Fillable Printable Research Topic Proposal Template
Fillable Printable Research Topic Proposal Template
Research Topic Proposal Template
Research Proposal (SAMPLE)
The Vegan Wave: Health, Hype or Heart?
Ken Sherwood
Engl 202 - Research Writing
Spring 2004
Abstract:
This project deals with the vegetarianism in America, a diet choice that may be on the
rise. It takes up the central question: Is American vegetarianism inspired by health
concerns, politics, or fashion? Exploring this issue, it establishes the public discussion
surrounding vegetarianism in the media and the positions articulated by various interest
groups such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the meat-packing industry,
and health authorities. Using a survey of college students and observation in a college
cafeteria, it seeks to uncover the motivations behind personal eating decisions.
Introduction:
Vegetarianism as a diet option seems increasingly like a normal possibility for younger
Americans. While the percentage of vegetarians to "carnivores" may not have changed
much in recent years, the acceptance or recognition of it has. Now many restaurants offer
vegetarian menus. Have our ideas about food changed? I am interested in understanding
what motivates those who make the choice of excluding meat from their diets (as
opposed to those for whom it is not rooted in preference but in a religious belief or
medical condition).
The number of groups publishing information and promoting their viewpoints on the
subject is immense. I will look at the content of their arguments and evaluate them, as
well as seeing how these arguments may be changing. In this sense, I will be looking at
present values in relation to the history of ideas about food in the twentieth century. I
suspect that certain external factors may also effect people’s behavior--such as Mad Cow
disease, the cost of beef and fish, increase in fast-food consumption, cholesterol
consciousness.
Once I have established an understanding of the major perspectives on this issue, I want
to look more closely at how individuals take in these various arguments (or don't) and
whether these campaigns or other issues shape behavior. At the same time, I will be alert
for factors such as age, region, gender, and tradition that might effect such choices. For
example, it seems possible that one's experience or lack of it with livestock or as a hunter
might be relevant. I expect to find that, in addition to the obvious effects of publicity
campaigns that other "everyday" shifts in people's attitudes and thinking about food
inform their choices.
Finally, I will look to consider whether dietary habits of vegetarians and non-vegetarians
are equally “chosen.” My suspicion is that many vegetarians make conscious decisions
to avoid meat (based on whatever reasoning and beliefs) but that fewer non-vegetarians
will have considered it as an issue, or consciously engaged in a choice about whether they
will eat meat.
Review of Literature:
FIELDWORK – Since my research question deals partly with what attitudes and
information influence individuals’ diet choices, I will use two business as fronts for my
field research. An organic farm in Latrobe, PA will allow me to shadow some “meat
producers” to learn how their methods differ from those of factory farms and also
understand how toward public health, meat, and food-safety impact upon their business.
An organic food market in Pittsburgh will allow me to survey customers who, as
shoppers here, have some consciousness about food quality. Broadly, I will ask them
why do you shop here? I will look at the construct questions that look into the rate of
vegetarianism and try to correlate this with customers’ attitudes about food safety, diet,
and the ethical treatment of animals.
INDUSTRY and ITS CRITICS
I will look at a number of public resources produced related to food and meat production.
Government statistics and food safety/inspection programs will be part of my interest.
But I will also want to see what kind of argument is going on between PR groups for the
producers (those with a financial stake) in comparision with non-profit consumer groups.
How do they report information about crises (eg. The mad cow outbreak) and how do
they describe the health and safety issues.
BOOKS ON DIET AND FOOD SAFETY; POPULAR MEDIA
I hope to get a sense of some of the general trends in food production and American
attitudes toward what they eat here. This should help me to evaluate which pro-
vegetarian arguments have the most merit (as opposed to those which might be the most
influential, or the most repeated by vegetarians or non-vegetarians). Is vegetable and
grain production actually “kinder” to the environment? Are organic and small-farm
producers of meat “kinder” to the environment or animals? What are the dietary costs
and benefits of meat vs. vegetarian diets? This should also help me to understand
whether the popularity of certain diet choices has changed over recent years.
ACADEMIC and SPECIALIZED JOURNALS ON FOOD SAFETY, MEAT, and
VEGETARIANISM
Ultimately I hope to get some solid information on safety and risk of various kinds of
diets, in relation both to food-borne diseases and the like, but also to general health (i.e.
fat, cholesterol, protein requirements etc.) At this point, I have not been able to find a
general enough treatment of these issues to be of much help.
Search Plan & Project Timeline
Dates: - Finish gathering potential sources. Begin to evaluate and determine
where weak areas might be.
- Work to synthesize sources, revisit research question and see whether
I am still heading in the direction of looking into the reasons behind
vegetarian diet choices.
- Contact farm and store to seek field research permission
- Undertake Field Research; design questionaires for Organic store
- Set up visit to Organic farm.
- Compile field notes and analyze, then summarize.
- Begin to outline major elements of the research paper.
- Gather key sources, identifying central facts and perspectives
- Draft
- Revise
- Edit
Working Bibliography
FIELDWORK
Jamison Farm (Latrobe, PA) Organic Lamb Farm. http://www.jamisonfarm.com/
End Food Co-op (7516 Meade Street, Pittsburgh, PA) http://www.eastendfoodcoop.com/
FOOD SAFETY – Public and Government Resources
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. 30 Dec. 2003. US Food and Drug
Administration (FDA). 14 Feb. 2004 <http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/list.html>
Food and Nutrition Information Center. National Agricultural Library. 15 Feb. 2004
<http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/>
“Manager Self-Inspection Checklist.” National Agricultural Library 16 Feb. 2004 <
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/>
Meat Animals Production, Disposition, and Income: 2002 Summary. United States
Department of Agriculture. 15 Feb. 2004
<http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/reports/nassr/livestock/zma-bb/meat0403.txt>
NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS
Organic Consumers Association. 16 Feb. 2004 <http://www.organicconsumers.org/>
Partnership for Food Safety. 16 Feb. 2004. < http://www.fightbac.org/partner.cfm>
Safe Tables Our Priority: STOP. 16 Feb. 2004 <http://www.stop-usa.org/>
“The Transformation of Animals Into Food: Institutionalized Cruelty: Factory Farms.”
Vegan Outreach. 16 Feb. 2004
http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan/health.html
Vegetarian Research Group. 16 Feb. 2004 <http://www.vrg.org/>
INDUSTRY GROUPS
“USDA calls a halt to BSE investigation: ‘We’ve done all we could'” [Press Release.] 9
Feb. 2004. American Meat Institute. 16 Feb. 2004. <
http://www.meatami.com/Template.cfm?
Section=Home&template=PressReleaseDisplay.cfm&PressReleaseID=1884&Ne
ws=Y>
“Crisis Center.” American Meat Institute. 16 Feb. 2004. <
http://www.meatami.com/Template.cfm?
Section=CrisisCenter&NavMenuID=114>
Trends in the United States: Consumer Attitudes & the Supermarket. Food Marketing
Institute, Washington, D.C.: 2003
“Take Note: The Face of the Organic Food Shopper.” SuperMarket Research. 5:3 Fall
2003. 16 Feb. 2004
<http://www.fmi.org/newsletters/uploads/SupermarketResearch/Fall2003.pdf>
“Take Note: The Health Factor.” SuperMarket Research. 4:5 Sept./Oct. 2002. 16 Feb.
2004
<http://www.fmi.org/newsletters/uploads/SupermarketResearch/SeptOct.pdf>
“Vegetarian Diets” Position Paper. American Dietetic Association. 1997. 15 Feb. 2004
http://www.eatright.org/Public/GovernmentAffairs/92_17084.cfm
BOOKS ON DIET AND FOOD SAFETY
Cox, Peter. You Don’t Need Meat. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2002.
Dombrowski, Daniel A. The Philosophy of Vegetarianism. Amherst, MA: U Mass P,
1984.
Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. NY:
Penguin, 2001.
Singer, Peter. Animal Liberary: A New Ethics for Our Treatment of Animals. New York:
Random House, 1975.
POPULAR MEDIA ON FOOD AND DIET
Rudavsky, Shari. “Going Vegetarian is Increasingly Cool with Teens,” Miami Herald. 23
Jan. 2003 <http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/5002243.htm> 15 Feb. 2004.
“Where’s The Beef (in the Teenage Diet)?” Time Magazine 30 Jan. 2003. 15 Feb. 2004.
<http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,412343,00.html>
Levine, Ed. “Where’s The Beef From?” Business Week. Academic Search Premier.
Ebsco Host. <http://web12.epnet.com> 9 Feb. 2004.
Harris, Mark. “How Safe Is Our Food?” Vegetarian Times, Apr2001 Issue 284, p61, 6p
Academic Search Premier. Ebsco Host. <http://web12.epnet.com> 9 Feb. 2004
ACADEMIC and SPECIALIZED JOURNALS ON FOOD SAFETY, MEAT, and
VEGETARIANISM
“A Farming Primer for … Food Safety: An Issue to Take Seriously. Southwest Farm
Press. 31: 4. 21 15 Feb. 2004 http://search.epnet.com/direct.asp?
an=12265906&db=aph
