THE POLITICS OF GENDER AND FOOD
Women’s Studies 1140 (CRN 34207)/Anthropology 1737 (34915)
T/TH 2:30-3:45 - 2201 WWPH
Dr. Frayda Cohen, 2206 Posvar Hall
Women’s Studies Program & Department of Anthropology
University of Pittsburgh
Email - fraydac@gmail.com
Phone – 412-624-0326
OFFICE HOURS – Tues., Wed., and Thurs. 1:00PM –2:15PM and by appointment.
Texts:
1) Course Reading Packet. Available online through course web. (CW)
2) 2008 Counihan, Carole & Penny Van Esterik eds., Food and Culture: A Reader.
2 nd Edition. New York: Routledge Press. (FC)
3) 2000 Shiva, Vandana, Stolen Harvest. Cambridge, MA: South End Press.
4) 1997 Ehrlich, Elizabeth, Miriam’s Kitchen: A Memoir. New York: Penguin Books.
Course Objectives & Goals
Food is sustenance and absolutely essential to life. But food is never simply about nutrition. Because it is fundamental to the human experience, food is also a medium for the expression of culture and social identity. Moreover, food relays complex social messages about gender, sexuality, and family. Consequently, food is also a means of expressing the social and symbolic use of power and control in which social inequalities are expressed in culinary forms. This course will examine food from the vantage point of gendered systems of production, distribution, and consumption as we consider: How does your food come to your table (or not) and what are the political implications of personal tastes?
By the end of this course, students will be able to: 1) apply anthropological and feminist theories to food and eating in a cross-cultural perspective; 2) understand how gender influences our access to and perspective on food; 3) make connections between eating and cultural identities and beliefs.
PLEASE EAT IN CLASS!!
Course Policies
Attendance: VERY IMPORTANT
You are paying for an opportunity to learn. Absences hurt your ability to learn and they hurt your grade. Signing up for this class indicates that you are committed to being here for the full class period each class meeting. For the purposes of this

The Politics of Gender and Food policy, you are either present for an entire class meeting or not. Late arrivals and early departures will count as absences ― really.
You are allowed two unexcused absences over the course of the semester. Save them up for those awful sick days when you can’t drag yourself to class without pain and embarrassing bouts of nausea. For each absence above two, your semester grade will be reduced by 1/2 grade. Further, in-class assignments and quizzes cannot be made up. If you miss class, you are still responsible for whatever was covered in lecture and discussion that day. YOUR PROFESSOR IS VERY SERIOUS
ABOUT THIS POLICY, AND SHE ENFORCES IT.
Unexcused absences in excess of two will be excused only under exceptional and unavoidable circumstances. Requests for excused absences must be submitted in writing, with documentation, and immediately upon a student’s return to class.
Students who enroll late are not exempt from this policy.
Assignments and Extensions
Assignments (except for quizzes, in-class work, and the like) will be announced well in advance of due dates. If you know in advance that you can’t make a due date, please discuss it with me beforehand. In all other cases, late assignments will not be accepted.
Grades
I am eager to help you do well on assignments BEFORE they are due. Please visit me during office hours to ask me questions when you are working on an assignment or reviewing material.
Grades are final. I grade assignments and quizzes on performance, not effort. Final grades will be based on the standard university percentage scale.
The professor reserves the right to adjust students’ semester grades based upon her evaluation of their overall performance.
Accommodations
If you require special testing accommodations or other classroom modifications, please notify both the professor and Disability Resources and Services by the end of the first week of the term. The office of Disability Resources and Services is located in 216 William Pitt Union (648-7890 [voice or TDD]), and their website is at:
[http://www.drs.pitt.edu]. If you have a disability, please let me know as early as you can so that I can accommodate you.
Nondiscrimination Statement
As a professor at the University of Pittsburgh, I value equality of opportunity, human dignity, and racial/ethnic/cultural diversity. Be assured that I will promote a safe and conducive environment for learning. In accordance with University policy, I will not tolerate discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, age, marital status, familial status, sexual orientation, disability, or status as a disabled veteran or a veteran of the Vietnam era. In addition to the University’s policy, and within the bounds of the course, I do not discriminate on the basis of political creed. This means that you do not have to
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The Politics of Gender and Food agree with me in order to do well in this course. So long as you demonstrate an understanding of the course material, you are under no obligation to agree with it.
Other Policies You Should Know
Student Code of Conduct: [http://www.studentaffairs.pitt.edu/usjs/code.html]
Academic Integrity: [http://www.pitt.edu/~provost/ai1.html]
Plagiarism is using someone else’s ideas as your own. If you use someone else’s ideas, you are expected to cite them. If you use someone else’s exact words, even if it is part of a sentence, you should put quotation marks around them and cite them.
Plagiarism is a serious academic offense and can result in failure of the assignment, the course, and other serious sanctions. If you have any questions about plagiarism, please see me.
Ground Rules for Class Discussion
Discussion will make up a great percentage of our time in class. Following a few basic discussion guidelines will help insure that this time is productive, enlightening and fun.
1. Follow the golden rule. Treat others as you would like to be treated.
2. Wait your turn – do not interrupt others.
3. You do not have to express your own opinion on a subject. You are also free to change your mind on any topic at any time.
4. Disagreements are natural and welcome in scholarly discussion. So are arguments. But arguments are not contests. You should grant the same courtesy and respect to the people with whom you disagree that you would want for yourself.
5.
Students bring lots of interesting experiences to the classroom, and you are encouraged to bring up your experience when it is relevant to class discussion
(and when you feel comfortable doing so). Everyone’s personal experience deserves respect. But if you bring up your own experience in class, please recognize that it becomes a public topic for discussion. Others may interpret your experience differently than you do, and they are free to respectfully disagree with your interpretation.
Course Requirements: Total 400 Points
I. CLASS ATTENDANCE & PARTICIPATION (25 points):
It is very important that you attend all sessions to benefit fully from the readings, lectures, and class discussion. In order to participate actively in discussion, you should prepare the assigned readings before class begins. Participating in discussion is one of the best ways to learn. However, I cannot help you learn in this forum if you do not talk during class. You are expected to contribute your insights to the class and treat your classmates’ contributions with respect, which means taking them seriously and challenging them as well as extending basic courtesy.
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The Politics of Gender and Food
Discussion Leader (25 points)
Each student will lead discussion during one class.
Extra Credit:
Women’s Studies Event Paper (25 Points)
Students should attend one Women’s Studies Event and write a 2-3 page reaction paper on the event and the ways in which that experience fits with or challenges course readings and discussions.
II. WRITING & PRESENTATIONS (250 Points)
Food Journal (4 Entries@25 points for a total of 100 Points):
Journals should include copies of your presentation materials as well as
4 different entries. You may choose from the following formats or suggest one of your own. Your description and analysis should address the ways in which your topic fits with or challenges readings from class.
 2-3 Page Summary of Recommended Readings
 Analysis of Magazine/Newspaper Article
 Brief food history
 Analysis of family recipe
 Food Interview
 Daily Diary
 Film Review
Assignments/Presentations (Total of 150 points)
 Assignment #1 – Restaurant/Supermarket Ethnography (2-3 page analysis)
Due October 7 (50 points)
 Assignment #2 – Class Potluck (8 -10 page analysis)
Due December 2 (100 points)
III. QUIZZES (100 Points)
Quizzes (2 @ 50 points for a total 100 points):
Two multiple choice & essay quizzes will be given. No make-up quizzes will be given.
Semester Schedule of Readings and Assignments
Week 1 : Introduction
August 26
August 28
Overview of Class
Read: Miriam’s Kitchen (pp.1-48)
Douglas (FC)
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The Politics of Gender and Food
Week 2 : Food Memoir
September 2
September 4
Read: Miriam’s Kitchen (pp.51-153)
Murcott (CW)
Read: Miriam’s Kitchen (pp.154-247)
Levi-Strauss (FC)
Recommended Readings:
Harris (FC)
Berzok In Pilaf, Pozole & Pad Thai (CW)
Taipei Times: Chinese “lying in”
Week 3: Food Memoir
September 9 Read: Miriam’s Kitchen (pp.257-end)
Goody (FC)
Theophano (CW)
September 11 Assignment: Presentation #1 (Cookbooks & Recipes)
Week 4: Me, Myself and Others: Food and Identity
September 16 Read: Faith Adiele (CW) – Guest Speaker
September 18 Read: Anderson Chapters 8 & 12 (CW)
Recommended Readings:
Meneley (CW)
Week 5: Me, Myself and Others: Food and Identity
September 23 Read: Appadurai (FC) OR Wilk (FC)
Recommended Readings:
Chapters 1 & 2 In Home Cooking in the Global Village
September 25
(Wilk) (Reserve)
Bestor (CW)
Read: Julier (CW)
Recommended Readings:
Williams-Forson (FC)
Deck In Food Culture (Reserve)
Week 6: Where you eat
September 30 Film: Tampopo
Recommended Readings:
Neuhaus In Kitchen Culture (Reserve)
Pollock In Food and Gender (Reserve)
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The Politics of Gender and Food
October 2 Film: Tampopo
Read: Yan (FC)
Beriss (CW)
Week 7: Where you eat
October 7 Assignment: Presentation #2 (Ethnography of Place)
October 9 Class cancelled
Week 8: (Post) Colonialism
Fall Break – No class October 14
October 16
Week 9 :
October 21
Read: Mintz (FC)
Heldke (FC)
Read: Roseberry (CW)
Film: Coffee-go-round
October 23 DUE: Mid-Term Quiz
Week 10: Masculinity
October 28 Read: Adams (CW)
Paresecoli (FC)
October 30 Read: Clark (FC)
Leitch (FC)
Week 11: Food Fights & Alternatives
November 4 Read: Barndt (FC)
Schlosser (FC)
Paarlberg (CW)
November 6 INTERNSHIP EVENT
Week 12 : Hunger
November 11
November 13
Film: The Global Banquet
Read: Poppendieck (FC)
Nestle (CW)
Recommended Readings:
Anderson – Feeding the World (CW)
Brownell (FC)
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The Politics of Gender and Food
Week 13 : Hunger
November 18
November 20
Week 14 : Hunger
November 25
Scheper-Hughes (CW)
Food Bank Event
Read (Shiva Intro- Ch.3)
Film: Bullshit
Read (Shiva Ch.4-end)
Discuss- Shiva
November 27 THANKSGIVING - NO CLASS
Week 15 : THANKSGIVING & FEASTS
December 2 Read: Siskind (CW)
Due: Completed Food Journals
Recommended Readings:
Schell In Pilaf, Pozole & Pad Thai (Reserve)
December 4 DUE: Final Quiz
FOOD JOURNALS RETURNED
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