Exploring US food insecurity using a racial equity perspective (AS.280.461)
Krieger 306
Tuesday/Thursday, 10:30-11:45, Fall semester 2021
Instructor:
Kaitlyn Harper, MA MSc (Pronouns: she/her/hers)
PhD Candidate, Human Nutrition
Department of International Health
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
kharpe14@jhu.edu / 503-956-8071
Office hours: By individual appointment
Course Description
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, one in ten families in the United States experienced food insecurity—
meaning they did not have access to enough safe and nutritious foods to sustain a healthy and active lifestyle.
During the pandemic, the prevalence of food insecurity rose to one in three families. Moreover, Black,
Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) have the highest prevalences of food insecurity in every US region
due to structural racism and longstanding wealth inequities. Reducing and eliminating food insecurity will
require addressing these root causes. This course will apply a racial equity perspective to explore the issue of
food insecurity in the US, including the history, measurement, and current strategies to reduce food insecurity at
the national, regional, and local levels. Students will be pushed to critically reflect on readings, discussions, and
activities that explore the connection between systems of oppression and food insecurity.
Course Objectives
Upon successfully completing this course, students will be able to:
 Define racial equity and use a racial equity perspective to reflect on issues related to food insecurity in
the US.
 Explain the social and political context that led to the creation of food security measurement in the US.
 Describe and constructively critique the tools used to measure food insecurity in the US.
 Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of current strategies to address food insecurity.
 Discuss our role as individuals in addressing food insecurity in equitable and sustainable ways.
Course Format
A. Ungrading
Ungrading??? What does that MEAN? This course will focus on qualitative not quantitative assessment, which
we’ll discuss during the class. While you will receive a final grade at the end of the term, I will not be grading
individual assignments, but rather asking questions and making comments that engage your work rather than
simply evaluate it. You will also be reflecting carefully on your own work throughout the term.
This is out of my comfort zone. Why are we doing it this way? The intention here is to help you focus on
working in a more organic way, as opposed to working as you think you’re “supposed” to. If this process causes
more anxiety than it alleviates, you can talk to me at any point to talk about your concerns. If you’re worried
about your grade, your best strategy should be to actively participate in discussions, do the readings(!!), and
complete the reflections. You should consider this course a “busy-work-free zone”—I’ll never assign us to do
something if I don’t have a specific reason!
Soo… what determines what my grade at the end will be?
You will be asked to write both a mid-term and end-of-term self-reflection (less than 1 page, single-spaced).
These reflections will prompt you to think about the effort you’ve put into the course so far, how much you’ve
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gotten out of the course, and what you or I could do to facilitate your learning to the best of your ability. The
self-reflections will be used to guide a one-on-one conversation at the end of the term, in which we will discuss
the course and what we both believe your grade should be. At that time, we will come to a consensus together
about what your grade should be.
Huh, where can I learn more about this? For more information about “ungrading”, see this blog post by (the
somewhat controversial) author Alfie Kohn.
B. Assignments/activities
1. Reflection papers
You will be expected to write seven 1-page (single-spaced) reflections throughout the term in addition to the
mid-term and end-of-term reflections. For each paper, you will be asked to reflect on the content learned in the
previous few classes, with a specific focus on how racial equity applies to each topic. Additional prompts will
be provided based on class discussion.
Reflections are due every other week, on Thursdays
- September 9
- September 23
- October 7
- October 21 (regular reflection PLUS mid-term self-reflection)
- November 4
- November 18
- December 9 (regular reflection PLUS end of term self-reflection)
2. In-class discussions and activities
This course is going to be way more interesting—and honestly more fun—if everyone participates during class.
I’m not the type of instructor that will sit and lecture at you for 75 minutes. Some days will be more didactic
(“lecture-y”) than others, but for most classes we will be focused on group activities and discussion. Ahhh, I’m
not a group work person! Yikes, sorry; you’re going to have to step out of your comfort zone a bit. We’re not
going to do any long-term group projects, but during class I’m going to ask you to work together with other
people on a regular basis. Why are instructors so obsessed with group work? I’m so glad you asked! Everyone
comes from such unique backgrounds and will have differing perspectives. Why wouldn’t we want to work
together to learn from each other??
A note on attendance: Given the structure of the in-class activities, attendance is key for success in this course.
Please email me in advance (at least a day if possible) if you need to miss class or arrive late, and I’ll let you
know what you should do to make up that day’s learning.
Classroom culture
Throughout the course, we’ll be discussing two very “wicked problems” (def: social or cultural problems that
are difficult or impossible to solve) in the US—systemic racism and food insecurity. Talking about hard things
often makes people uncomfortable and being uncomfortable can sometimes bring out bad habits or unconscious
biases. To make sure that everyone in the class feels both safe and respected, we will have a set of guidelines
that everyone will be expected follow during all classes:
1. Take space, make space. We strive to make space for all people to have their voices heard. If you’re
someone who tends to talk a lot in class, maybe take a step back sometimes. If you’re someone who
generally sits in silence, try to step up—we want to hear you!
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2. Who are you speaking for? Sometimes we generalize about another group of people without actually
knowing if that’s the true experience for everyone in that group. For example, as a white woman, I
should avoid making statements like, “all Black women do X” or “all Latina women say X”. Instead, try
to speak from your own experience, like saying, “As a white woman, I have experienced X”.
3. Trust others’ experiences. Sometimes people will say things that make you uncomfortable, and that
makes us feel defensive. We might even discount what someone says because disbelieving makes us feel
better about ourselves. If you catch yourself doubting someone else’s truth, stop and ask yourself ‘why
do I feel this way?’
4. Lean into discomfort. Similarly, sometimes we shy away from things that make us uncomfortable. In
this course, we’re going to try to lean into that discomfort through written and verbal reflections. It’s
okay to feel vulnerable!
5. Make it plain. We tend to beat around the bush when we’re trying to avoid saying something that feels
uncomfortable. Try to say what you mean instead of having people decipher between the lines what
you’re trying to say. Let’s normalize asking each other to “make it plain”.
6. Assume good intent and take care of impact. Each of us is in this class because we want to learn more
about racial equity. We’re all coming from different places, and sometimes one person might say things
that feel “off” to another person. If you feel that something was off, assume that the person is not
coming from a place of malice. Ask them to make it plain or rephrase to clarify. At the same time,
recognize that words have impact. If you make a mistake, apologize and take action to make sure you
don’t make the same mistake twice!
A note about my own racial identity: I am a white woman, which means I have privileges that individuals with
other racial identities do not have. I strive to work against racism every day and I recognize that anti-racism is
a lifelong journey. That said: (1) I might make mistakes sometimes, and I’ll do my best to own up to those
mistakes and be better; (2) I probably won’t have all the answers to every question. Sometimes a good answer
simply doesn’t exist, and sometimes I just won’t know the answer, but I’ll do my best to explore topics that I’m
unfamiliar with and report back what I find; (3) I’ll do my best to include readings, podcasts, and guest
speakers in the class that have different racial identities than my own. I recognize that BIPOC have experienced
oppression in ways that I can never understand and have knowledge and expertise that should be elevated and
shared.
Feedback
Please feel free to provide honest feedback to me when it is appropriate. I have created a place for you to
provide feedback using this google form. Use this form to provide feedback to me—Kaitlyn—throughout the
term. You can also use this form to ask questions that you might not feel comfortable asking in class (or if you
have a burning question and we run out of time). You may submit this form as many times as you want
throughout the term. This form is anonymous, but there is the option to include your name in case you'd like me
to follow up with you!
Feedback link: https://forms.gle/rsNhPdxvWUtnMTx7A
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Student well being
Being a human is hard! Please know that I will always put your physical and mental health above all else, and I
hope that you do the same. Here are a few links that can help you connect with resources on campus. If you
have a specific concern and need help connecting with a resource, please feel free to talk to me. I’m not familiar
with all the resources, but we can work together to figure it out.
https://studentaffairs.jhu.edu/counselingcenter/  Link to the counseling center
https://studentaffairs.jhu.edu/student-health/  JHU Health & Wellness Center
https://studentaffairs.jhu.edu/student-success/  Center for Student Success
https://studentaffairs.jhu.edu/disabilities/  Disabilities Services
https://studentaffairs.jhu.edu/chew/  Center for Health Education & Wellbeing
https://studentaffairs.jhu.edu/lgbtq/  LGBTQ Life
https://studentaffairs.jhu.edu/oma/  Multicultural Affairs
https://wellness.jhu.edu/  Wellness.JHU
https://studentaffairs.jhu.edu/women-resources/  Women and Gender Resources
https://studentaffairs.jhu.edu/religious-spiritual-life/  Religious and Spiritual Life
Disability support services
If you are a student with a documented disability who requires an academic accommodation, please contact the
Student Disability Support Services at 410-516-4720 or via email at mailto:studentdisabilityservices@jhu.edu.
If you’re comfortable, please also feel free to talk to me about it so I can ensure you’re in the right environment
to learn.
Academic ethics
Academic ethics as discussed in the Policy and Procedure Memorandum for Students, October 26, 2006, will be
adhered to in this course. This information is available in the Student Handbook and on the school’s webpage.
Course overview
Please see the “Course overview and assignments” document on Blackboard.
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