Bioethics of Eating

Did you know that a school district’s vote for unsustainable tuna lunches may contribute to marine biodiversity depletion halfway across the world? Or, that an American supermarket chain’s GMO ban could cause the clearing of rainforests in Brazil? Investigate the impact our food choices have on climate change, deforestation, pollution and mass extinctions and what we can do about it through laws, policies and shared ethical commitments.  

Examine controversial farming and eating practices such as factory farming, indigenous hunting of endangered animals, veganism and more through diverse ethical frameworks such as utilitarianism and virtue ethics. Explore how ethical systems diverge both within and among nations, cultures, socioeconomic brackets, and even families.

Laws and policies arise from shared ethics, so it is both timely and crucial to critically examine the ingrained societal mores and ethical systems that govern our ideas and sentiments about food. Enjoy lively discussions and structured debates with peers who hunger to engage intellectually with the ethical controversies behind food consumption.

 

How to Apply

Duke Pre-College uses a 2-step enrollment process: 

  1. First, students apply to the Pre-College program, indicating their course(s) of interest. 
     
  2. After they receive notification of their acceptance into Duke Pre-College, they enroll in the course(s) indicated in their Pre-College Application. 

Learn more on our How to Apply page.