GE2239 - Food: Culture, Science and Society

This course aims to develop students’ critical understanding of food. Food is not just what we eat, it is also a culture entailing a feast of values and representations that mark a society’s identity as well as taboos that draw up boundaries. The globalization of food has also indicated a hierarchy of power within food industries. The course will strengthen students’ understanding of modern food production and safety issues. It will bring them on a food journey that raises their awareness of problematic food production, consumption and food-related health and environmental issues. Lectures will be accompanied by activities that allow students to have ‘fun’ with new discoveries about foodways and food habits. The activities will also bring them to reflect on their ways of consuming food and how to be a responsible food consumer.