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ANTH 479 B Au 21: Advanced Topics In Medical Anthropology
Metabolizing the World: Cooking as Transformation and Agency
Instructor: Ann Anagnost
Mondays, 3:30-6:20 pm, LOW 116
Office Hours: After class and by appt.
Course Overview:
This course is organized along the lines of a "book club" in which we will be doing close readings of three book-length studies that explore how the act of "cooking" transforms us as eaters and the world around us. Students will have a role to shape discussion sessions in response to the instructor's prompt to help guide their preparation for class.
Reading List
Michael Pollan, Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation. Penguin Books, 2014. (Available as an Ebook through the Seattle Public Library).
Michael Twitty, The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South. Amistad, 2017. (Available as an Ebook and as an Audiobook through the Seattle Public Library).
Annemarie Mol, Eating in Theory. DukeUniversity Press, 2021. (Available as an Ebook through the UW Library)
All three books are available as ebooks through the UW Library Portal or the Seattle Public Library, but with the exception of Eating in Theory, there is a limit on how many students can view the books at any one time. It might be more convenient to purchase them to ensure access. Fortunately both Cooked and The Cooking Gene are not expensive. Eating in Theory has no limits on how many readers can access through the UW Library.
Viewing Assignments:
The three books have been matched up with two documentary film series on Netflix that are an integral part of this course. We will discuss how to view them based on how easy it will be for students to access the resources without cost. If everyone has a Netflix subscription, viewing can take place at home. Otherwise we will view them in class according to the educational use conditions required by Netflix.
Cooked (four-part series based on Pollan's book)
High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America (four-part series)
Discussion Posts:
This class is will be conducted in a discussion format rather than a lecture format. In order for this course to work well, it is important to stay current with the readings and to be prepared to participate in class. Discussion will take place during class time and also through activity with the discussion boards on Canvas.
The participation grade is based on activity in these online discussions unless there are compelling reasons that prevent you from doing so. In these cases, I will work with students to figure out an alternative form of participation.
The graded assignments for this class is a graded discussion post (3-4 paragraphs, 8 points each) for each set of readings and a one-paragraph ungraded response (2 points each) to another student's post. They are due midnight Sunday. This will give me time to sort through the posts on Monday morning as a preparation to lead the discussion in class.
Grading Overview:
Discussion Posts (9 posts, 8 points each): 72 points
Discussion Responses (9 responses, 2 points each): 18 points
Class Participation: 10 points
Total: 100 points
Please Note: Final grades will not be calculated using the Canvas Grade Sheet. The total points will be added up, multiplied by 4, and divided by 100 to get the 4.0 equivalent.
Discussion Prompts:
The content of the discussion posts can take different forms. Here are a few suggestions to prompt your approach:
- Identify a critical term or a particular theoretical framing that the author is using. Does it help you view something in a new and mind-altering way?
- Identify an "aha!" moment that particularly struck you in what you are learning from the reading.
- Make a connection between the reading assignments and the films assigned for this course. How does the visual material complement or complicate your understanding of the written material.
- Identify a passage that you are wanting to understand more clearly. What is not clear to you and what might help you to comprehend what the author is saying.
Please note that to receive full credit for your post, you need to identify a passage in the reading by page number to respond to the prompt. Merely responding to the video viewing material will not be sufficient although it will help.
ANTH 489 Service Learning Opportunity:
If you are interested in getting out of the classroom and getting your hands dirty you are welcome to sign up for 2 additional credit hours of service learning in Anth 489: Anthropology Practicum. I am a gardener at the Picardo Farm Community Garden (located on 25th Ave NE about two miles north of campus near to Dahl Playing Field and on the 372 bus route) and I have arranged with Alexandria Soleil, our volunteer coordinator, to set up opportunities for student volunteering. Most of the activities for fall will be harvesting, gleaning, making compost, and preparing the gardens for winter. You can help with the Giving Garden (growing food for local food banks), tending the common areas of the garden (including the communal orchard) and herb garden, aiding elderly gardeners who may need a little help . There is also a children's garden where volunteer hours are always needed.
If the Picardo location is not convenient, you can also volunteer at the UW Student Farm (volunteer information).
Practicing the COVID guidelines is obligatory (social distancing, masking, hand washing, remaining out of doors, sitting out if you have been exposed to someone with COVID or are feeling symptoms).
Students would need to commit to 20 hours of volunteer work for 2 credits and turn in a short essay (3-5 pages) documenting their learning at the end of the quarter. I will be posting updates to the student volunteers about work parties at Picardo. I live close by and can also help direct student volunteers according to a schedule that works for everyone. So if you are not available during the work parties, I may be able to fill the gap.