FGSS 3720 - [Food, Gender, and Culture]

(crosslisted) AMST 3720, ENGL 3721
(LA-AS)

Not offered 2017-2018. 4 credits. Student option grading.

K. McCullough.

In addition to nourishing the body, food operates as a cultural system that produces and reflects group and individual identities. In this class we will examine foodways-the behaviors and beliefs attached to the production, distribution, and consumption of food-to explore the way food practices help shape our sense of gender, race, sexual orientation, and national identity. In doing so we will focus primarily on literature and film but will also range into the fields of anthropology, sociology, and history. Some questions under discussion: How do factors such as gender, class, race, and religion shape the foods we eat and the circumstances in which we eat them? How do writers use the language of food to explore issues such as gender, sexuality, class, and race?