Introduction By Grace Di Cecco, Service-Learning Teacher Assistant
This spring, freshman honors students in Professor Sarah Finn’s First-Year Writing course “Science, Technology, and Human Values” have participated in Service-Learning by joining on-campus activist groups that relate to course themes of science, technology, and human values. Their service work has informed their learning in the course as we explore how writing can be used for activism and enacting change, and they have joined vibrant communities on campus by getting involved with issues they are passionate about. Below, students share the causes they have dedicated themselves to and reflect on their experiences so far. This is the second post that kicks off a series of six about First-Year students serving Northeastern through Activism. Stay tuned for more posts!
Slow Food
By Service-Learning Students Blake Karavas, Rafid Ahsan, Cory Macdonald, William Bunnell
Pictured above: Blake Karavas, Rafid Ahsan, Cory Macdonald, William Bunnell
Slow Food NU is a part of an international movement that started in Italy whose core values include sustainable food sourcing, healthy eating, and food justice. Each meeting we discussed a specific issue related to the goals of Slow Food, and how we can raise awareness on Northeastern’s Campus. Some examples include the issues of a declining bee population and Fair Trade for imports from developing countries such as coffee and chocolate. The club incorporates issues from every aspect of the food industry, beginning at the source of the food (animal and worker justice) to the consumers.
We incorporated many of the themes of the course: science, technology, and human values. GMO’s and pesticides are major, but also controversial, advancements in food technology, and a focus of Slow Food. Fair Trade supports equitable workers’ rights which coincides with the theme of human values that we discussed in class.
Working with Slow Food this semester has been an enlightening experience, in which we fostered an engaging discourse community. We met many like-minded students who are passionate about the club and raising awareness of the issues related to it. Each meeting was a bright spot in the middle of long weeks, where we could relax, enjoy healthy self-made foods like guacamole and almond butter, and discuss prominent current issues.
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