, national, global)

ASSESS
Have students answer one good question or compose a kernel sentence to reflect on their learning

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The following are assignments that CGCC faculty have used or are developing for use related to Fast Food Nation:

I have students read the chapter "Your Trusted Friend." It examines advertising to children. Since students are very familiar with the golden arches, they quickly understand Schlosser's point about marketing targeted at children and the concept of "life-long customers." This piece of writing I contrast with a chapter from the book Bang! Getting Your Message heard in a Noisy World. It's written by the creative heads of the advertising firm that put together the AFLAC advertising campaign that made the insurance company a household name. Through my synthesis assignment, students have a great opportunity to look critically at advertising through two entirely different lenses.--Val Rehrer, English Instructor

Through this English and History learning community assignment--Adlibbing Key Scenes from Chapter 3 "Behind the Counter" of Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser--students are exploring structures that limit free agency. First, through a creative/adlibbed scene, groups of students get the class to hear and understand some of the key points of their seciton of the chapter. (Sections focused on: Throughput Stroking, Detecting lies, Protecting youth, Inside jobs and Making it fun.) Then they report on the author's other key points and engage the class in a conversation. After all groups performed, we had a general discusison exploring different structures and the resulting ways that free agency is limited.--Chris Schnick, English Instructor and Paul Petrequin, History Instructor