Page 279 - Foundations of Learning, 4th Edition (Revised)

CASE STUDY

As a student in the Culinary Arts program, Lindsey didn’t think she’d have to do any kind of research.
She certainly didn’t imagine she’d have to do a team presentation. She wanted to cook, not do research!
Lindsey reluctantly joined a group of students for the project. Much to her surprise, her classmate Anthony
suggested a food-related topic: Explain why the locavore movement is good for our health and the health
of the environment. Anthony explained that “locavore” was the Oxford Dictionary’s “Word of the Year”
for 2007. He found the definition on the Oxford University Press’s OUPblog. A locavore is a person who
cooks, “using locally grown ingredients, taking advantage of seasonably available foodstuffs that can be
bought and prepared without the need for extra preservatives.” That’s just what Lindsey’s restaurant, The
Blue Cat, does. Now she was very excited. Although their classmates Brett and Katie didn’t know much
about the topic, Anthony and Lindsey’s enthusiasm persuaded them to go with it.

Although the team agreed on the research topic, they decided it would be more interesting if the team also
addressed challenges with the locavore movement. The team members each agreed to research a different
aspect of the topic:

Anthony is going to look at the farmers’ and local food producers’ commitment to locally grown food.
His sister in Madison, Wisconsin had told him about an article in a local weekly paper, The Isthmus ,
titled “Handled With Care,” about farmers doing on-site processing of milk into cheese. Anthony had
never heard the term “micro-dairy” before, and he was intrigued. He planned to look at journal articles
on this section of their topic.

Lindsey’s connection to The Blue Cat would enable her to do some primary research. With her boss’s
position, she planned to survey customers on why they chose to eat at a restaurant known for using seasonal,
local produce and meat. Lindsey’s boss also agreed to an interview on why he felt being a locavore
restaurant owner was important, and also why it was sometimes a challenge. She wasn’t sure what her
third source would be. Maybe she could look for cookbooks put out by the local farmers market group.

Katie is a business major, so she decided to look at the costs of buying local produce and animal products.
She remembers seeing some studies on one of her classes, and the librarian has helped her locate efficient
search engines to track down more sources. Katie thinks this locavore movement is a good idea, but she
isn’t convinced that most people could afford to eat this way on a regular basis.

Brett thinks he might go into environmental science, so he will be looking at the effect the locavore
movement has on the environment. The women who coined the term locavore are farmers and food
producers in California, so he thought he’d start with their web site. Then, he knows, he’ll need some
articles from peer-reviewed journals on the environmental impact of various farming practices.

The team met in class to decide on the topic and their individual interests. They have kept each other
informed of their progress through the class discussion board, and have decided to meet to outline their
report. Each student brings a list of sources and an outline of their part of the report to this meeting. Since
Anthony suggested the topic, he has agreed to lead the writing of the team portion of the report. Because
their instructor has asked each team to orally present their findings, Anthony will also explain a bit about
how they decided on the sub-topics. Each team member will present his or her research and give details
on the research process. Lindsey will present last. Her boss suggested she bring in muffins and scones
from The Blue Cat to share after their presentation. It’s great marketing for the restaurant!

Chapter 10 — Finding and Working with Sources 273