Position Paper on the Safety of Genetically Engineered Foods
Introduction
There are
many aspects to the controversy over genetically engineered crops and food
safety that should be considered when deciding which position to agree with. In
this lesson, students will research a topic of food safety in genetic
engineering and use the information they obtain to discover their position on
the safety of a particular genetically engineered crop product. They will address the key issues raised by
the opposing view a make a case for why their stance is the more valid of the
two views. In the topic of biotechnology
safety there are varying degrees in the quality and accuracy of
information. Students will spend a great
deal of their time analyzing the sources of their information, checking for
accuracy and underlying bias. Students
will pay particular attention to the quality of the information because this
will ultimately decide the strength of their argument.
OBJECTIVES
-
Students
will research and discuss the basis of the arguments for and against
genetically engineered crops in the food supply outlined in questions below.
-
Students
will evaluate the facts for both points of view.
-
Students
will analyze the quality of information sources
-
Students
will determine the position they agree with
-
Students
will explain their position and support the discussion with facts
Ideas for product research
Vitamin A
enriched rice
Bt Corn
Bt Potatoes
Virus
Resistant Papaya
Herbicide
tolerant Corn
Herbicide
tolerant soybeans
Delayed
ripening tomatoes
Modified
Oil Canola
Modified
Oil Soybeans
Lesson
1. Students will select a genetically engineered
crop to research
2. Students will search for information
regarding the safety of their selected crop on the Web in newspapers, and in
journal articles.
3. Students will decide, based on the quality of
information they found, their position on the safety of the genetically
engineered food.
4. Students will write a position paper on their
stance of the safety of their selected food product, supporting their argument
and addressing the concerns of the opposing view. Students will state their position addressing
the key points raised by the opposing view, and conclude with a summary
paragraph.
5.
In the
paper, students should address the following questions:
a. What are the potential benefits of transgenic food for
consumers as they specifically relate to:
o
Nutrition
o
Quality
o
Amount
o
Pharmaceuticals
o
Change
of other trait (i.e. color, texture)
2) What are the basic concerns about the safety of
transgenic food for human consumption as they specifically relate to:
o
Allergic
reactions
o
Resistance
to Antibiotics
o
Uptake
of new genes by the consumer
o
Change
in level of toxins
3) What is the process that transgenic food must go through
to be approved for human consumption? In your opinion is this adequate? Why or Why not?
7. Resources used will
be cited and a bibliography included.
Lesson Adaptation Suggestions
-
This could be used in conjunction with a classroom
debate on the topic of biotechnology food safety.
-
This lesson can be conducted in small groups of 2-4
students per topic
USEFUL INTERNET RESOURCES
http://www.colostate.edu/programs/lifesciences/TransgenicCrops/
http://croptechnology.unl.edu
ASSESSMENT
Students should be assessed on the strength of their argument using the resources cited. Students can be further evaluated on how well they discussed each of the questions outlined, proper length, and if they included all parts of the paper (intro, conclusion, etc).