Inspired by an interest in conditions for U.S. farm workers, a group of undergraduates is pursuing an independent study project intended to "lay the groundwork for potential research" on agricultural politics in New England, according to Becca Rast '13, one of the students involved.
The students, who range from sophomores to second-semester seniors, met last spring while taking ENVS 1560: "Sustenance and Sustainability," a class about the impacts of policies and cultures on food systems in the United States.
Rast said she "was especially interested in farm workers and the people who are producing or picking and harvesting the majority of our food in the states." She said she wondered, "Why aren't labor rights a prominent part of the conversation?"
Rast started talking to fellow students in the class, who expressed interest in working together to further pursue that idea. Because they had missed the deadline for forming a Group Independent Study Project, the nine students decided instead to propose nine separate Independent Study Projects and work together.
The group plans to begin interviewing Rhode Island citizens about farm worker conditions in this state, "an area where there hasn't really been any research," Rast said. In addition, the group plans to begin visiting high schools to give presentations on farm workers' rights.
Another major goal of the project is to "put together our favorite resources to give to professors who are teaching classes on agriculture, food systems and environmental history, so they can incorporate more lectures on farm workers," she said.
The de facto GISP, which meets twice a week, is led by two different students each class session, who assign readings and prepare a lecture to be followed by discussion. The group checks in with four different faculty advisers from the Center for Environmental Studies and the sociology, political science and history departments.
Rast said she believes the range of the departments reflects the project's nature. "What we're looking at is very interdisciplinary: social movements, policies, history of agriculture, environmental justice and implications for farm workers," she said. "It's a very specific topic, but there's so much to look at."
The idea of putting together a GISP out of nine ISPs resulted in something slightly different than either program. The group has "a little bit more freedom," and students "don't necessarily have to do the same final projects," Rast said. But "generally it functions the same as a GISP — it just shows up as an ISP on transcripts."
Working both independently and as a group "involves a lot of accountability" in terms of students checking in and getting input from each other, Rast said.
