Food Matters: Cultural Ingredients in a Critical Context

3.00 credits · Undergraduate

This course examines food as a form of material culture that not only makes our existence possible but also enlivens it. Its textures, smells, sounds, and tastes graft experiences upon memories that comfort or haunt us at all stages of our lives. Students will explore the cultural significance of common ingredients, reflect on how they project identity and ideology, and deconstruct the representation of food, the kitchen, and cooking in visual culture. They will engage critically with cultural materialism, food history, visual and material culture studies, and applied learning. (Format: Integrated Lecture/Laboratory 3 hours)