Prompt choose one: life, water, war

Debates about the limits of private ownership and corporate activity have grown increasingly heated. Some claim that corporations should not be permitted to own certain things or to provide vital public services. Critically assess the basis on which people have made claims against privatization for ONE of the following topics:

life

water 

war

What do proponents of privatization/outsourcing argue? How do opponents justify their claims? Where do you stand? Be sure to address how private versus public management or ownership contributes to (or is potentially harmful to) meeting societal needs (e.g. tragedy of the anti- commons, humans need water to live, national defense).

Guidelines: 

  • Your essay must have a thesis that clearly states your position (e.g., corporations should be allowed to own life forms; even better to state briefly WHY). 

 

  • Underline the thesis statement in the first paragraph. For subsequent paragraphs, underline the sentence that contains the main point (topic sentence) of that paragraph. 

 

  • In addition to presenting arguments and evidence to support your thesis, be sure to also engage with the arguments made by the opponents of your position.  

 

  • If you argue that privatizing some things in your area of focus is acceptable (e.g., it is acceptable to patent cell lines but not genes), then justify why you draw the line there. The justification should be consistent with your critique of other arguments. 

 

  • Course materials (readings, class discussions, videos) are sufficient to answer this question. I will upload them. You may consult up to three additional sources, which must be referenced completely in a bibliography.

  • Grading criteria, in order of importance: Depth of knowledge of subject, support for thesis statement, engagement with counterarguments, organization, and style. 

NOTES: The Priviatization Of Life:

1. Graham Dutfield, “Biotechnology, Genomics, and the New Life Science Corporations.” I uploaded this reading with the file, if you choose to write about life you can use this reading.
2. Donna M. Gitter, “International Conflict Over Patenting Human DNA Sequences…” You are only required to read pages 1623-1678. I also uploaded this under files. 
4. If you want to better understand the implications of the 2013 SCOTUS ruling on gene patents, this blog post provides a useful analysis. Here is the link: https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/new-supreme-court-decision-rules-that-cdna-is-patentablewhat-it-means-for-research-and-genetic-testing/

5.) Recent Civil Eats articile about utility patents in vegetables. Here is the link: https://civileats.com/2020/09/11/op-ed-how-seed-patents-threaten-small-seed-companies/

6.) Article about patents for SARS-CoV-2 (virus that causes covid 19). Here is the link https://abg-ip.com/coronavirus-patents/
7.) An article about potential threat posed by new bill that would effectively undercut SCOTUS ruling. Here is the link https://www.aclu.org/news/privacy-technology/the-dangers-of-expanding-what-can-be-patented-in-the-age-of-covid-19/
8.) And if you want to read the latest on CRISPR patent wars and its possible consequences, check out https://www.science.org/content/article/latest-round-crispr-patent-battle-has-apparent-victor-fight-continues and this article https://www.fastcompany.com/90561762/nobel-prize-jennifer-doudna-emmanuelle-charpentier-crispr-patent-lawsuit

Notes: The Privitaztion of Water
1.) Fredrik Segerfeldt: Water for Sale : How Business and the Market Can Resolve the World’s Water Crisis ( I posted chapters 2,3,4, and 6 under files) 
2.) Vandana Shiva, Water Wars: Privatization, Pollution, and Profit (Cambridge: South End Press, 2002) Chapter 1 ( I posted this under files)
3.) Madeline Baer, “Private Water, Public Good” ( I posted this under files too.)
4.) Roel Landingin, “Loaves, Fishes and Dirty Dishes” Here is the link https://www.icij.org/investigations/waterbarons/loaves-fishes-and-dirty-dishes/
5.) Jessica Willams, Water Hoarding: https://www.cc.com/video/qs7t3u/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-water-hoarding
6.) Leasing-the-rain – about water wars in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Here is the link: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2002/04/08/leasing-the-rain

7.) New Yorker article The Heavy Toll of the Black Belt’s Wastewater Crisis: Here is the link https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/11/30/the-heavy-toll-of-the-black-belts-wastewater-crisis

Notes: Outsourcing/ Privitzating War

1.) Outsourcing War Slides I posted under files.

2.) Private Warriors: watch from 0:00 to 11:30 and from 26:30 – 43:05. Here is the link https://archive.org/details/PBSFrontlineJune2005PrivateWarriorsDivX56m29sConRes
3.)  Empire’s Labor – a really interesting book about the third country nationals that work for military contractors in America’s wars. ( I uploadedit under files.) 
4.) Colbert on Blackwater. Here is the link: https://www.cc.com/video/z6i9oa/the-colbert-report-the-word-market-forces
5.) Signer Reading I uploaded below. (Chapter 1, 3,4,5,10,12,13,14 and postcript I have uploaded it all under files.)

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