Food and Culture: Course Spotlight - Excel Amherst

Who doesn’t love a great appetizer course? Full of variety? You’ll have a chance to be part of such a course this summer! The mushrooming field of Food Studies is the ultimate interdisciplinary subject. The Food & Culture course (at Amherst) this summer will encourage you to sample a little bit of everything while satisfying your craving for complex big-picture modes of thinking.

Food—how we value it, acquire it, cook it, share it and consume it—is central to how we define who we are and who we are not. Culturally, food allows us to explore our shared fundamental and very human needs, while also examining the ways we use food to differentiate ourselves. Food is both individual and universal. Sound complex? It is! Curiosity about other cultures is a course requirement.

In this course we will define a number of contemporary food issues, buzzwords and controversies. Then we will examine them from global perspectives—scholarly and otherwise. We will consider the viewpoints of anthropologists, scientists, historians, sociologists, nutritionists, journalists, chefs, food writers, restaurateurs, politicians, farmers, advertisers, film makers, artists and consumers.

But let’s not forget: we all eat, and consequently, we all are experts! This means all students in this course will be expected to think about, research and share their own food habits, family customs and holiday rituals. (Start surveying parents, grandparents and others about favorite foods from their childhoods now—they will love that you asked.)

Because we register food, advertising and packaging with our eyes before we ever taste anything, there will be a substantial visual component to this course. Students will be encouraged to bring a camera with them and use it liberally. All students should expect to be reflecting and writing about food, too. I promise that thinking about food will not take the fun out of it!

Inquisitive scholars, adventurous eaters and clever food puns are welcome!