Material Detail

"What people do with food is an act that reveals how they construe the world." - Marcella Hazan, The Classic Italian Cookbook If you are what you eat, what are you? Food is at once the stuff of life and a potent symbol; it binds us to the earth, to our families, and to our cultures. In this class, we explore many of the fascinating issues that surround food as both material fact and personal and cultural symbol. We read essays by Toni Morrison, Michael Pollan, Wendell Berry, and others on such topics as family meals, eating as an "agricultural act" (Berry), slow food, and food's ability to awaken us to "our own powers of enjoyment" (M. F. K. Fisher). We will also read Pollan's most recent book, In Defense of Food, and discuss the issues it raises as well as its rhetorical strategies. Assigned essays will grow out of memories and the texts we read, and may include personal narrative as well as essays that depend on research. Revision of essays and workshop review of writing in progress are an important part of the class. Each student will make one oral presentation in this class.

This will delete the comment from the database. This operation is not reversible. Are you sure you want to do it?

Thank you for reporting a broken "Go to Material" link in MERLOT to help us maintain a collection of valuable learning materials.

Would you like to be notified when it's fixed?

Your email address

Do you know the correct URL for the link?

Suggested URL

Your broken link report has been sent to the MERLOT Team. Thank you for helping MERLOT maintain a current collection of valuable learning materials!

Your broken link report failed to be sent. Please try reloading the page and reporting it again. Thank you! Sorry for the trouble.

If you feel this material is inappropriate for the MERLOT Collection, please click SEND REPORT, and the MERLOT Team will investigate. Thank you!

Your inappropriate material report has been sent to the MERLOT Team. Thank you for helping MERLOT maintain a valuable collection of learning materials.

Your inappropriate material report failed to be sent. Please try reloading the page and reporting it again. Thank you! Sorry for the trouble.

Your inappropriate comment report has been sent to the MERLOT Team. Thank you for helping MERLOT maintain a valuable collection of learning materials.

You are being taken to the material on another site. This will open a new window.

Do not show me this again

You just viewed 21W.730-4 Writing on Contemporary.... Please take a moment to rate this material.