This course introduces students to the power of writing as a means of communication and a process of thinking and understanding. As students complete a series of writing assignments, they will engage in a process of reading, drafting, reviewing, and revising, working in peer groups and individually with their instructors.
If you don’t eat, you die–– everyone has to reckon with this fact. We do this by cooking, eating, and refusing food according to different cultural rules. In this University Writing Seminar, we will look closely at contemporary food culture, examining everything from Buzzfeed’s Tasty videos to films like Ratatouille and popular cooking competition shows such as Chopped and Top Chef. How do power and oppression influence our relationship with food? How do our communities, class status, and ethnic and national identities shape our consumption? Through the media we analyze and our class discussions, students will learn to use close reading and analytical writing as tools for thinking critically about the cultures that surround food in our modern world.
Kalee Hall