BVC E01 Assignment: Episode 1: Coffee — The Daily Global Connection

Better Vice Club

Trace Your Favorite Coffee

This project replaces a traditional essay. Pick the option that fits your interests and your time. Each one takes about 2 to 3 weeks of focused work and is graded against the rubric in the Teacher Resources for this episode. Submit your deliverables through the assignment system.

Option A: My Morning Economics Portfolio (Economics focus)

Build a portfolio that analyzes the economics of your daily morning routine, using coffee as the model.

1. Map the supply chain of 3 items from your morning routine, with at least one non-coffee item for comparison.
2. Calculate the economic footprint of your morning choices for one month, using real numbers from receipts, photos, and estimates.
3. Compare costs and impacts of different choices: local versus chain, premium versus commodity, home brew versus cafe.
4. Design your ideal morning routine based on your economic values and budget, and justify it with evidence from your data.

Deliverables: supply-chain maps, a cost-benefit analysis, a 5-minute presentation recording, and a 500-word reflection.

Option B: Coffee Belt Climate Report (Geography focus)

Research and present a climate-vulnerability assessment for one coffee-producing country. Pick any country from the top producers, or go deeper on a smaller one.

1. Document current climate conditions in that country's coffee regions: temperature, rainfall, elevation.
2. Research projected climate changes by 2050 using at least 3 peer-reviewed sources.
3. Identify adaptation strategies already in use there, by farmers, co-ops, or government.
4. Assess the likelihood of continued coffee viability in that country, and defend your assessment.

Deliverables: a written report of 1,000 to 1,500 words, with maps, data tables, and an APA bibliography.

Option C: Community Coffee Stories (ELA focus)

Document coffee culture in your community through interviews and observation. Follow the interview ethics covered in the episode: informed consent, the right to review, and respectful representation.

1. Interview 2 to 3 people about their coffee rituals, with consent.
2. Write an observation piece from 30 minutes spent in a local cafe, descriptive rather than evaluative.
3. Analyze one coffee advertisement using the media-literacy questions from the episode.
4. Write a reflective essay that connects your findings to the episode's themes.

Deliverables: interview notes with consent documentation, a 500-word observation, a 300-word ad analysis, and a 500-word reflective essay.

Option D: Coffeehouse to Congress (Social Studies focus)

Research the role of public gathering spaces in democratic movements, using coffee's history as your starting point.

1. Document at least 3 historical examples of coffeehouses or cafes influencing political change. Find your own beyond the episode.
2. Identify a modern equivalent (a community space, an online forum, a group chat) and compare its democratic function.
3. Analyze at least 2 primary sources from different centuries.
4. Argue whether modern public spaces serve the same democratic function as historical coffeehouses, and include a counterargument section that addresses the strongest objection to your thesis.

Deliverables: a research paper of 1,200 to 1,500 words, with primary-source citations, an APA bibliography, and a counterargument section.

Two reflection questions for every option

Whichever option you pick, answer these somewhere in your reflection.

• Trace the word "coffee" through at least four languages and explain what the trail reveals.
• How does the Ethiopian coffee ceremony mirror three-act narrative structure?

How to submit

1. Click Submit assignment on this lesson.
2. Upload your deliverables. Multiple files are fine.
3. Add a short note: which option you picked, and one sentence on what surprised you.