Theories of American Studies: Food Studies - Detailseite

In this course, students will be introduced to the field of Food Studies, the study of food as a medium and the ways food relates to concepts such as “identity” and “nation.” Food carries meaning beyond nourishment, it can be constitutive of self and community, it can be (ab)used to create both difference and sameness. Food is an expression of culture and in this course, we will look at how different versions of “America” are created through specific food practices, for example through the creation of Soul Food in the 1960s or the rise of convenience foods in the 1970s. We will also turn towards representations of food in different cultural texts, such as fiction, life writing, cookbooks and visual media that range from the early nineteenth century until today. Selected readings will be made available on Moodle and you will be asked to hand in three assignments in the course of the semester (study questions, a food memoir and a thesis statement).