Philosophy of Food Reading Schedule

JAN 18

• First Day of Class:

• To do:

JAN 23

• Reading/Viewing: Overview of Course UnitsFood, Inc, Fed Up, or Cowspiracy; "Introduction: The Food Industry and 'Eat More,' from Food Politics, 2013. (1-27).

• Focus: These documentaries and Nestle's Introduction will quickly put a critique of the US Food System on the table.

JAN 25

• Reading: Montanari, Massimo. Food is Culture, (1-26). Pollan, Michael. Part 1: "In the Age of Nutritionism," In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto (pp. 19-81 (half).

• Focus: Montanari takes us quickly into the intersection of history, anthropology, and philosophy of food by situating food as primordial culture. Pollan gives us a quick introduction to "nutritionism" -- the idea that food just is nutrition, along with some analysis of the problems of nutrition science and nutrition policy. We'll read the rest of his analysis and recommendations in the first unit of the course.

JAN 30

• Reading: Pollan, Michael. Part 1: "In the Age of Nutritionism," In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto (pp. 19-81 (half). Gopnik, Adam, "Who Made the Restaurant?" from The Table Comes First, 2012, (1-57) (half). Montanari, "Fire, Cooking, Cuisine, Civilization" (29-33) from Food is Culture.

• Focus: Gastronomy is the study of food taste and satisfaction at the level of both plate and culture. We will look at some quintessential moments in the history of gastronomy, such as the birth of the restaurant, but also discuss contemporary gastronomic growth in coffee culture and beer culture.

FEB 1

• Reading: Gopnik, Adam, "Who Made the Restaurant?" from The Table Comes First, 2012, (1-57) (half). Singer, Peter, & Mason, Jim. Chapter 18: "What Should We Eat?" (pp. 270-285): Rodale. There are legions of ethical and social justice issues in food. This chapter gives you an overview of the sorts of ethical problems connected with the production and consumption of food.

• Focus: There are legions of ethical and social justice issues in food. This chapter gives you an overview of the sorts of ethical problems connected with the production and consumption of food.

FEB 6

• Reading: US Food System and Food PoliticsPollan, Michael. Part 2: The Western Diet (pp. 83-132); Nestle, Marion. Chapter 1: From "Eat More" to "Eat Less" 1900-1990 (pp. 31-50).

• Focus:

FEB 8

• Reading: Pollan, Michael. Part 3: Getting Over Nutritionism: In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto (pp. 139-170); Nestle, Marion. Chapter 2: Politics Versus Science -- opposing the food pyramind, 1991-1992 (pp. 51-66).

• Focus:

FEB 13

• Reading: Pollan, Michael. Part 3: Getting Over Nutritionism: In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto (pp. 170-201); Zepeda, Lydia. Carving Values with a Spoon Food and Philosophy (pp. 31-43).

• Focus:

FEB 15

• Reading: Food Culture and History. Montgomery, David. Chapter 2: "Skin of the Earth" Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations(pp. 9-25); Montgomery, David. Chapter 3: "Rivers of Life" (pp. 27-47)

• Focus:

FEB 20

• Reading Day -- Montgomery, David. Chapter 4: "Graveyards of Civilizations" (pp. 49-81)

FEB 22

• Reading: Montgomery, David. Chapter 8: "Dirty Business" (pp. 179-215); Montgomery, David. Chapter 10: "Life Span of Civilizations" (pp. 233-246):

• Focus:

FEB 27

• Reading: Tannahill, Reay. Chapter 3: "Changing the Face of the Earth" Food in History(pp. 19-41); Tannahill, Reay. Chapter 4: "The First Civilizations" (pp. 45-59).

• Focus:

MAR 1

• Reading: Soler, Jean. "The Semiotics of Food in the Bible"; Tannahill, Reay. Chapter 6: Imperial Rome (pp. 71-91).

• Focus:

MAR 6

• Reading: Wallach, Jennifer Jensen. Chapter 1. "The Cuisine of Contact" (pp. 1-31); Wallach, Jennifer Jensen. Chapter 6: "The Pious or Patriot Stomach" (pp. 143-150).

• Focus:

MAR 8

• Reading: Nutrition and History of Nutrition -- Gratzer, Walter. Chapter 1: "The Ravages of War Terrors of the Table" The Curious History of Nutrition (pp. 1-15).

• Focus:

MAR 13

• Reading: Nix, Stacy. Chapter 2: "Carbohydrates" Williams' Basic Nutrition and Diet Therapy (pp. 47-63).

Gratzer, Walter. Chapter 2: "The Scurvy Wars" (pp. 16-35).

• Focus:

MAR 15

• Reading: Moss, Michael. Chapter 2, "How do you get People to Crave?," Salt Sugar Fat. (pp. 24-44)

• Focus:

MAR 22

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

• Focus:

MAR 27

• Reading: Nix, Stacy. Chapter 3: Fats Williams' Basic Nutrition and Diet Therapy (pp. 31-46); Moss, Michael. Chapter 11, "No Sugar, No Fats, No Sales," (pp. 236-263)

• Focus:

MAR 29

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

Moss, Michael. Chapter 4, "Is it Cereal or Candy?" (pp. 68-94).

• Focus:

APR 3

• Reading: Nix, Stacy. Chapter 7: "Vitamins" Williams' Basic Nutrition and Diet Therapy (pp. 94-127): Elsevier.

Gratzer, Walter. Chapter 8: "Paradigm Postponed: the Tardy Arrival of Vitamins" (pp. 135-161). Oxford: Oxford UP.

• Focus:

APR 5

• Reading: Break (We'll leave this class blank for now to give us some flexibility.)

• Focus:

APR 10

• Reading: Barber, Dan. The 16.9 Carrot. In H. Hughes (Ed.), Best Food Writing 2014, (185-190); Barber, Dan. Introduction and Chapter 12 The Third Plate: Field Notes on the Future of Food, (1-21, 159-173).

• Focus:

APR 12

• Reading: Barber, Dan. Chapter 30: "Bread" (pp. 382-409)

• Focus:

APR 19

• Reading: Andrews, Geoff. Chapter 2: "The Critique of 'Fast Life'" The Slow Food Story (pp. 29-47).

• Focus:

APR 24

• Reading: Food EthicsEstabrook, Barry. "Hogonomics." (142-149).

Francione, Gary L. (2012). "Animal Welfare, Happy Meat, and Veganism as the Moral Baseline." In D. M. Kaplan (Ed.), The Philosophy of Food (pp. 169-189).

• Focus:

APR 26

• Reading: Haynes, Richard P. (2012). "The Myth of Happy Meat." (pp. 161-168); Singer, Peter, & Mason, Jim. (2006). Chapter 17: "The Ethics of Eating Meat" (pp. 241-270).

• Focus:

MAY 1

• Reading: Singer, Peter, & Mason, Jim. (2006). Chapter 2: "The Hidden Costs of Cheap Chicken," (pp. 21-37)

• Focus:

MAY3

• Reading: Singer, Peter, & Mason, Jim. (2006). Chapter 4: "Meat and Milk Factories," (pp. 42-69).

Singer, Peter, & Mason, Jim. (2006). Chapter 9: "Seafood," (pp. 111-135).

• Focus: