Food, Culture, and Society

Winter 2023

Prof. Jana Fortier, PhD

Contact & Questions: Use Canvas mail tool
[email protected]

RBC 1428, Weds., 12:30-3:20pm (INTL 190)

WLH 2206 Tue/Thur., 11:00-12:20 (ANSC
184)

Off hrs: by appt

Class Access: http://canvas.ucsd.edu/
version 01/02/23

This course is designed to deepen your knowledge of key issues in food studies as an
emerging field of significance. Students will delve into weekly topics concerning some
challenges of food culture with attention to topics such as food security, food markets,
restaurant and commercial foods, foods among diaspora communities, the origins of key
crops, the future of genetically modified foods, trends in health foods, and problems of
malnutrition. While we’ll discuss concerns of people in various world areas, the focus will
be on Old World food traditions. Some of the questions we’ll ask include, 'How has wheat
crop insecurity in places such as Ukraine influenced geopolitics?'; ‘How do trade policies
affect food producers and commodities markets?'; ‘How are cultural tastes for authentic
home-cooked food satisfied in immigrant communities?'; 'Why is rice fundamentally
significant across Asian cuisines?'; ‘What are the costs and benefits of producing
genetically modified crops?’. For the capstone research component, students will write a
theoretically informed paper on a heritage food and its history, politics, trade, economics,
cultural ties, or market trends.

Learning Outcomes
•Recognize the dimensions of physical geography, climate issues, and weather influences
on various agricultural regions
•Become familiar with basic geopolitics, demographics, migrations, & communities in
class readings
•Appreciate diversity of foods & cultures, their significance in class readings

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•Become familiar with sustainable food & food security issues
•Become familiar with basic concepts surrounding food studies
•Master key ideas and conceptual frameworks in food studies
•Appreciate the role of significant food plants and animals in regions under discussion
•Recognize food trade issues of significance in this world region
•Become familiar with regional food nutritional values and dietary issues such as
malnutrition

Course Requirements
1. Attendance & Participation. Be prepared to be on time for class, complete your
readings before class, & prepare with questions and comments for discussion. Class
participation is encouraged and considered in your performance. This includes
offering ideas, talking with fellow students, asking thoughtful questions, etc. Class
participation may involve sharing highlights from your WQs during class, doing an
activity in class, or reflecting on films and media in group discussions. 20pts/meeting
session. Students who miss class or assignments for the purpose of quarantine, religious
observance, job interview, illness, or an unexpected problem are permitted to make up
course work. You will need to submit a 1-2 page (250-500 word) summary from the
posted zoom class lecture. Please email me through Canvas about your situation ahead
of time or in a timely manner. 20%

2. Reading Review (RR). Write a short summary of your weekly readings and include a
couple of questions for class discussion. For example, read Week 2 assigned readings and
turn in your RR for the Week 2 meeting. In your RR, write up some of the questions you
have about our weekly readings and lectures. Typically, you might write thoughtfully
about a follow-up question you have, or a key idea that needs more clarification for
you, or simply some idea from lecture or the readings that you want us to talk about
more. You can write a question for all the readings, or a longer question for just one of
the readings as you prefer. Elaborate on your questions enough so that you write about
2 pages (250-400 words). This is where we have a chance to connect relevant topics in
the news with our lectures & readings. I look forward to reading these, so try to come
up with some interesting thoughts and ideas! Turn RRs into the Assignments tab in
Canvas by Monday, 6 pm PST each week (except for Week One). 20%.

3. Midterm Assignment – Complete a United Nations Climate Change assignment

concerning Food Systems. Details provided in class.
https://unccelearn.org/course/view.php?id=56&page=overview. 20%

4. Final paper. Your research paper will be based on a research question concerning a
food, major ingredient, or cuisine of your choice. Details and guidance will be given in
class. Research papers will be about 4,000-5,000 words (in INTL190) or 2,500-3,500
words (in ANSC 184). Your paper should be single spaced, with a cover header
providing your paper title, your name; there will also be a body of text, tables, maps,
figures, references, and any footnotes. Students will give a short PPT presentation about

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your research during the last few weeks of class. Research Paper is due Weds, Mar. 22th,
midnight. Upload to your Google Sites page and provide a copy in Canvas. 40%

SYLLABUS
Please read your assigned materials for a total of about 3-4 hours each week. If you can’t
read every article within this time frame, please skim the article’s highlights until you get a
good idea of the main points from the article abstract, section headings, first sentences of
paragraphs, and conclusion. In addition, set aside some time to look at the media for each
week. You can optionally include the media materials in your written Reading Reviews.

Week 1 (Jan 9-13) Overview

Readings:
Colás, Alejandro et al. (eds). "Chapter 1" in Food, politics, and society: Social theory and
the modern food system. Univ of California Press, 2018.
Srinivas, Tulasi. 2021. ‘‘Swiggy it!’’: Food Delivery, Gastro Geographies, and the Shifting
Meaning of the Local in Pandemic India” Gastronomica vol.21, no.4, pp.17–30.

Media:
Watch a Video: Our Choices Matter

Explore a website: https://www.usda.gov/topics/food-and-nutrition

Week 2 Jan 16-20 Food Collectors, Cultivators, & the Agricultural Revolution
Readings:
Fortier, Jana 2009 Kings of the Forest Univ. of Hawaii Press, Chapter 5 (Start on pg75)
DuBois, C.G., 1904. The story of the Chaup: A myth of the Diegueños. Journal of
American Folklore, pp.217-242.
Mintz & Schlettwein-Gsell 2002. "Food Patterns in Agrarian Societies: The Core-Fringe-
Legume Hypothesis". Gastronomica 1.3 (2001): 40-52

Week 3 Jan 23-27 Premodern Commodity Flows & Commercial Food Trade
Colás, Alejandro et al. (eds). "Chapter 3" in Food, politics, and society: Social theory and
the modern food system. Univ of California Press, 2018.
Fuller, Dorian Q., et al. "Across the Indian Ocean: The prehistoric movement of plants
and animals." Antiquity 85.328 (2011): 544-558.
Nabhan, Gary “Chapter 1: Aromas emanating from the driest of places” in Cumin,
Camels, and Caravans: A Spice Odyssey.

Week 4 Jan 30-Feb 3 Food Purity & Impurity

Readings:
Colás, Alejandro et al. (eds). "Chapter 4" in Food, politics, and society: Social theory and
the modern food system. Univ of California Press, 2018.

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Douglas, Mary. "The abominations of Leviticus." In Food and culture, pp. 62-72.
Routledge, 2012.
Looy, H., Dunkel, F.V. and Wood, J.R., 2014. “How then shall we eat? Insect-eating
attitudes and sustainable foodways.” Agriculture and human values, 31(1), pp.131-
141.

Media:
Watch a Video: A World of Food: Tastes & Taboos in Difference Cultures (log into UCSD
library to see full film)

Week 5 Feb 6-10 Food in Public: Eating Out, Cooking Shows, & Public Culture
Readings:
Colás, Alejandro et al. (eds). "Chapter 6" in Food, politics, and society: Social theory and
the modern food system. Univ of California Press, 2018.
Ray, Krishnendu. "SOAS Address: Rethinking Street Vending." Gastronomica 20, no. 1
(2020): 1-15.
Simi, Demi, and Jonathan Matusitz. "Glocalization of subway in India: How a US giant
has adapted in the Asian subcontinent." Journal of Asian and African Studies 52.5
(2017): 573-585.
Optional: Kraig, Bruce, and Colleen Taylor Sen. "Commonalities and Convergences in
World Street Market Food." in Food & Markets: Proceedings of the Oxford
Symposium on Food and Cookery. Prospect Books, 2015.

Watch a Video: Exotic Indian Street Food Tour in Mumbai, India

Explore a website: Mint Lounge’s Food section

Week 6 Feb 13-17 Food Security Issues

Midterm Assignment: Complete the UN class on Sustainable Diet at:
https://unccelearn.org/course/view.php?id=56&page=overview. Upload your Certificate
of Completion for 50 pts Midterm assignment credit.

Readings:
Sachs, Jeffrey and Ban Ki-Moon. Chapter 10 ‘Food Security’. The Age of Sustainable
Development. Columbia Univ Press
EAT-Lancet Commission “Brief for African Cities”.
Diekmann “Growing ‘good food’: Urban gardens, culturally acceptable produce, and food
security”

Media:
UCSD Library Video (log-in first): Fishing: In the Sea of Greed and/or a video about
Lepcha farmers in Sikkim, Our Seeds, Central to Food, Life, and Culture

Explore a website: Sustainable Development Goals ; Global Food Security Index ;

Afghanistan’s Farmers, Herders desperate ; Action Against Hunger

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Week 7 Feb 20-24 Gardening & Growing Food
Readings:
Taheri, Fatemeh, Hossein Azadi, and Marijke D’Haese. "A world without hunger: organic
or GM crops?." Sustainability 9, no. 4 (2017): 580.
Ali, Abu Muhammad. "Homegardens in Smallholder Farming Systems: examples from
Bangladesh." Human Ecology 33.2 (2005): 245-270.
Watson “Project reports: Contribution of home gardens to in situ conservation of plant
genetic resources in farming systems” *Choose 1 chapter to read in the Project
Reports section - pp 42-148.

Watch a Video: Hunza People in Chipursan valley, Pakistan

Explore a website: Almost Heaven Farms or The Kamala Foundation: Regenerative

Development in Nepal

Week 8 Feb 27-Mar 3 Food, Cooking, & Identity-making

Readings:
Colás, Alejandro et al. (eds). "Chapter 8" in Food, politics, and society: Social theory and
the modern food system. Univ of California Press, 2018.
Tuan, Yi-Fu. 2009. “A Walk in the Neighborhood and a Gustatory Shock.” In Coming
Home to China, 40:399–407. https://doi.org/10.3138/jsp.40.4.399.
Selibas, Dimitri 2021. “Buen Vivir: Colombia's philosophy for good living” Access the BBC
Travel - https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20210207-buen-vivir-colombias-
philosophy-for-good-living

Explore a website: UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage – Culture of Ukrainian borscht

cooking

Explore a website: Asian Food Fest

Week 9 Mar 6-10 Food Commodities and Trade

*No Reading Reviews this week. PPT Presenters may provide a link to an article on your
PPT topic to share with your classmates

Readings:
Nabhan, Gary Chapter in Cumin, Camels, and Caravans: A Spice Odyssey”.
Goody, Jack "Industrial Food: Towards the Development of a World Cuisine" in Food &
Culture: A Reader.
Dalin, C. et al. “Groundwater depletion embedded in international food trade.” Nature,
543(7647), pp.700-704.

Watch a Video: Amazon Prime Video: Masala Chai Or YouTube Video: Tea in the Land of
Thunder

Explore a website: https://oec.world/en/ Observatory of Economic Complexity

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Week 10 Mar 13-17 Promoting Healthy Foods in Medicine & Health
*No Reading Reviews this week. PPT Presenters may provide a link to an article on your
PPT topic to share with your classmates.

Readings:
Sarkar, Preetam, et al. "Traditional and Ayurvedic Foods of Indian origin." Journal of
Ethnic Foods 2.3 (2015): 97-109.
Pempek, T.A. and Calvert, S.L., 2009. “Tipping the balance: use of advergames to
promote consumption of nutritious foods and beverages by low-income African American
children.” Archives of pediatrics & adolescent medicine, 163(7), pp.633-637.

Watch a Video: Unsupersize Me https://www.kanopy.com/en/ucsd/watch/video/156440

(log into UCSD library to watch)

Explore a website: The Eat Foundation

Final paper is due Weds Mar. 22, midnight.

Other Information
Written work is graded with attention to depth, breadth, clarity, creativity, and examples.
In other words, given the parameters of written assignments, write with attention to
appropriate depth of ideas for your topic, with choosing appropriate breadth of points you
can cover, and write with clarity of thought and grammar. Your writings should always aim
for some lively creativity and showcase examples to highlight your topic or main points.
Avoid unnecessary wordiness and spoken idioms. Your papers are graded using standard
correction marks
(https://www.academia.edu/86044164/Correction_Symbols_for_Editing) with a 1 week
turn-around time for all graded assignments.

Extra Credit If you miss assignments, you will need to ask for extra credit & it will be
offered under the Assignments tab. Using an assigned YouTube video for guidance, you can
make a banana leaf plate, for example.
Websites such as Google Drive, Google Sites, and Google Scholar are used. We have a
Google webpage site to share your research paper or blog, and to store video or audio clips,
PDF articles, writing drafts etc.

1. For editing, use:

https://sites.google.com/d/1gO8k8PhjBctF9fO8ppWn0XYTREM_cWUl/p/1EdufcUZ9T_HNn
49iPxrVUjQvmBWCk1ED/edit
2. For viewing only, use: https://sites.google.com/view/southasiafoodculture/home

Other Information

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Academic Integrity University regulations concern adding, dropping classes, exams,
grading, unexcused absences, bullying, free speech, etc. Students are expected to be
courteous, avoid ad hominem attacks, use diplomacy, aim for logical arguments, avoid
disruption, disrespect, exclusion, or harassment of others. Review of policies is available at
https://catalog.ucsd.edu/academic-regulations.html,
https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/2710523/PACAOS-30. Students in this class have the right to
expect that their fellow students are upholding the academic integrity of the University.
You may ask other students to read and comment on your work but all analysis and writing
should be your own work. You will recognize and cite all sources of data or information
and if you are unsure of citation accuracy, please speak with me. If you are unsure what
constitutes plagiarism, please see UCSD's academic honesty policy here:
http://academicintegrity.ucsd.edu/ or confer with me. All cases of suspected plagiarism or
cheating will be referred to the office of academic integrity.
Submitting written work Students agree that by taking this course all required papers will
be submitted for textual similarity and plagiarism review via Turnitin.com. All submitted
papers will be included as source documents in the Turnitin.com reference database solely
for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such papers. Use of the Turnitin.com service is
subject to the terms of use agreement posted on Canvas and the Turnitin.com site.
Late assignments & make up exam policy Late assignments will be penalized 1% for every
hour late. No assignments will be accepted more than 48 hours after the due date without
an approved and documented excuse. There will be no make-up examinations without an
approved and documented excuse. Acceptable excuses include illness, which must be
documented by the UCSD health service or your physician, or a death or serious illness in
the immediate family. I will accept no other excuses aside from those recognized by
standing University policy. Please notify me in writing of your need for an extension or
make-up exam and I will put you in contact with Nancy Gilson as she has responsibility for
the collection of documentation.
Grade disputes If you believe that we made an error or oversight in grading your work you
may petition the instructor to have your grade changed. To do so you must submit a
written memo of no more than 400 words explaining how we made an error and stating
the grade you believe that you deserve. We will not entertain grade complaints beyond
seven calendar days after the assignment has been returned to you.
Students with Disabilities Students requesting accommodations for this course due to a
disability must have a current Authorization for Accommodation (AFA) letter issued by the
Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD: http://disabilities.ucsd.edu), which is now
located on the 3rd Floor of Pepper Canyon Hall. AFA letters are now provided to Faculty
electronically by OSD, per student request. Requests for accommodation must be made at
least two weeks in advance of midterm exams. Contact Department Student Advising for
further information. Student rights, responsibilities and administrative due process is also
enumerated in campus policies.

Summary of Grading
A/A- = 91-100%; B+/B/B- = 81-90%; C+/C/C- = 71-80%; D+/D/D- = 61-70%

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Video: When watching films through the UCSD library, first turn on your computer
device’s VPN (Virtual Private Network) connection to UCSD. Details are available at
https://library.ucsd.edu/computing-and-technology/connect-from-off-campus/. You
can then access by clicking on the video links in the UCSD library film and video
webpage (http://roger.ucsd.edu/search~S3). Type in the name of the film/video or click
on the video name in this syllabus. If you lose your VPN connection or the film stops,
you can often “Reload” (Command+R) and this gives the video more time to download
so you can pick up where you left off.

Summary of Canvas Organization PDF articles are in Files; Past Zoom Lectures are in
Media Gallery; Weekly Written Question and Final Paper are in Assignments;
Discussions and group talks are in Discussions. Attendance will be entered by me in
the gradesheet. The Pages folder contains optional material.