Philosophy of Food Spring 2020 Class Notes and Reading Schedule

1:

• Course Introduction

2:

Assigned Reading

• Sonnenbergs, C 1, "What is the Microbiota and Why Should I Care?" (26)
• Sonnenbergs, C 5, "Trillions of Mouths to Feed" (111-136) (25)

• Recommended: View one of these gut movies:

• Medical Revolution The Gut Microbiome
• The Gut: Our Second Brain -- Please do try to watch this one. It has some remarkable graphics and the science reporting is very good as well.

3:

Assigned Reading

• Sonnenbergs, C 7, "Eat Sh*t and Live" (163-185) 22

4:

Assigned Reading

• Nestle, Marion. Chapter 2, Politics Versus Science -- opposing the food pyramind, 1991-1992 (pp. 51-66).
• US Dietary Guidelines (150) (browse with worksheet questions in mind).
• The Lancet, Carcinogenicity of consumption of red and processed meat
• American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
• Note: The remainder of this unit consists of three chapters on nutrition, which we will time to the end of the next three units.

5:

Assigned Reading

• Taxonomy of Successes and Failures of the US Industrial Food System
• Student Writing: Food biographies
• Moss, Michael. Chapter 4, "Is it Cereal or Candy," Salt Sugar Fat. (pp. 68-93)

6:

Assigned Reading

• Pollan, Michael. Part 1: From Food to Nutrients (pp. 19-27)
• Pollan, Michael. Part 2: The Western Diet (pp. 101-136)

7:

Assigned Reading

• Moss, Michael. Chapter 8, "Liquid Gold," (pp. 161-181)

8:

Assigned Reading

• Kessler, The End of Overeating, Chs 1-9 pp. 3-45

10:

Assigned Reading

• Nix, Stacy. Chapter 2: "Carbohydrates" Williams' Basic Nutrition and Diet Therapy (pp. 13-30).

11:

Assigned Reading

• Rachel Lauden, Cuisine and Empire Introduction and Chapter 1, "Mastering Grain Cookery, 20,000 to 300 bce", p. 1-55 (54)
• Amanda Little, The Fate of Food, Ch. 1 "A Taste of Things to Come" (11-29) (18)

12:

Assigned Reading

• no assigned readings due to heavy load from previous class

13:

Assigned Reading

• Montgomery, David. Chapter 1: "Good Old Dirt" Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations(pp. 1-9); (9)
• Montgomery, David. Chapter 2: "Skin of the Earth" Dirt(pp. 9-25); (16)

14:

Assigned Reading

• Diamond, Jarred. "Agriculture's Mixed Blessings" (180-191) (11)
• Montgomery, David. Chapter 3: "Rivers of Life" (pp. 27-47) (20)
• Montgomery, David. Chapter 4: "Graveyards of Civilizations" (pp. 49-81) (32)

15:

Assigned Reading

• Montgomery, David. Chapter 10: "Life Span of Civilizations" (pp. 233-246) (13)
• Pinker, "Sustenance" (68-78) (10)
• Montgomery, "Green Manure" (90-114) (24)

16:

Assigned Reading

• Nix, Stacy. Chapter 3: Fats Williams' Basic Nutrition and Diet Therapy (pp. 31-46)

17:

Assigned Reading

• Lawless, Kristin. Formerly Known as Food, Chapter 8, "Food Choice" (197-217)
• Winders and Ransom, "Introduction to the Global Meat Industry" 1-23 (22)
• NYer article, "Back to the Jungle" (first part)

18:

Assigned Reading

Lecture on standard arguments for ethical diets

19:

Assigned Reading

• Nix, Stacy. Chapter 4: "Proteins" Williams' Basic Nutrition and Diet Therapy (pp. 47-63).

21:

Assigned Reading

• Barber, Dan. Introduction The Third Plate: Field Notes on the Future of Food, (1-22).

22:

Assigned Reading

• Barber, Dan. Chapter 12: "Land" (pp. 158-173)

25:

Assigned Reading

• Gordon Shepherd, Neurogastronomy Chapters 2, 7, 11, 18, 19, 21, 27 (67)

26:

Assigned Reading

• Kessler, Chapters 27-32, p.(137-165) (28)

27:

Assigned Reading

• Burkhard Bilger, "Can Babies Learn to Love Vegetables?," New Yorker, Nov 25, 2019 (12)
• Tarragon & Moreno, "Role of Endocannabinooids on Sweet Taste Perception, Food Preference, and Obesity-related Disorders" Chemical Senses v. 43, 3-16, 2018. (13)
• Rolls, Barbara, "The Role of Energy Density in the Overconsumption of Fat," American Society for Nutritional Sciences, 2000, 246-253. (7)

28:

• Last Class: Assessing major course hypotheses.3