Course Syllabus

 

Anthropology of Food E

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Semester & Location:

Spring 2022 - DIS Copenhagen

Type & Credits:

Elective Course - 3 credits

Major Disciplines:

Anthropology, Environmental Studies, Food Politics

Prerquisite:

None

Faculty Members:

Camilla Hoff-Jørgensen 

current students use canvas inbox for contact

Program contact:

Embla Thorsdottir - eth@dis.dk

Time & Place:

Tuesday and Fridays 13:15-14.35 in N7-B21

Description of Course

“Tell me what you eat, and I’ll tell you who you are”.  Quite possibly the most famous words in the entire history of food-writing, that phrase, issued by 19th-century epicure, politician, layer, and gastronome, Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, has never been truer than it is today. Food has always been closely linked to identity both our individual identity and our collective identity. Food values like the industrialization of farming and the integration of immigrants that reflect cultural, social, and even political values are both dividing and bringing us together. 

In this course, we will look at the connection between what you eat and who you are by focusing on food culture across the world, but by using most case studies from North Europa. Europe has a deeply rooted culinary tradition that was shaped by geography, religion, and demographics. Within the European gastronomic world, restaurants have been frontrunners for new ways of cooking and understanding food (‘molecular gastronomy’; ‘new Nordic’ in Denmark). We will debate how Denmark forage a new cuisine; which focuses on seasonality and local ingredients.  

But we will not just be exploring the world of fine dining; we will also focus on other aspects of food culture. Eating is more than sustenance and enjoying the taste of it. When we buy food and eat it, we communicate meaning that creates identities, maintains social bonds, and sustains cultures. This makes eating not only a nutritional act but also a social and cultural act. Why is it that men who prepare food are called chefs while women are called cooks? How is it that Thanksgiving is not the same without a turkey? Why do some choose to buy a Hendricks Gin and not a Bombay Gin? Why are more men chefs, but more women responsible for home cooking? 

During our classes, we’ll make the subject come to life by talking to chefs, farmers, public health officials, artisans, and food historians about what Danes eat, and what it reveals about their respective cultures.

In this course, you will get acquainted with the anthropological and sociological perspectives on the topic of food, get immersed deeply into the Scandinavian eating culture, and the Nordic culinary revival, and investigate the role of the city in rethinking our food systems. In between, we will go out and explore Copenhagen and conduct food tastings.

 

Learning Objectives

The overall objective of the course is to enable students to understand the disparate social and cultural meanings of food. The course aims to endow them with a strong sense that food is more than what is served on a plate and provide them with a valuable toolkit filled with impressions, experiences, approaches, and concepts with which they would be able to better understand the practice of eating. 

By the end of the course, students should have:

  •  developed a sense of the culinary cultures of Denmark and other countries and how these relate to broader cultures;
  • enhanced understanding of food culture in their home country and other countries after using Denmark as a case model
  • an understanding of how to analyze the role of food in forging an identity on an individual and collective levels;
  • developed a sense of how to think critically about food as a reflection of social, political, and economic phenomena;
  • enhanced their understanding of the evolving role of gastronomy and the role of culture in reshaping a cultural identity;
  • greater knowledge of the fields of anthropology and sociology and how these disciplines approach the study of food
  • the ability to use anthropological methods of inquiry to critically reflect on the role of food in culture in cultural practice;

 

Readings

There is no textbook for this course and most readings are found exclusively on Canvas.

Anthropological Theory

  • Ariel (2012). The Hummus Wars. Gastronomica: The Journal of Food and Culture. 12. 34-42. 
  • Bourdieu (1984). Distinction: A social critique of the judgement of taste. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
  • Swinbank  (2002). "The Sexual Politics of Cooking: A Feminist Analysis of Culinary Hierarchy", in Journal of Historical Sociology Vol. 15 No. 4 December 2002
  • Tjørnhøj-Thomsen and Ploug Hansen(2015). "Managing Uncertainties, Gaining Control: The Magic of Foods and Words" in Steffen, V., Jöhncke, S., & Raahauge, K. M. (red.) (2015). Between Magic and Rationality (eds. Jöhncke, Steffen, Vibeke Steffen & Kirsten Marie Raahauge): On the limits of reason in the modern world. (Critical Anthropology udg.) København: Museum Tusculanum. (Critical Anthropology, Vol. 4).

This is a selection of the course readings. The complete readings will be available on Canvas.

 

Field Studies

During the semester the two field studies will provide the possibility to explore and taste. The field studies are on:

  • 1st field study february 2nd, 8.30 - 12.30

  • 2nd field study  March 16th, 13.00 - 17.00 

Guest Lectures

During the course, we will go out and visit locations or have speakers come and visit us. These will be announced during the semester.  

Expectations of the Students

I expect you to attend all class sessions unless prevented by an emergency. If you are not in class, you cannot participate. I expect you to complete all the assigned reading and come to class prepared to discuss it in depth. I expect you to turn in assignments on time.

Students are not allowed to use a laptop or smartphone in class. Considerations will, of course, be taken if you have special needs for a computer for note-taking. Please speak to the Office of Academic Support to request accommodations.

All students are expected to have completed the course readings before class so that we can discuss the material at the right level. It is important to be well prepared for class because I may randomly select students to give key points on the readings for that day.

Students are expected to participate actively in all classes and field studies and be open-minded to their fellow student’s contributions to the class. The aim is to establish an environment where we can learn from each other as well as from the texts and cases we engage with, and you are expected to actively support this approach.

 

Approach to Teaching

The methods used to cover class materials include lectures, videos, discussions, individual and group presentations, guest lectures, and field trips. Periodically we will split up into smaller groups to review and analyze the material more thoroughly. The course will have several out-of-the-classroom sessions on location to experience the different facets of food firsthand. Students are expected to be able to find and be at the external locations on time. The external locations will not be far from DIS's location and maps and addresses will be given in advance. Office hours are held after class or by appointment.

 

 

Faculty

Page-01.jpegCamilla Hoff-Jørgensen holds a BA. in Nutrition and Health (2006) and a BA. and Cand.scient in Anthropology (2012). She worked as a cultural informant in Hiroshima, Japan educating and arranging events about Danish and Scandinavian food culture, developing comparative studies of the Danish (European) and Japanese food culture. Camilla has also been a text-writer on a monthly article for the Japanese, SHUN magazine, about Danish eating culture and traditions. She moreover has international working experience in Bangkok and Barcelona where she lived and worked with food and culture. In Denmark, Camilla has done various research within the fields of medical anthropology and anthropology of food.  

 

Evaluation

Students will be evaluated on their ability to understand, discuss, and communicate theories within the Anthropology of Food as well as interpret them meaningfully. These skills will be the primary focuses of evaluations. Group work in class and in the field as well as the student's ability to contribute to a group effort will be taken into account for the grade.

 

Grading

Your grade consists of the following three elements:
1. Class engagement (20%). Engagement entails among others: active participation in class discussions, preparation for each class, reading of assigned texts, reflection on reading, active participation in field studies.

2.Analysis of areas and markets  (15%). This assignment shows the student's ability to understand the methods of participant observation and the ability to use the concept, Cultural/Economic Capital by Bourdieu. If possible, due to covid19, it will be a group assignment. 

3. Anthropological Food Reflections (based on a social theory) (30%) #1 Food and the Capitals (Bourdieu), #2 Managing uncertainties (Mauss, Gell, Foucault, Frazer) , #3 Creating a culture through politics (EU and Trubek). The anthropological food reflections consist of 3 reflections about foods and food practices that you encounter (cuisine, ingredient, dish, cultural habit, taboo, etc). This demands that you go out and explore your community. Students are not required to buy expensive food goods, but through their daily meals and meeting with the food offers in their community (hot dog stand, café latte, products in the supermarket, delivery services), students are required to reflect on the cultural constellation of what they eat and consume. Strong posts will not only describe those foods and practices, but analyze them, and the reflection itself will be evaluated for the quality of its insights, references to readings, interpretations, writing, and use of anthropological theories. You may include photos, videos, or any other media you see fit.

4. Food Analysis  (based on an interview and social theory) (35%)  Students individually choose a topic of their own choice, based on the literature of this course. Students find a relevant informant whose narratives hopefully can uncover cultural interpretations about this topic. The analysis must include some quotes from the interview and a discussion using the chosen social theory. In some cases, students find readings or topics we haven't covered in class. Then I will help you find relevant social theories for the discussion. This is the last assignment of the semester. Throughout the semester, students will get trained in how to use social theories. The food analysis, however, is the only assignment that demands that students do an interview. 

Assignment

Percent

Class Engagement

20%

Analysis of areas and markets

15%

Food Analysis

35%

Anthropological Food Reflections

30%

To be eligible for a passing grade in this class you must complete all of the assigned work.

COVID-19 

For the time in Copenhagen, we all have a collective responsibility to avoid the spread of COVID-19 at DIS. If you are sick or have symptoms of COVID-19 (Dry cough, high temperature, breathing difficulties, sore throat, headache, muscle pain), please stay at home and inform your faculty that you won’t be in class or at a field study – this will count as an excused absence. Keep up with the work and join activities via distance learning, if you are able to and if it is an option in your class (check with your faculty). If you are too sick to do work, reach out to the care team at care@dis.dk for medical support and coordinate with your faculty to make up missed class time. 

 

Academic Regulations  

Use of Electronic Devices in the Classroom - Electronic devices such as laptop computers, tablet devices, etc. are only allowed in class for note-taking. Please be sure that all cell phones are put away and are set to “off” prior to the beginning of the class or a meeting. In some specific cases, you may be requested to use your computer or tablet for quick/ad-hoc research on the Internet. Any misuse of trust will be reflected in your engagement grade

Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on: 

 

Course Summary:

Date Details Due