Course Overview & Schedule

DESCRIPTION: Senior seminar for Humanities & Religious Studies majors; focuses on perspectives and methods discussed in the department's core courses. Topics chosen by the instructor. Cross listed with the graduate program to allow graduate students to participate.

THIS SEMESTER, the seminar considers what the disciplines of humanities & religious studies, as well as the cultural and religious traditions they study, contribute to discussions regarding sustainability, defined by one authority as "meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs" (1987 Brundtland report--read more about this and other definitions of sustainability). Rather than tackling every aspect of the sustainability issue, the course focuses on one type of activity that has significantly shaped human culture throughout history: the production of food and the customs surrounding its consumption.

In pondering the issue of sustainability in relationship to food, we will consider contemporary sources that examine the history and sociology of food production, as well as literary and philosophical traditions that ponder both the aesthetic and spiritual significance of food consumption. A series of "comparative interludes" will also sample ancient views about food, religious as well as secular, examining relevant sources from the Middle East, pre-modern Europe, India and China. We will return to two pivotal questions throughout our discussions:

(a) What does the study of culture past and present, informed by the analytical perspectives highlighted in HRS disciplines, reveal about the way that food-related ideologies (e.g., ideas about food, its consumption and production) & related cultural practices (e.g., gathering, cooking, communal meals, fasting, etc.) have changed during the past hundred years?

(b) What does HRS-informed study of culture suggest about the kind of food ideologies & cultural practices that might more strongly promote a sustainable food culture in the future?

As the culminating academic experience for HRS majors, this course also engages the question of the relationship between the study of religion and the study of culture more generally. The course also welcomes students from other undergraduate disciplines and masters programs. Students in the LIBA masters program will be expected to take an active role in shaping discussions and will be required to write a longer paper at the end.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES: After attentively engaging with the materials presented in this course, you should be able to:

1. demonstrate cultural literacy within a global context, especially by:
   (a) answering basic questions, for a peer unfamiliar with the topic, regarding the significance of food production and consumption for modern and pre-modern cultures around the world; and
   (b) formulating questions regarding aspects of this topic that you want to understand more thoroughly, in order to guide you in locating and reading reliable sources that address such questions.
2. demonstrate the ability to critically reason about ideas and critically analyze texts, especially by
   (a) describing accurately and fairly, for a peer unfamiliar with the topic, the assigned sources that describe the significance of food production and consumption in human; and
   (b) presenting a balanced selection of quotations that supports your statements about those sources.
   (c) comparing and contrasting, for members of the class as well as other peers, different perspectives on the significance of food production and consumption within and across the distinct cultures and historical periods surveyed in the course.
3. effectively communicate with peers while working towards the above objectives.
4. empathically understand human diversity within historical and cross-cultural contexts, and appreciate the arts as an expression of social/philosophical values.
5. continue asking questions and gathering insights about history, culture, religion and the relationship between them.

SOURCES: You are responsible for obtaining the printed sources listed below at the Hornet Bookstore, and for bringing assigned sources to the appropriate class meetings.

Rebecca Kneale Gould, At Home in Nature: Modern Homesteading and Spiritual Practice in America (HIN)
Barbara Kingsolver, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: a Year of Food Life (AVM)
Michael Pollan, The Omnivore's Dilemma: a Natural History of Four Meals (TOD)

You will also need to obtain and bring to class the roughly twenty reserve readings listed in the schedule below, either by clicking on the link next to each title in the on-line version of this syllabus (but note that both require a PIN, as explained in the introductory remarks to the schedule); or by visiting the library's Reserve Book Room (M-Th 8 am-9 pm, Fri & Sat 9 am-5 pm, Sun 1 pm-9 pm, across from the first-floor entrance of the main library).

ATTENDANCE: Like most seminars, this course relies heavily on interactive learning, and such learning cannot take place without your being physically and mentally present in the classroom.  Therefore the most fundamental requirement of this course is coming to class consistently, making certain to bring with you the assigned reading materials.

As per the department's policy for courses that meet twice a week, after an allowable maximum of two absences, fifty (50) points will be subtracted (= 1/2 grade) from your overall score for the class for each class missed. Exceptions to the any of above-stated policies will be granted for compelling reasons, which generally must be verified in writing by a medical or some other professional--to be submitted by the next class that you are able to attend, or as soon therafter as possible.

In addition, while in the classroom, please avoid sights, sounds, and smells that are distracting to this instructor (food, cell phones, entering and exiting during the class meeting, side-talking, etc.), and to a significant number of students as well.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Due to the high volume of emails I must process, I ask that you please not contact me (by phone or email) simply to announce an absence. To have your absence considered excused, please submit documentation as specified below under "Exceptions." If you are unsure what you have missed from being absent, please consult the syllabus and/or contact a team member. If you still have questions, these can usually best be addressed by approaching me face to face at the next class meeting.

EMAIL: in order to receive updates regarding class sessions throughout the term, as well as to submit reading analyses (see below), you are required to maintain an active email address for the duration of the course. Please send me an email to confirm this within the first week of the term; to facilitate my handling of student correspondence, include the abbreviation "HRS 190," "HRS 290" or "FFF" in the subject heading of all emails.

IMPORTANT NOTE: I answer student emails on Monday and Wednesday afternoons, and usually sometime end of week or weekend, as time allows. For queries that require immediate attention, please call or leave a voice mail at 278-5332. As noted about under "Attendance," I ask that you not contact me simply to announce an absence.

ASSIGNMENTS:

1. reading excerpts with brief commentary for each class meeting (10 points)
2. two (2) reading analyses (5-7 pages, 2 x 20 points)
3. one (1) synopsis of the previous week's class meetings (2 pages, 10 points)
4. one (1) term paper, preceded by a strategic plan (12-16 pages, 40 points)
   [scale: 94-100 points=A, 90-93=A-, 87-89=B+, 84-87=B, 80-83=B-, etc.]

GRADING POLICIES: I generally do not accept rewrites of guided reflections are allowed; however you may wish to show me prelimary drafts, submitted for review at least three days prior to the deadline. I do accept late assignments, but subtract 5% from your overall score for each class day late. I will however not accept late submissions for the term paper.

If you have a diagnosed disability that requires some accommodation (ideally as with verification from the Office of Services to Students with Disabilities, Lassen Hall 1008, x6955), please contact me within the first two weeks of the term. I consider extreme difficulty with social interaction and interpersonal communication a legitimate disability (formally known as ASD), which should be brought to my attention as soon as possible since team work is such an integral part of the course.

I will generally elect severe penalties for academic dishonesty on RPTs and journal assignments: a zero score for the assignment, and failing the course for a second offense. You are responsible for reading my comments regarding the importance of academic honesty in FAQ, #5-7, and for requesting clarification if there is anything you do not understand. You may also want to check out the library's tutorial on plagiarism.

Finally, students needing extra time to complete their work for the course must submit to me an application for an incomplete, available in MND 2011. I will not accept a late final assignment or give an incomplete grade without this form in hand.

SCHEDULE: Readings below should be completed by the date of the class meeting under which they are listed. All numbers in the schedule are page numbers unless otherwise noted. The schedule for submission of reading analyses & the synopsis of an assigned week of the course will be worked out during the first week of class; both types of assignments will be distributed to and read by all students in the class.

ON-LINE READINGS: To access the on-line version of the reserve readings (available via the link next to each reading), you will need to set up a library account; if you do not already have one, follow these directions on the library's web site. To download student papers, simply click on the appropriate link for a given week; if you downlaod a PDF file and it does not open, download & install Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Unit 1: Global Crises, Sustainability & Food

Comparative Interlude #1: The Ancient Middle East & European "Christendom"

Unit 2: Land, Food Production & Self-Cultivation

Comparative Interlude # 2: Ancient India & the Hindu Religious Complex

Unit 3: The Aesthetics & Spirituality of Food

Comparative Interlude #3: Ancient Mesopotamia, China & Other Cultures

Concluding Reflections

Term Paper due Friday, December 19 (by noon @ MND 2011)

WARNING: Barring submission of a petition for an incomplete and in contrast to my late policy during the semester, no term papers will be accepted after the deadline.

Also, if you wish to retrieve your final paper, please attach to your paper a self-addressed stamped envelope (4" x 9" is usually OK if unless your paper is unusally thick) with sufficient postage for 3 ounces (currently $0.76 or two first-class stamps). Papers submitted without an envelope will receive only minimal comments and eventually be recycled without shredding.

DISCLAIMER:  As you have surely learned by now from studying of ancient and modern cultures, the nature of life is change! In creating this syllabus I have tried to be as careful as possible to get all the details right. I do however reserve the right to make alterations in the syllabus, announced in class and/or by email with at least three day’s notice, in order to correct an error or make a change that would significantly further the objectives of the course

OTHER COURSES OF INTEREST: • "Introduction to Environmental Sociology" (SOC/ENV 138) • "Food Microbiology" (BIO 156) • "Principles of Environmental Engineering" (CE 170)

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