AGEC/AMST3733: Food and Culture
Fall 2011
Professor Stacy Takacs
Main Hall 2221 (OSU Tulsa)
Office Hours: MTR 2-4:30, or by appointment
Phone: (918) 594-8331
For information about becoming an American Studies major or minor, or for course
listings, news and events, visit the American Studies website:
http://amst.okstate.edu/index.php
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General Course Description:
Cookbook author James Beard once remarked, “Food is our common ground, a
universal experience.” Though all humans must eat to live, however, they do not eat the
same things in the same quantities with the same rituals, or with the same degree of
intensity and desire. More than nutritional requirements factor into our decisions about
how to grow and process food, what to eat, what to avoid eating, whom to share food
with, and how to share it. Food has symbolic and social meanings that are determined
by cultural, economic, and political factors unique to each society. This course offers an
interdisciplinary examination of the history and culture of food production and
consumption in the US with an emphasis on how US food ways relate to those of other
countries. We will begin with an anthropological look at links between food and social
development, move to a historical survey of US food cultures, engage in contemporary
debates over food production and consumption (especially around industrialized farming
and genetic modification), and end by asking how globalization complicates issues of
food production and consumption. We will use a variety of source materials—from
anthropological and historical surveys to creative nonfiction, novels, and films—to
ground our understandings of how food matters in the lives of humans. The course will
be reading and writing intensive. Grading will be based on a series of homework
requirements, a group project, two 5-6 page analytical essays and two exams. The
course may be taken for American Studies credit (as AMST3733) or for humanities
credit by students enrolled in other programs, especially agricultural sciences (through
AGEC3733).
Texts:
 Sidney Mintz Tasting Food, Tasting Freedom
 Donna Gabbacia, We Are What We Eat: Ethnic Food & the Making of Americans
 Ruth Ozeki, All Over Creation
2

A selection of readings available in the "Readings" Folder of the Desire2Learn
site for this course (https://oc.okstate.edu)
Policies:
Attendance: Excessive absence may result in a failing grade for the course. Absences
will be excused only for dire illness and family emergency, both of which must be
substantiated by documentation (a Dr's note, a funeral notice, etc.). If you accumulate
more than one unexcused absence, you forfeit the right to earn extra-credit points.
Participation: Students are expected to attend every class and participate actively in
class discussions, both real and virtual. Participation determines borderline grades
and eligibility for extra credit! Active participation means:
 You will have read the materials and completed any writing assignments,
including on-line assignments, before you arrive in class.
 You will bring the day’s homework and reading materials with you to class so that
you may refer to them.
 You will engage with and respond to your peers during both large and small
group discussions and during on-line assignments.
 You will listen attentively to every speaker and respond respectfully to the ideas
of others both in class and in the virtual venue (about which, see below).
 You will exhibit a deliberate effort to apply, extend, and challenge concepts that
we generate in class.
 You will demonstrate your curiosity and willingness to ask questions, advance
comparisons, and make observations.
Homework Assignments: There will be six homework assignments over the course of
the semester. You must complete five of these assignments. In most cases you
will be asked to identify and analyze a phenomenon in the culture around you that
illustrates course concepts. Usually you will be asked to post a brief (100+ word)
analysis to the D2L discussion board (https://oc.okstate.edu) before class, but
occasionally you will be asked to bring in a sample and discuss it in class. For
example, for homework assignment 2 you will be asked to bring in a food item and
discuss its history and social meanings. These assignments are due at class time and
cannot be made up. Each assignment will be worth 20 points, and together they will
comprise 10% of your course grade. Those with good attendance (1 absence or less)
may do an additional homework assignment for up to 20 pts of extra credit.
Essays: You will write two 5-6 page analytical essays related to the course topics. I
will provide a set of specific questions/topics from which you may choose for each
assignment. The first essay will ask you to analyze a fictional film about food in
relation to course readings and topics from the first ten weeks of the course. I will
provide a list of possible films for review, or you may suggest an alternate film for
approval. The second essay will ask you to engage with the debates over food
production and consumption that comprise the latter half of the course. See the
ASSIGNMENTS folder on the D2L for full details on each essay assignment. Each
essay will be worth 200 pts and together they will comprise 40% of your grade.
Group Project: You will be paired with another student and asked to prepare materials
for a class role-playing exercise called “Green Revolution.” Each group will be
assigned to a “family” and given some land, then asked to procure the seed and other
inputs required to produce enough food to feed the family or the community for a
year. Students will produce an “after-action report” about their role-playing exercise
that discusses the difficulties they faced, overcame and could not overcome in the
process of attempting to accomplish this mission. This assignment—including
3
preparation, performance, and after-action review—will be worth 100 points and will
comprise 10% of your grade. This exercise will require one evening block of 3 hours.
Each student in the pair will receive the same grade unless significant conflicts arise.
Exams: There will be one mid-term and one final exam in this class. The exams will
consist of identifications, short-answer responses, and/or essay questions and will
cover the course readings, lectures, media, and discussions in equal measure.
Check the course schedule to determine the exam dates. The exams will be worth
200 points each, and together will comprise 40% of your course grade.
Academic Honesty: All work you turn in for this class must be your own work.
The unacknowledged use of another’s materials (either words or ideas and including
virtual discussions and web pages) is called plagiarism. Unintentional or accidental
plagiarism related to the poor integration or citation of source materials will result in a
failing grade on the assignment. Any more egregious violation (turning in someone
else's paper as your own, copying content from the internet, or cheating during an
exam, for example) will result in a failing grade for the course and disciplinary
action. Consult OSU’s Office of Academic Affairs for more information on the
University Policy on Academic Integrity..
Special Needs and Disabilities: Please feel free to contact me with any special needs
that you may have related to a physical or mental disability; I’ll be happy to work with
you to accommodate your needs. NOTE: If you have a disability, physical or
otherwise, you must register with the appropriate liaison in the Student Disability
Services Office (103 North Hall; 918-594-8354)
Grading:
Homework
10%
(100 points)
A=90-100%
Group Project
10%
(100 points)
B=80-89%
Essay 1
20%
(200 points)
C=70-79%
Essay 2
20%
(200 points)
F=59% or less
Midterm Exam
20%
(200 points)
Final Exam
20%
(200 points)
Total
100%
(1000 points)
Schedule:
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8/23
Readings marked with an Asterisk (*) are available in the "Readings" section of
the D2L
Readings in blue are hyperlinks and can be found by clicking on the link or typing
the URL into a web browser
When the schedule says “View” in the left hand box (see 9/20 for example), you
are to view the assigned films BEFORE you come to class.
Come to class having read the material assigned for the day and be prepared to
ask questions and discuss.
Introduction
In Class Viewing: Food Fight <http://www.atom.com/funny_videos/food_fight/>;
Selections from The Meaning of Food (PBS)
4
8/30
Nature, Culture, Power: Anthropological Approaches to Food
Read: *Roland Barthes, “Towards a Psychosociology of Contemporary Food
Consumption”
Sidney Mintz, TFTF, Chaps. 1-2 (pp. 1-32)
*Daniel Miller, “Coca Cola: A Black Sweet Drink from Trinidad”
DUE: Homework 1 (post to the D2L Discussion Board)
9/6
Eating American: Is There an American Food Culture?
Read: Mintz, TFTF, Chap 8 (“Eating American,” 106-124)
*Octavio Paz, “Hygiene and Repression”
Donna Gabacchia, We Are What We Eat, “Intro” & “Conclusion” (pp. 1-9; 225232)
In-Class Viewing: Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations (New York)
9/13
So What DO We Eat in the US? Some History
Read: Gabacchia, We Are What We Eat, Chaps. 1, 2, 4 (pp. 10-63, 93-121)
DUE: Homework 2 (Bring in food for show, tell, and share)
9/20
Food Fights: Food and Social Engineering
Read: Mintz, TFTF, Chap. 5 (pp. 67-83)
Gabacchia, We Are What We Eat, Chap. 5 (pp. 122-148)
*Harvey Levenstein, “Food Shortages for the People of Plenty”
*Frank Thone, “Victory Gardens”
View: Food for Fighters (http://www.archive.org/details/FoodforF1943); Food Will Win
the War (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EImx-r_kMxA)
9/27
Fads, Diets and (Pseudo)Science
Read: *Harvey Levenstein “The Perils of Abundance”
*Susan Bordo, “Never Just Pictures”
*R. Marie Griffith, “The Promised Land Of Weight Loss: Law & Gospel In
Christian Dieting”
*Bernar McFadden, “The Physical Culture Creed”
View: The Biggest Loser; Jamie Oliver’s Food Nation; or another TV program about
diets, dieting, fads or nutrition (NOT a cooking show).
In Class Viewing: Selections from The Kellogg Brothers: Corn Flake Kings
(Biography, 1995)
DUE: Homework 3 (post to the D2L Discussion Board)
5
10/4
Industrialized Food Production
Read: Gabacchia, We Are What We Eat, Chap. 6 (pp. 149-174)
*Felipe Fernandez-Armesto, “Feeding the Giants”
*George Ritzer, “The McDonaldization of Society”
View: The Big Delivery Wagon (http://www.archive.org/details/BigDeliv1951); Miracles
from Agriculture (http://www.archive.org/details/Miracles1960)
In Class Viewing: Selections from King Corn (2007)
Midterm Exam Due Friday (Take Home)
10/11
Fast Food and Dining Out
Read: *Joanne Finkelstein, “The Hyperreality of Eating Out”
*James Watson, “China’s Big Mac Attack”
*Julie Guthman, “Fast Food/Organic Food”
*Dylan Cark, “The Raw and the Rotten: Punk Cuisine”
10/18
Commercialization versus Authenticity
Read: *bell hooks, “Eating the Other”
Gabacchia, We Are What We Eat, Chap. 7 (pp. 175-201)
*Meredith Abarca, “Authentic or Not, It’s Original”
*Theodore Bestor, “How Sushi Went Global” (moved from 11/1)
DUE: Homework 4 (post to the D2L Discussion Board)
10/25
Gender, Food and Family
Read: *Harvey Levenstein, “The Golden Age of Food Processing”
*Warren Belasco, “Food and Gender”
*Psyche A. Williams-Forson, “Af-Am Women, Fried Chicken and National
Narrative”
*Rebecca Swenson, “Televised Treatments of Masculinity, Femininity, & Food”
View: Carol Adams “Sexual Politics of Meat Slideshow”
<http://www.caroljadams.com/schedule.html>
DUE: Homework 5 (post to the D2L Discussion Board)
11/1
Globalization and Food Politics of Food Scarcity I
Read: *Borlaug, Norman “Farmers Can Feed the World”
<http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203517304574304562754
043656.html?KEYWORDS=norman+borlaug>
*Vandana Shiva, “The High-Jacking of the Global Food Supply”
6
*Mona Domosh, “Pickles and Purity”
Gabbachia, We Are What We Eat, Chap. 8 (pp. 202-224)
Guest Lecture: “The Politics of Hunger,” Dr. Michael Dicks
DUE: Essay 1
11/8
The Politics of Food Scarcity II
Read: *Robert Paarlberg, “The Global Food Fight”
*Warren Belasco, “Will The World Run Out Of Food?”
In-Class Role-Play Game: “Green Revolution”
This is a game that mimics a third world farm village. Each student will be the
head of a family with different land and family attributes. Faced with uncertain
weather and the hardship to procure seed and inputs for production they must
produce enough food each year to feed their family or the community.
11/15
The Debate over Genetic Modification: A Case Study of The Potato
Read: *Vandana Shiva, “Genetic Engineering and Food Security”
*Eric Schlosser, “Why the Fries Taste So Good”
*Michael Pollan, “The Potato”
View: Food, Inc. <on reserve in the OSUT library> or Fed Up <available on Netflix>
DUE: Homework 6 (post to the D2L Discussion Board)
DUE: After-Action Report for Role-Playing Game due FRIDAY
11/22
Thinking Through the Politics of Food
Read: Ruth Ozeki, All Over Creation (“First” and “Second,” pp. 1-110)
DUE: Draft of Essay 2 (Peer Review)
11/29
Read: Ozeki, All Over Creation (“Third” and “Fourth,” pp. 111-242)
DUE: Essay 2 (by Friday 12/2 at 11 pm)
12/6
Read: Ozeki, All Over Creation (“Fifth” through “Seventh,” pp. 243-417)
Celebratory End of Semester Pot Luck! Bring what you like.
12/13
Final Exam (In-Class)