Summer 2023  |  HIST 3417W Section 001: Food in History (87410)

Instructor(s)
Class Component:
Lecture
Credits:
3 Credits
Grading Basis:
Student Option
Instructor Consent:
No Special Consent Required
Instruction Mode:
Completely Online
Class Attributes:
UMNTC Liberal Education Requirement
Times and Locations:
Second Half of Term
 
07/03/2023 - 07/28/2023
Mon, Tue, Wed 09:30AM - 12:00PM
Off Campus
UMN REMOTE
Enrollment Status:
Closed (25 of 25 seats filled)
Also Offered:
Course Catalog Description:
Significance of food in society, from earliest times to present. Why we eat what we eat. How foods have been "globalized." Dietary effects of industrial modernity. Material culture, social beliefs. Examples from around world.
Class Description:
In this course, we will investigate the ways food has transformed human societies from ancient times to the modern era. By examining a variety of primary and secondary sources, we will delve into food production, distribution, and consumption practices. Our analysis will encompass the role of food in social, cultural, and political developments worldwide, with a particular emphasis on the Mediterranean and Atlantic regions. The course is primarily structured chronologically, with each week focusing on a specific theme, such as religion, trade, sociability, travel, identity, and gender. These themes provide a lens through which to contextualize historical developments around food and often overlap (for example, we will address sociability and identity throughout the course. By examining regional histories and considering broader global transformations, such as the Columbian Exchange, colonization, industrialization, and nationalism, we will explore the relationship between food and history. Additionally, we will discuss various food items and beverages within the context of specific themes and time periods, such as examining coffee and alcoholic drinks in relation to sociability during the early modern period.
Learning Objectives:
- Interactive learning: We are all here to learn from one another. Through sharing our reflections on course materials, we will engage in collective learning.
- Enhancing historical perspective: By studying primary and secondary sources, participating in historiographic debates, and producing original historical analyses, you will learn and practice the methods employed by historians.
- Improving academic writing: Through individual and group writing assignments, you will learn to analyze primary and secondary sources, develop compelling arguments, and revise your work.
Class Format:

This fully online course consists of synchronous class sessions via Zoom on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays from 9:30 am to 12:00 pm CDT and asynchronous class modules that will be available on Canvas from Thursdays at 9:30 am until Fridays at 11:59 pm CDT.

Textbooks:
https://bookstores.umn.edu/course-lookup/87410/1235
Instructor Supplied Information Last Updated:
28 March 2023

ClassInfo Links - Summer 2023 History Classes

To link directly to this ClassInfo page from your website or to save it as a bookmark, use:
http://classinfo.umn.edu/?subject=HIST&catalog_nbr=3417W&term=1235
To see a URL-only list for use in the Faculty Center URL fields, use:
http://classinfo.umn.edu/?subject=HIST&catalog_nbr=3417W&term=1235&url=1
To see this page output as XML, use:
http://classinfo.umn.edu/?subject=HIST&catalog_nbr=3417W&term=1235&xml=1
To see this page output as JSON, use:
http://classinfo.umn.edu/?subject=HIST&catalog_nbr=3417W&term=1235&json=1
To see this page output as CSV, use:
http://classinfo.umn.edu/?subject=HIST&catalog_nbr=3417W&term=1235&csv=1
Schedule Viewer
8 am
9 am
10 am
11 am
12 pm
1 pm
2 pm
3 pm
4 pm
5 pm
6 pm
7 pm
8 pm
9 pm
10 pm
s
m
t
w
t
f
s
?
Class Title