Course Description
The social, political, and environmental history of food
production and consumption in America since the colonial era.
Topics include the "beef trust," class/gender/race in rural
landscapes, hunters and poachers, the "chicken of tomorrow,"
convenience and fast foods, the Green Revolution, and genetically
modified foods.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
Students are required to write a 20- to 30-page scholarly essay
based on research and interpretation of primary documents and
secondary literature. Students will select a topic that will
allow them to make an original contribution to the field of
agricultural history, environmental history, or food history. To
facilitate feedback between student and professor, the student
will complete a research prospectus, an annotated bibliography, a
preliminary outline, and a rough draft before submitting a final
draft. Students will not be expected to take examinations, but
will be expected to attend lectures, participate in discussions,
and complete all other writing assignments as regular members of
the course.
Athena Title
Food and Power in American His
Prerequisite
HIST 2111 or HIST 2111E or HIST 2111H or HIST 2112 or HIST 2112E or HIST 2112H
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student Learning Outcomes
- By the end of this course, students will be able to arrive at conclusions about food and power in U.S. history by gathering and weighing evidence, logical argument, and listening to counter argument.
- By the end of this course, students will be able to write stylistically appropriate papers and essays. Students will be able to analyze ideas and evidence, organize their thoughts, and revise and edit their finished essays.
- By the end of this course, students will be able to identify how the history of food and power in America History has shaped diverse social and cultural attitudes toward environment, nutrition, ethics, and pleasure, encouraging them to understand diverse worldviews and experiences.
- By the end of this course, students will be able to apply appropriate methodological approaches to their analysis of primary sources and to organize their evidence to show historical continuities and discontinuities.
- By the end of this course, students will be able to generate their own research question or topic, locate suitable primary and secondary sources, and synthesize their ideas in novel ways.
- By the end of this course, students will be able to initiate, manage, complete, and evaluate their independent research projects in stages and to give and receive constructive feedback through the peer review process.
Topical Outline
- Part I: The Fruits of Nature
1. Food and History
2. Consuming Food, Consuming Colonies
3. Cultivating the American Garden
4. California Land of Sunshine, Land of Empire
5. Hunting Subsistence or Sport?
6. Conservation and "Crimes against Nature"
- Part II: Feeding the City
1. Market Gardening, or Why New Jersey Is Called the "Garden State"
2. Food and Identity in Industrial America
3. Beef - Why Is It for Dinner?
4. Industrial Steers and the Modern Beef Empire
5. Writing 101
6. "Woman Slaps Butcher with Beefsteak"
7. "Putting the Babies above the Bordens"
8. How Frozen Orange Juice Became America's Breakfast Drink
9. Convenience Foods and "Modern-Day Living"
- Part III: Industrial Landscapes at Home and Abroad
1. "Every Farm a Factory"
2. The "Chicken of Tomorrow"
3. Class in the Countryside
4. The Politics of Industrial Health
5. The Green Revolution: Exporting the Industrial Ideal
6. Food Power in the Global Economy
7. Biotechnology and the New Food Regime
8. Organic Foods and the Supermarket Pastoral
9. Wal-Mart vs. Whole Foods
Institutional Competencies
Analytical Thinking
The ability to reason, interpret, analyze, and solve problems from a wide array of authentic contexts.
Communication
The ability to effectively develop, express, and exchange ideas in written, oral, interpersonal, or visual form.
Critical Thinking
The ability to pursue and comprehensively evaluate information before accepting or establishing a conclusion, decision, or action.
