Food is no longer just a means of sustenance, but a topic of public debate and a vehicle for new understandings of the self, the nation, the environment and the planet. This interdisciplinary course places food production, distribution and consumption at the center of scrutiny, examining the world of food as a world of politics and power. Policymakers, economists, environmentalists, agribusinesses, scientists, consumers and social justice groups, all holding vastly different views, seek to influence the food system and related policies. As such, the way our food systems work and have worked offers important insights into the interplay of power, politics and identity.
Through the lens of food, this course will explore some of the major global challenges of our time, including food, self and identity; food and cultural heritage; food and migration; food and the nation; food, media and popular culture; the political economy of human-environment relations; food and the consumer society; food poverty and the politics of food waste; state policy and the healthy body politic; food and the 'moral economy'; and the future of food production and consumption. By drawing on multiple disciplines, this course offers a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of food as a key driver of social, cultural and political change.
This course is for 2nd year MIA, MPP and MDS students only.
Instructor
- Harry Bauer , Adjunct
