sp.353 - Syllabus

Home

FALL 2001

Tuesday Wednesday Thursday
Sept. 4 Sept. 5 Sept 6: Introduction
Sept. 11: Food & Culture
W: bread 		Sept. 12
W: bread 		Sept. 13: Food, Culture & Myth
Sept. 18: Food as Metaphor
W: stir-frying 		Sept. 19
W: stir-frying 		Sept. 20: Food Taboos
DUE: first draft and journal
Sept. 25: American Cuisine
W: writing workshop 		Sept. 26
W: writing workshop 		Sept. 27: Bio-piracy: Basmati Rice
Oct. 2: Communication
DUE: final draft
W: clocks		 Oct. 3
W: clocks 		Oct. 4: Communication
DUE: journal
Oct. 9: Holiday Oct. 10 Oct. 11: Introduction to Craft Technologies
Oct. 16: Harrison & Clocks
W: water clock		 Oct. 17
W: water clock 		Oct. 18: Harrison and clocks
DUE: first draft (optional)
Oct. 23: Maillart & Bridges
DUE: journal
W: bridges		 Oct. 24
W: bridges		 Oct. 25: Maillart & Bridges
Oct. 30: St. Pierre Dory
DUE: final draft		 Oct. 31 Nov. 1: Water Clock Competition
Smithing workshops to be scheduled for remainder of term.
Nov. 6: Bridge Competion
DUE: journal		 Nov. 7 Nov. 8: Open discussion
Nov. 13: Crafts in modern society Nov. 14 Nov. 15: Working iron and steel
Nov. 20: Samurai swords
DUE: journal		 Nov. 21 Nov. 22: Holiday
Nov. 27: Smithing in the U.S. Nov. 28 Nov. 29: Other crafts
Dec. 4: Debate
DUE: journal		 Dec. 5 Dec. 6: Debate
DUE: final draft
Dec. 11: Wrap-up Dec. 12: Last day of classes Dec. 13
FINALS WEEK


SP 353 TECHNOLOGIES AND CULTURE    Fall, 2001
Integrated Studies Program
Seminar: T 11 - 1 & Th 11 - 1 in 16-168
Workshop: T 3 - 5 or W 3 - 5 in 16-168

Debra Aczel
Peter Dourmashkin
Arthur Steinberg
Freddy Steinberg
Ruth Weinrib

FOOD AND CULTURE

Food is the most fundamental of humankind's needs - we cannot exist without it. You might think then that since it is so basic a need everyone would gather it, process it, and ingest it in a similar way. But in fact over the last 2 million years or so, as we have evolved from our australopithecine ancestors, we have developed the most extraordinary attitudes, habits and ways of dealing with food. Why?


Week of September 11:

Tuesday, Sept. 11 class: Food and Culture

Readings for Tuesday, Sept. 11:

1. Armelagos, George and Peter Farb. "Prologue." Consuming Passions.
    Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1980. (pp. 1 - 15)
    Reader pages: 9-17

2. Chang, K. C. Food in Chinese Culture. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1977. (pp. 3 - 19)
    Reader pages: 18-29

Journal writing for Tuesday, Sept. 11:
1. Write about your impressions of MIT. How are things going?
     Any surprises? Problems? Questions?

DUE: questionnaire
_______________________________________________________________________
Thursday, Sept. 13 class: Food, Culture & Myth

Readings for Thursday, Sept. 13:

1. Visser, Margaret. Much Depends on Dinner. New York: Macmillan
Publishing Co., Inc. 1986.

a. "Corn: Our Mother, Our Life" (pp. 22 - 55)
b. "Salt: The Edible Rock" (pp. 56-82)
c. "Chicken: From Jungle Fowl to Patties" (pp. 115-154)
d. "Rice: The Tyrant with a Soul" (pp. 155-191)
e. "Olive Oil: A Tree and its Fruits" (pp. 224-258)
f. "Ice Cream: Cold Comfort" (pp. 285-322)
Reader pages: 30-139

2. Chang, K.C. Food in Chinese Culture.
a. "Lord Millet Myth"
Reader pages: 140-142

Journal writing for Thursday, Sept. 13:
 1. Your journal entries from here on should reflect your thoughts about
life at MIT, ISP, other subjects, and so on. Refer to the handout on
journal writing, but if you have questions, talk to either Debra or Freddy. The important thing is that you use your journal for your own growth
and expression, and that you write in your journal on a regular basis.


Week of September 18

Tuesday, Sept. 18 class: Food as Metaphor

Readings for Tuesday, Sept. 18:

1. Armelagos, George and Peter Farb. "Meal as Metaphor." Consuming
Passions. (pp. 97 - 111)
Reader pages: 143-151

2. Allison, Anne. "Japanese Mothers and Obentos." In Counihan, Carole
and Penny Van Esterik (Eds.). Food and Culture. New York: Routledge,
1997. (pp. 296 - 310).
Reader pages: 152-168

3. Visser, Margaret. "What Shall We Have for Dinner" in Much Depends on
Dinner. (pp. 14 - 21)
Reader pages: 169-175

Journal writing for Tuesday, Sept. 18:

1. Same as before! Just write. . . .
_____________________________________________________________________________

Thursday, Sept. 20 class: Food Taboos

Readings for Thursday, Sept. 20:
1. Harris, Marvin. Good to Eat. Prospect Heights, Illinois: Waveland
press, Inc., 1998.

a. "The Abominable Pig" (pp. 67 - 87)
b. "Lactophiles and Lactophobes: Milk Lovers and Milk Haters"
(pp. 130 - 153)
Reader pages: 176-200

Journal writing for Thursday, Sept. 20:

1. Same as before! Just write. . . .

Writing that is due on Thursday, Sept. 20:
1. Rough draft, critique of rough draft, critique of the process you followed
to write the rough draft.

2. Journal.

Week of September 25

Tuesday, Sept. 25 class: The American Cuisine

Reading for Tuesday, Sept. 25:

1. Armelagos, George and Peter Farb. "The Wisdom of Cuisine." Consuming Passions. (pp. 190 - 208)
Reader pages: 201-211

2. Harris, Marvin. "Holy Beef, U.S.A." in Good to Eat. (pp. 109-129)
Reader pages: 212-223

Journal writing for Tuesday, Sept. 25
1. Keep on writing! ! ! !
_____________________________________________________________________

Thursday, Sept. 27 class:

Readings for Thursday, Sept. 27:
 1. Readings on the India-U.S. Fight on Basmati Rice.
Reader pages: 224-242

Journal writing for Thursday, Sept. 27:

1. Write write write. . . .
_______________________________________________________________________

Week of October 2

Tuesday, October 2 class: Communication Exercises

Journal writing for Tuesday, October 2:
1. Continue to write! ! !

Writing that is due Tuesday, October 2:

1. Last draft and critique of the last draft.
2. Rough draft and both critiques you wrote for the rough draft.

Thursday, October 4 class: Communication Exercises

Journal writing for Thursday, October 4:s
 1. Any last thoughts?

Due: Journal

Course Requirements

 

HOME

Comments?