Section A31: aMAIZEd and confused
Note: To take this course, you must also enroll in English 101 Section B31.
According to a University of Illinois study, if all of the corn planted in 2007 was harvested as usable, United States farmers would still not grow enough corn to meet demand. And yet this level of production marks a 24% increase from the 2006 level (USDA). American culture is, quite clearly, addicted to corn for livestock feed, for sweeteners, and for alcohol production (both liquor and biofuel). We will examine our dependence on corn and how it came to be. Questions will include: How was maize domesticated and by whom? What are the historical uses of maize? What genetic modifications have created the great variety in corn species available today? How must corn be processed to use it the way we do? What are the economic implications of such widespread use of corn?