Topics in Anthropology (290-0-24)

Topic

Food & Culture

Instructors

Amanda Lee Logan
847/491-4564
1812 Hinman Ave. Room 203
Prof. Amanda Logan's overarching goal is to connect the past to the present through reframing the kinds of questions we ask and empirically bridging the modern/premodern divide. Her current focus is building an archaeology of food security that traces how, where, and when chronic hunger emerged across the African continent.

Meeting Info

University Hall 218: Tues, Thurs 3:30PM - 4:50PM

Overview of class

All humans have similar nutritional requirements, yet the diversity of food preferences across the world is virtually unlimited. In the first part of this class, we will explore why people choose to eat some foods and not others. The second portion of the class will examine change and continuity in foodways through the lenses of identity and inequality. Rather than being arranged by world region, this class is arranged topically in order to bring different cuisines in conversation with one another. Case studies cover a wide stretch of the world, from Africa to the Americas to Asia and Europe.

Evaluation Method

Two exams, reaction papers, participation

Class Materials (Required)

Readings available on Canvas