September 17 – Introduction to Food and Culture
Class Content
In this class, we will explore the relationship between food and culture. We will consider how ideas about what counts as food are shaped by social and cultural contexts and examine how food practices communicate meaning, identity, values, and power.
We will then introduce a critical multidimensional model for studying food and culture. Using familiar foods and advertisements as examples, we will consider how food is produced, represented, interpreted, and incorporated into everyday life.
Supplemental Video
How a Chef’s Childhood Crafts Their Cuisine | Anthony Bourdain’s The Mind of a Chef | Full Episode
Presentations
Schedule
Introduction and Check-In
– How are your plants doing?
– What have you noticed since planting your seeds?
What Is Food and Culture?
– Consider what counts as food and how this changes across social and cultural contexts
– Explore how food practices express meaning, identity, values, and power
– Discuss the relationship between food, culture, and everyday life
A Model for Understanding Food and Culture
– Introduce a critical multidimensional model for analyzing food and culture
– Examine production, cultural texts, interpretations, and lived practices
– Introduce signs, symbols, and semiotics through familiar food examples
Questions, Concerns and Comments
– Questions about the class material
– Course-related questions, concerns, and comments