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Student Activities to Accompany BioTA Podcast Episode 23: Chocolate Is Life

Author(s): Michael Sitvarin1, J. Phil Gibson2

1. Union College 2. University of Oklahoma

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Summary:
This instructional resource provides three activities to accompany a podcast on chocolate, including critical reading of primary literature and a focus on social justice and equity issues. The student activities were created during the BioTA Podcast…

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This instructional resource provides three activities to accompany a podcast on chocolate, including critical reading of primary literature and a focus on social justice and equity issues. The student activities were created during the BioTA Podcast Faculty Mentoring Network in fall 2023. In the podcast, Dr. Phil Gibson interviews Robert Bowden, President of Vivere Chocolates.

Licensed under CC Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International according to these terms

Version 1.0 - published on 07 May 2024 doi:10.25334/TT76-B367 - cite this

Description

Overview of Activities:

Activity A: Pre-Class Listening Guide and Reflection

  • Distribute the student assignment in the class prior to the podcast discussion.
  • Direct students to listen to the podcast.
  • Have students take notes on the questions provided below and bring their completed notes to class.
  • Instructors can have students work in pairs to discuss their answers to the questions.

 

Activity B: Social Justice and Equity Issues Related to Chocolate

  • After students have completed the listening guide associated with the podcast and discussed their answers, they will explore social issues surrounding the origin, cultivation, and future of chocolate.
  • Take time to complete the reflection questions individually.
  • Pair up with another student or form a small group and share your responses with each other.
  • Collect perspectives from the entire class and contribute to a broader conversation.

 

Activity C: Exploring the Impacts of Biodiversity in Cacao Agriculture

  • Distribute the study by Vansynghel et al. (2022) to students along with reading guide.
  • Students read the manuscript and complete the reading guide prior to joining a class discussion on the study.
  • Lead a “journal club” styled conversation about the study, in addition to discussing broader topics related to biodiversity and agriculture.
  • Alternatively, students could be assigned to lead the discussion of the study, or portions of the discussion.

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