Food, Culture, Power

3 units

The foods we eat, the way we get them, the way we produce them, and the way in which we eat them speak volumes about our beliefs, our technology, our understanding of how the world works, and our ability to function within it. Food connects consumers and producers through vast global supply chains that enable cheap fresh food year-round for some but require others to live on desperately low wages. Throughout the world, the way we eat has serious consequences for how we make a living, manage our environment, and stay healthy. This course is designed to make you think critically about the food you eat and the way it is produced. This course is divided into four parts and each week will have a thematic focus. We will begin at the beginning - the origins of agriculture, modern hunting and gathering, and pastoralism. What did we evolve to eat? Is agriculture 'better' than hunting and gathering? What does it mean to say that? The third section of the class will introduce us to the commodity chain - the way by which people who do not produce food themselves eat. How have the history and politics of our economy shaped the way that we eat globally? How has food been used to understand other cultures? Then we will discuss the views of food and agriculture that have informed our modern perception of food and production. Are there too many people? What does the future of food look like? Why do some foods make us nauseous while people love them? We will conclude by examining the recent wave of interest in alternatives to that system, questioning how food came to take such a prominent place in our society after such a long period of neglect.