GEOG 369 :: Geography of Food

Spring 2009 syllabus

Below is the official class schedule of activities and assignments. Please recognize, however, that a syllabus is always tentative and subject to updating. Please listen for changes announced in class.

E-resources, including readings, lecture notes and links to other information is in red. Additional readings will be announced & posted. Readings must be completed before the day in which they are discussed.

GEOG 369 Homepage
UPDATED: 15-Nov-2009
**Reading Review Form

Date

Topic

Readings (* requires review)

September

1

Sept 02

Introductions
Food Issues
Geography of food

2

Sept 09

Food studies
Moyer's Journal: M. Pollan's Food Fight

Assignment #1

*Thinking geographically, P Jackson, 2006
Intro, Omnivore’s Dilemma, M. Pollan, 2007
In Defense of Food, Intro, Pollan, 2008
Bckgrnd, Food in Society, Atkins & Bowler, 2001

3

Sept 16

Food systems
*Guthman on Pollan
* Allen on Foodies

*Alternative Food Futures, Follet, 2008
Conventions, in Worlds of Food, Morgan, et al. , 2006
Reconnecting: AFNs, Kneafsy et al, 2007

4

Sept 23

Global Food Systems
Assignment #2

Hamburger, Fries & Cola
*Agrifood globalization, Friedland, 2004
*Freidberg French Beans, Ch. 1 2004
China's Big Mac Attack, Watson 2004
NYT on Global Soybeans
NYT on Environmental costs of global foods
NYT on Food Imports from China
Walmartization of Food Retailing

5

Sept 30

Food and Place
Big Spud, Little Spud

WP The Geography of Flavor, Black, Aug 2007
*Meaning of terroir to customer, Aurier et al., 2005.
*Spatializing Quality, Parrott et al., 2002
*The Power of Place, Sonnino, 2007

October

6

Oct 07

The ethics of eating: What we eat
Frankensteer
Field Trip: Thursday Oct 8, 7:30 a.m. leave for Durand

*Eating Meat, Smil, 2002
*Short History of Food Ethics, Zwart, 2000
NYT The Barnyard Strategist, M. Jones, 2008
NYT As more eat meat and the meat guzzler, 2008
NYT on tainted meat, 2009

7

Oct 14

Food, Identity, and Meaning

*Food & identity in Georgia, Muehlfried, 2007.
*Local food & terroir in Norway, Amilien et al., 2005.
Traditional foods, Trichoupulou et al., 2007

8

Oct 21

Food production and processing:  

Exercise #3

*Functional Food – Review, Siro et al., 2008
*Why the Fries Taste so Good, Schlosser, 2001
Sensory quality of traditional foods, Cayot, 2007
Corn, Omnivore’s Dilemma, M. Pollan, 2007NYT,Superfood or monster, Moskin, 2008

9

Oct 28

Consumption and globalization
Dialectics & hybridity:  Local-global, organic-GMO, traditional-functional, slow-fas

*Walmart and Mexico
**Social Life of Tortilla
*Industrialization of Tortilla

November

10

Nov 04

Hybrid systems and practices

Saturday Nov 7: Twin Cities Field Trip (7:30-5:30)
**Local, organic & conventional, Vittersø et al, 2005
*Commodity vs civic agriculture, Lyson & Guptil, 2004
*Practice, politics & localization, Hinrichs, 2003

11

Nov 11

Consumption: where we eat
Field trip to UWEC Cafeteria
Exercise #4

Field Trip : Local Food Production, TBD

Books being Reviewed

12

Nov 18

Availability, accessibility & the politics of food

Food culture as political tool, Tellstrom et al., 2003
Politics of transfer, Alvarez, 2007
The oil we eat, Manning, 2004
The politics of food is politics, De Clarke and Goff, 2008
Introduction, Katz, 2006
Food industry role in combating obesity, Ludwig & Nestle, 2008
Manufacturing a Food Crisis, 2008
The Rich Get Hungrier, Sen, Op-Ed,2008
You are what you eat: Politics of Food, Burros, 2008

13

Nov 25

Rights Based Food Systems, Anderson, 2008
*Local in the Global, Roos et al., 2007

December

14

Dec 02

Presentations
Assignment #5

15

Dec 09

How To Eat:  Guest
Assignment #5

Why Bother, Michael Pollan, 2008
Pleasures of Eating, W. Berry, 1989

Assignment #6: Wednesday, 17 December, 3:00 p.m.