1117 - Food for Thought: How to Integrate the Hunger Banquet Simulation Activity into Sociology Classes and College Campuses

Session Submission Type: Workshop

Description

The Hunger Banquet is a role playing, interactive activity created by Oxfam (a multinational human rights organization) to simulate structural inequalities and unequal access to resources. This proposed workshop is hands-on, in which participants will engage in the Hunger Banquet guided by the workshop organizers. The main goal and objective of this workshop is to teach participants how to effectively integrate the Hunger Banquet in classes they teach and on a larger scale, how to organize and lead a Hunger Banquet as a campus-wide event.

In terms of procedures, participants will first draw a sheet of paper out of a bag, and the color determines whether they are in the low, middle, or high-income groups. They sit with their income group. The spatial arrangements and food distribution are inequitable to simulate structural inequalities. Workshop organizers can provide the food, or arrange with the hotel and conference organizers for it to be provided.

The Hunger Banquet is very amenable to modifications and supplemental activities. This activity can be integrated into various classes, including more general courses such as introductory sociology or classes focused on a more specific subject within the discipline.

This workshop draws from our observations and experiences of organizing and leading Hunger Banquet activities, as well as feedback from students and empirical research on integrating simulation activities into classes and campus-wide. The workshop will cover modifications, challenges, benefits, supplemental assignments, and limitations of this activity as an educational tool. This workshop will also provide an overview of online resources to guide participants in organizing and leading a Hunger Banquet. Consistent with the social justice theme of this year’s ASA conference, the workshop will conclude with an open discussion of how the Hunger Banquet connects with various social issues and can serve as a catalyst for action.

Sub Unit

• Workshops / Teaching Workshop

Session Organizers

• Holly Pottle, South Texas College

• Jenny Lynn Chamberlain, South Texas College