FOOD AND CULTURAL STUDIES
Winter 2010
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WS 211: Selected Topics in Women’s Studies
Dr. Ann Braithwaite
Main 402
Main 421 (Women’s Studies and Sociology/Anthropology secretary)
T & Th 12:45-2:30; W 1:00-3:00; F (I’m on campus all afternoon, but often in
meetings etc.; give me a try anyways); or by appointment
(628) - 4312
abraithwaite@upei.ca (the best way to reach me)
http://www.upei.ca/womenstu
Course description
Food is central to all of our lives – we spend more time in any given day thinking about food in
some way than almost anything else. But food, while central to human viability, is also about much
more than that; ideas about cultural identity and belonging, social problems and issues, race and
gender and class structures, etc., are all played out over and around food. Food thus becomes a
central theme to explore the complexities of a variety of social, political, cultural, and economic
structures in any society. This course will explore a variety of ways in which food is used to both
reflect and construct particular ideas about a range of social identities. By examining various
practices around food consumption in particular – what, when, where, with whom, why, how,
under what circumstances – we will look at what counts as food and how food is used to construct
symbolic and material differences between people, while also paying attention to how this is
accomplished quite differently in different times and places. In this course we will explore some of
the ways in which food is used to construct and maintain ideas about social and cultural groups,
focusing in particular on how this is accomplished through its consumption. Through a range of
interdisciplinary readings and popular representations, we will examine how food is used to mark
out ideas about social identities and differences, and to patrol, control, maintain, and perpetuate
those ideas.
Required texts
Students must always bring their readings to class; we will often start off by looking at them,
either together or in group work.
Students must have completed all of the week’s readings by Tuesday’s class meeting, as we will be
discussing the readings as a whole on both class days. And be aware – in order to do well in this
class, it is essential to keep up on all the readings, in addition to regular class attendance and
participation. There are, on average, 30-40 pages of read a week (some have more, some less;
some have pictures, some have charts…).
Remember also to check your syllabus every week! Some weeks may include readings from a
combination of sources….
Note also that while we will try and stay on schedule, it may become necessary to wrap up our
discussion on one week’s readings in the following week, or to adjust our syllabus from time to
time. Don’t wipe your heads clean of any set of readings until we are done with them (and of
course, preferably never…). If you should miss a class, it is your responsibility to find out if we
have changed anything on the syllabus for the next week. Ask a trusted classmate…
1) Belasco, Warren. Food: The Key Concepts. Oxford: Berg Publisehrs, 2008. Readings from this
book are indicated on the syllabus as “(Text) Belasco” followed by the chapter title
2) Parasecoli, Fabio. Bite Me: Food in Popular Culture. Oxford: Berg Publishers, 2008. Readings
from this book are indicated on the syllabus as “(Text) Parasecoli” followed by the chapter title
3) assorted readings… available either via electronic reserve, as a photocopy on reserve
at the circulation desk, or as a website. The syllabus is also on the ereserve page, with
either links to readings or indications that they are photocopies. I highly recommend
that you get all your readings for the semester early on and put them all together in a
big binder or folder – as your own course reader.
Class Schedule
Week 1: January 5-7
Tuesday
Introduction, syllabus
Thursday
food has meaning
(Text) Belasco – chapter 1: “Why Study Food?”
Steinberg – “Bubbie’s Challah” (hand out)
Week 2: January 12-14
we are where/what/how/with who we eat
(Text) Belasco – chapter 2: “Identity: Are We What We Eat?”
Penfold – “Eddie Shack was no Tim Horton: Donuts and the Folklore of Mass Culture, 1974-1999”
Week 3: January 19-21
gendering food and foodways
(Text) Belasco – chapter 3: “The Drama of Food: Divided Identities”
Jenkins – “Bananas: Women’s Food”
Neuhaus – “Is Meatloaf for Men? Gender and Meatloaf Recipes, 1920-1960”
Week 4: January 26-28
…con’t
Inness – “’34,000,000,000 Work Hours’ Saved: Convenience Foods and Mom’s Home Cooking”
Allison – “Japanese Mothers and Obentos”
LeBesco – “There’s Always Room for Resistance: Jello-O, Gender, and Social Class”
Week 5: February 2-4
race and culture and/in food
(Text) Parasecoli – chapter 5: “Jam, Juice, and Strange Fruits: Edible Black Bodies”
Zafar – “The Signifying Dish: Autobiography and History in Two Black Women’s Cookbooks”
Week 6: February 9-11
‘taste’ and/as status
Mennell – “On the Civilizing of Appetite”
Finkelstein – “Dining Out: The Hyperreality of Appetite”
Week 7: February 16-18
eat, drink and be merry
Mintz – from Sweetness and Power
Roseberry – “The Rise of Yuppie Coffee and the Reimagination of Class in the United States”
Rec: Weiner – “Consumer Culture and Participatory Democracy: The Story of Coca-Cola During
World War II”
Week 8: February 23-25
BREAK
Week 9: March 2-4
nations and borders
Tuesday midterm essay due
Narayan – “Eating Cultures: Incorporation, Identity, and Indian Food”
Thursday
No class
Week 10: March 9-11
…con’t
(Text) Parasecoli – chapter 6: “Tourism and Taste”
Heldke – “Let’s Cook Thai: Recipes for Colonialism”
Bestor – “How Sushi Went Global”
Rec: Watson – “China’s Big Mac Attack”
Week 11: March 16-18
food and/in pop culture
(Text) Parasecoli – chapter 2: “Of Breasts and Beasts: Vampires and Other Voracious Monsters”
Abrams – “’I’ll Have Whatever She’s Having’: Jews, Food, and Film”
Rec: Epstein – “Appetite for Destruction: Gangster Food and Genre Convention in Quentin
Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction”
Week 12: March 23-25
the body and food
Brumberg – “The Appetite as Voice”
(Text) Parasecoli – chapter 4: “Quilting the Empty Body: Food and Dieting”
Rec: Brumberg and Striegel-Moore – “Continuity and Change in Symptom Choice: Anorexia”
Week 13: March 30-April 1
responsibility and risk – and pleasure
(Text) Belasco – chapter 4: “Convenience: The Global Food Chain”
(Text) Belasco – chapter 5: “Responsibility: Who Pays for Dinner?”
Ritvo – “Mad Cow Mysteries”
(Text) Parasecoli – last chapter: “Afterword: A Plea for Pleasure”
Citation List for all readings (must be used on all assignments)
Below is the citation information for all of our photocopied readings. An asterisk at the beginning
of the entry indicates that this book/journal is available in Robertson Library. All references to
class readings in your assignments must include full citation information, using this format.
* Abrams, Nathan. “’I’ll Have Whatever She’s Having’” Jews, Food, and Film.” In Anne L. Bower,
ed. Reel Food: Essays on Food and Film. New York: Routledge, 2004 (electronic book)
*Allison, Anne. “Japanese Mothers and Obentos: The Lunch-Box as Ideological State Apparatus.” In
Carole Counihan and Penny Van Esterik, eds. Food and Culture: A Reader. New York: Routledge,
1997
* Bestor, Theodore. “How Sushi Went Global.” In James Watson and Melissa Caldwell, eds. The
Cultural Politics of Food and Eating. Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2005
* Brumberg, Joan Jacobs. “The Appetite as Voice.” In Carole Counihan and Penny Van Esterik, eds.
Food and Culture: A Reader. New York: Routledge, 1997
* Brumberg, Joan Jacobs and Ruth Striegel-Moore. “Continuity and Change in Symptom Choice:
Anorexia.” In Carole Counihan, ed. Food in the USA: A Reader. New York: Routledge, 2002 (on
order; recommended reading)
* Epstein, Rebecca L. “Appetite for Destruction: Gangster Food and Genre Convention in Quentin
Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction.” In Anne L. Bower, ed. Reel Food: Essays on Food and Film. New York:
Routledge, 2004 (electronic book; recommended reading)
Finkelstein, Joanne. “Dining Out: The Hyperreality of Appetite.” In Ron Scapp and Brian Seitz, eds.
Eating Culture. Albany: SUNY Press, 1998
Heldke, Lisa. “Let’s Cook Thai: Recipes for Colonialism.” In Sherrie A. Inness, ed. Pilaf, Pozole, and
Pad Thai: American Women and Ethnic Food. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 2001
* Inness, Sherrie. “’34,000,000,000 Work Hours’ Saved: Convenience Foods and Mom’s Home
Cooking.” In Secret Ingredients: Race, Gender, and Class at the Dinner Table. New York: Palgrave
Macmillan, 2005 (electronic book)
* Jenkins, Virginia S. “Bananas: Women’s Food.” In Sherrie A. Inness, ed. Cooking Lessons: The
Politics of Gender and Food. Maryland: Rowand & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. 2001 (on order)
* LeBesco, Kathleen. “There’s Always Room for Resistance: Jell-o, Gender, and Social Class.” In
Sherrie A. Inness, ed. Cooking Lessons: The Politics of Gender and Food. Maryland: Rowand &
Littlefield Publishers, Inc. 2001(on order)
* Mennell, Stephen. “On the Civilizing of Appetite.” In Carole Counihan and Penny Van Esterik, eds.
Food and Culture: A Reader. New York: Routledge, 1997
* Mintz, Sidney. Sweetness and Power: The Place of Sugar in Modern History. Penguin Books,
1986
* Narayan, Uma. “Eating Cultures: Incorporation, Identity, and Indian Food.” In Dislocating
Cultures: Identities, Traditions, and Third World Feminism. New York: Routledge, 1997
* Neuhaus, Jessamyn. “Is Meatloaf for Men? Gender and Meatloaf Recipes, 1920-1960.” In Sherrie A.
Inness, ed. Cooking Lessons: The Politics of Gender and Food. Maryland: Rowand & Littlefield
Publishers, Inc. 2001 (on order)
* Penfold, Steve. The Donut: A Canadian History. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2008
* Ritvo, Harriet. “Mad Cow Mysteries.” In James Watson and Melissa Caldwell, eds. The Cultural
Politics of Food and Eating. Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2005
* Roseberry, William. “The Rise of Yuppie Coffees and the Reimagination of Class in the United
States.” In Carole Counihan, ed. Food in the USA: A Reader. New York: Routledge, 2002 (on order)
Steinberg, Stephen. “Bubbie’s Challah.” In Ron Scapp and Brian Seitz, eds. Eating Culture. Albany:
SUNY Press, 1998
* Watson, James. “China’s Big Mac Attack.” In James Watson and Melissa Caldwell, eds. The
Cultural Politics of Food and Eating. Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2005
* Weiner, Mark. “Consumer Culture and Participatory Democracy: The Story of Coca-Cola During
World War II.” In Carole Counihan, ed. Food in the USA: A Reader. New York: Routledge, 2002 (on
order; recommended reading)
* Zafar, Rafia. “The Signifying Dish: Autobiography and History in Two Black Women’s Cookbooks.”
In Carole Counihan, ed. Food in the USA: A Reader. New York: Routledge, 2002
Assignments
1) Food reflections – 30%: More details in class. You will each write a series of “food reflections” in
response to questions that I give you, arising out of course readings and materials, or about extra
readings and chapters in your texts. I will give out at least 6 of these during the semester at
various intervals; 4 will be counted for this mark (this allows you to skip a few along the way for
your own reasons). You will have one week after I give out the questions to hand them in. Due
dates: throughout the semester…
2) Mid-term essay – 35%: More details in class. Using class readings and discussions predominantly,
you will write a 5 page essay on something to do with course readings and materials. Due date:
Tuesday, March 2 (beginning of class)
3) Final essay – 35%: More details in class. Using class readings and discussions predominantly, you
will write a 5 page essay on something to do with course readings and materials. Due date: Friday,
April 9 (3:00pm)
Administrivia and Course Policies
All cell phones must be turned off during class time. If you must be available for some reason
(family emergencies, etc.), turn your phone to vibrate mode. I expect you to come to class on
time and stay for the whole class; walking in and out during class is disruptive for all. If, under
some very rare circumstance, you know you’ll have to leave early, you should sit by the door and
leave very quietly. I also expect that you won’t listen to music, text your friends, etc. during
class. Except in rare instances, no laptops/netbooks etc are to be used in class. Please also
ensure, if your UPEI email account is not the one you use regularly, that you have changed your
information on your login page so that all mail sent to your UPEI address gets automatically
forwarded. It is your responsibility to ensure that you get any email I may send to that address.
Assignments are due on the day specified, to me personally or in my mailbox in Main 421; do not
slide any papers under the door of my office. And do not email me your assignment; I will not
print it out or read it. Any assignment handed in after that date and time (and remember that the
secretary’s office closes at 4:00) will lose 5% a day from its final mark, including weekend days. I
will be very strict about these deadlines…..That said, however, I am also not an ogre. See me if
you are having a problem – but always see me at least 2 days before the due date!! (I am much
less receptive to discussing this the day an assignment is due…).
All assignments must be typed, in Arial 10 point font only, and must be stapled together; no
plastic or other covers. Please also make note of the marking scale below, for your added
information in doing the assignments. Any assignment that does not meet the requirements will
be handed back to you unmarked – and accrue late penalties. Additionally, when indicated on the
assignment, I take substantial note of grammar, spelling, sentence structure and style,
organization of argument, etc. Understanding an argument well is evidenced at least in part by
the ability to express it cogently. See the marking scale and sheet at the end of this syllabus to
get a more complete list of the kinds of things I’ll be looking at (and indicating) in your writings,
and for more on what an A/B/C/D paper should look like. There is a University Writing Center
available to help all students with their writing assignments.
Marking Scale (based on university criteria – see academic policies and
regulations C-10 in the UPEI calendar)
A+
A
A-
91-100
85-90
80-84
Exceptional
Excellent
Extremely good
* An A denotes work that is of exceptional quality. Exceptional quality is represented by evidence
of complex engagement with information and ideas in course materials and discussion,
outstanding capacity to analyze and synthesize, thoroughness and careful thinking, integration of
material across topics, appropriate tone, and precise and artful writing (i.e. good spelling,
grammar, organization, structure). An ‘A’ paper has hardly any pencil markings from me on it….
B+
B
B-
77-79
74-76
70-73
Very good
Good
Fairly good
* A grade of B denotes work that is above average vis-à-vis both your peers' work and the
expectations of the assignment. Above average is represented by evidence of a critical capacity
and analytical ability, a reasonably astute understanding of relevant issues and demonstration
that you grasp the subject matter, and evidence of familiarity with the literature. Good writing,
with only minor stylistic or grammatical errors.
C+
C
C-
67-69
64-66
60-63
More than adequate
Adequate
Minimum for good academic standing
* A C denotes work that fulfills the requirements in an average and adequate way. Average and
adequate is defined as demonstrating some understanding of the subject matter and a grasp of
the basics of the course content, but without the kinds of thinking and connections in the above
categories. Writing is marked by stylistic and grammatical errors, and by confusion in structure,
organization, and tone of argument. Note than a mark somewhere in this range is also usually the
average in any class.
D+
D
D-
57-59
54-56
50-53
Below good standing
Minimally acceptable
Barely acceptable
* A grade of D denotes work that does not adequately fulfill either content or structure
requirements. Either does not contain enough specifics to demonstrate grasp and understanding
of the course materials and theories, or is marked by too many writing problems.
F
0-49
Below university requirements
* An F denotes work that does not deserve credit or is not handed in.
Marking Notation Sheet – or some things to watch out for as you write…
The following points explain the notations in your papers. Please come and see me if you have any
questions or need further elaboration… and see the section above in this syllabus for more detail
and the university marking scale.
-- A check mark ( √) means “good point” and/or “well expressed”
-- Where there are problems, a question mark or an underlining means that you have not
communicated successfully. The following letter keys indicate the major stumbling block(s) at
that point:
A. awkward phrasing in sentence(s) or paragraph structure; can include sentence fragment,
incomplete or unclear thought, resulting in difficult to read and comprehend point; in the case
of a paragraph, this usually means a combination of organization and a problem with
coherence of argument as written (because of structure, run-on sentences, underdeveloped
thinking/analysis, extraneous/distracting points, etc.)
B. grammatical problems; includes punctuation (comma splices, use of semi-colons or colons,
etc.), agreement of subject/verb, verb tenses, pronoun/noun agreement, referents that don’t
match (i.e. ‘it’ or ‘they’ without prior reference to who that is]), spelling, etc. – up to you to
identify which one is going on in your sentence/work
C. lack of clear introduction or conclusion… no clear thesis or idea of main aim of paper; paper
just begins and/or ends too abruptly
D. organization of argument – points should be reorganized and/or appear elsewhere in your
paper
E. awkwardness or problem with transitions or connections between points – either within a
paragraph or between paragraphs; can also include point that isn’t built up to/comes too
suddenly/isn’t referenced; often refers to lack of appropriate incorporation of a quotation or
unexplained quotation
F. lack of clarity in expression; usually refers to inappropriate or confusing word choice
G. lack of appropriate scholarly or academic tone, includes use of colloquial or everyday
expressions, ‘rants,’ off the cuff remarks and opinions that are not well substantiated and/or
don’t fit or add to the argument (can include anecdotes that are too long for the paper’s
length)
H. incorrect use of a source/article – usually means a misreading of an author’s point, and/or
attributing something to her/him that is not their point (or, more usually the problem, that is
a point they make in order to then argue against – but presented as one they make)
I. citation style or format – can include articles underlined rather than in quotation marks; no
page number for quotes
other marks:
-- “reader” – audience; check the assignment sheet for details
-- circles are errors that should be obvious upon editing; can include lack of spacing between
words, spelling of simple words, common mistakes (such as their/there, your/you’re, and
especially its/it’s)