Food, Culture and Globalization: (2 credit)

NYU London: Fall 2018

Instructor Information ● Dr Rodney J Reynolds ● Reynolds (+44 (0)7941573609 – WhatsApp or text) ● Instructor office hours (TBD & By appointment) ● Office location (NYUL Campus, 4 – 6 Bedford Square) ● Reynolds ([email protected])

Course Information ● Mondays (9am – 10.15am) and 3 Fridays (21 & 28 September, 7 December) ● NYU London Campus and Academic Center, 4 - 6 Bedford Square London

Course Overview and Goals Food, Culture and Globalization, as a course in new sensory urbanism, seeks to expand the traditional scope and range of the studied senses from sight (e.g. art, architecture) and sound (music), to smell, taste and touch, so as to rethink what it means to be a modern urban subject engaged in the pleasures and powers of consumption. Historically, the natural sciences and the arts have engaged more fully with aural and visual senses, while tending to ignore more ostensibly subjective experiences of taste, smell and touch; yet the latter are experientially rich and evocative.

This course engages with the gap and the connection between everyday sensory experience and expert knowledge. Through lectures, readings and field trips, students will master established facts and concepts about contemporary urban food cultures and produce new knowledge of the same. This two credit course will meet weekly (except for the last week of October and the first week of November) for a total of 20 hours across the semester between 3 September 2018 and 7 December 2018. Teaching will include a mix of classroom instruction and co-curricular tasks and trips in the Bloomsbury neighborhood of London, which surrounds the NYU London campus.

In this course, we will explore current transformations in the food systems and cultures of London under conditions of globalization. Specifically, through lectures and assignments, we will ask how produce, people and animals have interacted to make life possible in

Page 1 modern London and in cities more broadly. We question how those interactions have changed over time. We also consider the built environment and the kinds of systems that have been built to provide energy, potable water, provide clean air and process waste.

Course goals: 1. Identify key aspects of the food systems and cultures of London, UK. 2. Describe distinctive aspects of urban life, culture, and media in London. 3. Apply theoretical concepts of systems thinking, cultural analysis, urban studies, sociology, anthropology and food studies to the examination of London. 4. Analyze concepts of public space and private places in the British contexts and the role edibles play in those contexts (such as cafes, street corners, restaurants, vending carts, neighborhoods, etc.). 5. Analyze demographic and market data about produce, people, and identity. 6. Describe and apply conceptions of class, race, ethnicity and gender to questions of commensality and hierarchy. 7. Support the development of research and problem solving skills through course assignments and assessment.

Upon Completion of this Course, students will be able to: ● Describe distinctive aspects of London’s urban life and culture through key aspects of the city’s built environment, food systems and foodways ● Identify and apply key intersectional concepts to London’s food systems and foodways in historical, contemporary and future contexts ● Demonstrate research and problem solving skills through completion of course assignments and assessment

Course Requirements

Grading of Assignments The grade for this course will be determined according to these assessment components: Assignments/ % of Final Description of Assignment Due Activities Grade Throughout expect you to contribute to the class the course. Class participation/ through your comments, ideas and 15% One point Attendance attendance. per session equivalent In pairs, conduct oral history interviews Oral History with London senior citizens to learn about Oral History 28 their experiences with and recollections of 15% September the city food system. You will be given key

topics that you are expected to explore in Partners’ Oral History your interview by developing your own Oral History Oral History questions. Interviews will last about 45 Write-up Write-up minutes. 15% December 7,

2018 Each partnership will summarize the

interview and raise points that they

Page 2 Assignments/ % of Final Description of Assignment Due Activities Grade understand as salient in a 2000 word paper due on the last day of class.

With your partner, write a short (1000 words) sensory description of a food outlet in Bloomsbury from the viewpoint of food practices making links across geographies, history and events. What connections do the observations that you have made have to the food being served?

Due Following the approach utilized by Dan Menu task Analyze Menus November Jurafsky in “How to Read a Menu” found in 15% 19, 2018 his book The Language of Food: A Linguist Reads the Menu, which will be given to you in class, with your partner, you are to collect and interpret two contrasting menus found at locales in Bloomsbury for a) status b) language use c) prices d) national identifications e) sensory identifiers in a 1000 word paper.

The final assessment is a group project. There will be 5 groups of 2 people (this could change based on enrollment). Each group will have 25 total minutes for their presentation. The presentation activities will consist of a video up to 5 minutes in length; ten minutes to present a key finding from the oral history, food biography or menu analysis; ten minutes

to respond to questions. For the group

presentation, each group member will Group Final Assessment receive the same grade. Presentation December 7, (30%) Group Project The group task will be to produce a video 2018

Presentation that analyzes and addresses the problem: Individual “what will it mean to be an urban subject in Reflection London 50 years in the future taking into 10% account foodways, food systems and the built environment?”

Each individual group member should then write a 500 word reflection of her or his learning about the issues raised by the group task.

All of the work that you have done over the course should be compiled into a single

Page 3 Assignments/ % of Final Description of Assignment Due Activities Grade electronic folio. It will include your written work as well as your reflections

Failure to submit or fulfill any required course component results in failure of the class

Grades Letter grades for the entire course will be assigned as follows: Letter Percent Description Grade A Example: 93.5% and higher [Enter expectations for A]

B Example: 82.5% - 87.49% [Enter expectations for B]

C Example: 72.5% - 77.49% [Enter expectations for C]

D Example: 62.5% - 67.49 [Enter expectations for an D]

F Example: 59.99% and lower [Enter description of failing work]

Course Materials

Required Textbooks & Materials ● Links to electronic versions of learning materials will be provided where possible. Hard copies of readings or other materials will be provided to you in advance of lectures as appropriate.

Optional Textbooks & Materials ● Bibliographies and links to optional learning materials will be provided as part of the description of each week’s lecture. Some general sources that are relevant to the course are: ● Caplan, Pat (2005). “Approaches to the study of food, health and identity”. In: P. Caplan, ed., (2005), Food, Health and Identity. London: Routledge, Pp. 1 – 31. ● Ingleby, Matthew (2017). Bloomsbury: Beyond the Establishment. London: The British Library. ● Pilcher, Jeffrey (ed)(2012). The Oxford Handbook of Food History. Oxford University Press ● Steel, Carolyn (2006). Hungry City: How Food Shapes our Lives. London: Vintage Books.

Page 4 ● Spence, Charles (2017). Gastrophysics: The New Science of Eating. New York: Viking. ● Sutton, David E. (2010). Food and the Senses, Annual Review of Anthropology, vol. 39:209-223. ● Gastropod Podcast available through any podcast aggregator ● London.eater.com

Resources ● Access your course materials: NYU Classes (nyu.edu/its/classes) ● Databases, journal articles, and more: Bobst Library (library.nyu.edu) ● NYUL Library Collection: Senate House Library (catalogue.libraries.london.ac.uk) ● Assistance with strengthening your writing: NYU Writing Center (nyu.mywconline.com) ● Obtain 24/7 technology assistance: IT Help Desk (nyu.edu/it/servicedesk)

Course Schedule

Session Learning Assignment Topic Lecturer Date Resources Due

Introduction and Overview No specific reading though Session 1: Description: Reynolds any of the 3 September Overview and introduction optional (Monday) N/A to the course, to one learning 9am – another, to the instructor resources 10:15am and to the learning would be materials and activities. relevant

Making a City: The Reynolds Chapter 2 of Powers and Pleasures Steel is of Consumption required. The other materials Description: are optional Analyzing London as a marketplace we pick up Steel, Carolyn Session 2: the theme of globalization (2006). Hungry 10 September and the circulation of food City: How (Monday) N/A commodities and the Food Shapes 9am – impact this change in our Lives. 10:15am world commerce enabled London: for the senses, the growth Vintage Books. of urban environments, Chapter 2 social relationships and “Supplying the geographies of food City” and production and Chapter 3 consumption. “Market and Supermarket”

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Session Learning Assignment Topic Lecturer Date Resources Due

Learning Objectives: 1. To analyze cities Mintz, S as global markets (1985). 2. To describe the Sweetness impact that and Power. London had on the Penguin food systems that emerged in the UK and in other parts of the world

Guided tour to local Dr Marina Both Chapters community food Chang of Ingleby are initiatives required

Description: Ingleby, Dr Chang will lead a Matthew walking tour of (2017). Bloomsbury to identify Bloomsbury: Session 3: local community food Beyond the 21 September initiatives (e.g. community Establishment. (Friday) kitchens, outdoor London: The TBD markets, community British Library Meet in front of gardens, food co-ops, and Chapter 1 the Marchmont community energy and “Budding” pg Street food waste, etc.) 15 – 39 and N/A Community Chapter 3 Center: Learning Objectives: “Connecting” 62 Marchmont 1. To identify the pg 73 – 99 Street, Kings relationships Cross, between food and Optional London, culture in Podcast of WC1N1AB Bloomsbury from a Bloomsbury geographic and Guided Walk: spatial perspective http://www.lon 2. To reprise local dongardenstru histories of food st.org/guides/s and urban ummary.php?t development our=Bloomsbu ry

Session 4: This 28 September Oral History Interviews Reynolds assignment will (Friday) with London Senior have been Group Written 1:30pm – Citizens discussed in Assignment 4:00pm depth in due 7 Marchmont Description: Session 1. December Street With your partner, you will Learning Community conduct an interview of a materials will Center London senior citizen have been

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Session Learning Assignment Topic Lecturer Date Resources Due

62 Marchmont using the template distributed and Street, Kings provided the task Cross, addressed in London, Learning Objectives: previous WC1N1AB 1. To collect sessions. recollections of London’s food Portelli, systems as Alessandro described by (2005) A senior citizens Dialogical 2. To describe how Relationship. London’s (The An Approach UK’s) food to Oral History systems have changed over time

Reynolds Camp, Charles (1982) Foodways in

Everyday Life What are Foodways?

Rahn, Millie Description: (2006) Laying Taking Rahn’s a Place at the observation that ‘we eat Table: what we are’ we will Creating Public describe and analyze food Foodways and growing practices in Models from Session 5: relation to geography and Scratch October 1 everyday human sensory

(Monday) identifications N/A Spence, 9am – Charles 10:15am Learning Objectives: (2017). 1. To identify and Gastrophysics: analyze foodways The New in relation to Science of insectional and Eating. New geographic York: Viking. identities

2. To consider how London.eater.c foodways change om – the over time Shaun Beagely problem and controversy

Session 6: Robert Biel’s October 8 Food systems and Dr Marina Sustainable N/A (Monday) Urban systems Chang Food Systems:

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Session Learning Assignment Topic Lecturer Date Resources Due

9am – The Role of 10:15am Description: the City, UCL This lecture presents Press contemporary ideas about (http://www.ucl cities through the lens of .ac.uk/ucl- food and sets up a later press/browse- lecture about food, policy books/sustaina and activism ble-food- systems-the- Learning Objectives: role-of-the- 1. To describe the city); Chapter 1 broad ways in and 2 are which food required systems and reading. urban systems intersect and Yvonne Rydin introduce Shaping cities transformative for health: agroecological complexity and urbanism the planning of 2. The identify some urban of the ways that environments urban food in the 21st systems positively century and negatively (https://www.th impact health and elancet.com/jo sustainable cities urnals/lancet/a 3. To analyze rticle/PIIS0140 sustainable food 6736(12)60435 systems – -8/abstract) ecologically and socially – by RUAF Urbab thinking through Agroecology the production, (https://www.ru processing, af.org/ua- distribution, magazine-no- consumption and 33-urban- management of agroecology) food waste

Food and Representations Reynolds The Cockburn is required. Session 7: Description: The videos will October 15 We will explore how food be shown in

(Monday) in London is class and N/A 9am – communicated via word, discussed 10:15am image, sound and ask briefly. what that means for the other senses Cockburn, Alexander

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Session Learning Assignment Topic Lecturer Date Resources Due

Learning Objectives: (1977) Gastro- 1. To trace a history porn. NY of food Review of representations Books. through various December 8, media 1977. 2. To explore the role (http://www.ny of mediated books.com/arti experiences in our cles/1977/12/0 understanding of 8/gastro-porn/) food and cities Cooking with your Mouth (https://youtu.b e/xDmp35LLV Og)

The Chicken Connoisseur – The Pengest Munch Episode 16 – Stamford Hill – (https://youtu.b e/SOL- fJM2m1I)

Cookbooks, blogs, videos TBD

Senses Reynolds

Description:

Run as a workshop in the Sarah classroom, this lecture will Pink/David explore sensory theory Howes debate through sensuous

Session 8: engagement with objects, Spence, October 22 sounds, tastes and Charles (Monday) feelings N/A (2017). 9am – Gastrophysics: 10:15am Learning Objectives: The New 1. To explore Science of sensory Eating. New approaches to York: Viking food and place

through practice 2. To consider historical and contemporary

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Session Learning Assignment Topic Lecturer Date Resources Due

characteristics of sensory engagement with food 3. To question the limitations of sensory approaches to food and place The Reynolds Unorthodox Podcast – Michael Twitty interview - and the Nicola Frost article are required

Appadurai (1981) Ethnicities Gastropolitics

Description: Helena We explore how ethnicity Margaret functions to create a Tuomainen London cuisine especially (2009) Ethnic in the context of global Identity, (Post) migration Colonialism Session 9: and Foodways, November 12 Learning Objectives: Food, Culture (Monday) N/A 1. To problematize & Society, 9am – ethnicity and apply 12:4, 525-554 10:15am it to food and place https://www.ta 2. To consider how bletmag.com/je food stuffs from wish-life-and- one part of the religion/26485 world become 4/unorthodox- integral to another episode-140- 3. To explore food molly-yeh- and migration michael-twitty- simon-doonan

Ali, Monica (2003) Brick Lane

London people and their food: Museum of London

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Session Learning Assignment Topic Lecturer Date Resources Due

exhibition catalogue

Frost, Nicola (2011) Green Curry:Politics and place- making on Brick Lane. Food Culture and Society 14 (2)

The London Plan The London Dr Marina Plan Description: Chang Document As a continuation of session 6 which In class introduced Food Systems, activity: this session considers Review a food in the context of variety of policy and asks how cities planning and plan for the future policy documents Learning Objectives: such as Towards a 1. To describe Community- community Led London participation in Plan by Just Space (2017); Group Session 10: strategic and local The London Menu November 19 urban planning in Plan: The Analysis (Monday) London through Spatial (2000 words 9am – the lens of food Development total) 10:15am 2. To discuss, food insecurity and Strategy for justice through Greater participatory and London by community-based Mayor of research using the London (2017); case of Just Just Space’s Space, a responses to grassroots The London London-wide Plan network, (https://justspace.o London Food rg.uk/about/) Strategy 3. To analyze (https://www.lo ecological and ndon.gov.uk/sit es/default/files/ social london_food_s sustainability from trategy_2018_

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Session Learning Assignment Topic Lecturer Date Resources Due

an urban systems 15.pdf) and perspective – various housing, transport, responses to its consultation environment, local

economy, public health, energy, waste, green infrastructures, and inclusive communities and cultures

The podcast is Reynolds required. Other

materials will A creative Future: be distributed Markets, Supermarkets in class and Cooking

“Eataly and the Description: Future of Food This final lecture explores Shopping” on how we get, have gotten Gastropod and will get our food in the Podcast future and asks what is at episode stake for our foodways October and foodsystems. We 10/2017 also provide a closing

resume of the course https://www.th

eatlantic.com/s Session 11: Learning Objectives: cience/archive/ November 26 1. To describe and 2017/10/eataly (Monday) analyze markets N/A -future-of- 9am – as city supermarkets/ 10:15am technologies for 543678/ food consumption

2. To consider food David Sutton packaging as a (2009). The means for aiding Mindful consumption Kitchen, The 3. To ask how food Embodied systems and Cook: Tools, foodways might Technology change in the and future Knowledge 4. To provide an Transmission overview of the on a Greek course Island

South London Box Chicken:

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Session Learning Assignment Topic Lecturer Date Resources Due

Providing some healthy Alternatives to Fast Food outlets: Shift Research

Trubek et al (2017) “Empowered to Cook: The Crucial Role of Food agency in Making Meals”

Pollan, M (2013) Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation . Penguin:New York

Weir, Andy (2017) Artemis. Crown: New York Group Reynolds Presentation Session 12

Final Individual Assessment: Reflection on December 7 Exhibition of portfolios – Group activity (Friday) group presentations (500 words) 1:30pm –

4:30pm Oral History Room 105 write-up

(2000 words)

Co-Curricular Activities • [Required trips: details, dates, special instructions] • [Suggested trips] • [Estimated travel costs]

Page 13 Classroom Etiquette

• We expect to establish a safe, creative learning environment and any behavior or activities that run counter to that objective are prohibited. In the classroom or during co-curricular activities this could include not being punctual for classes or appointments, use of phones in learning environments unless specifically directed or not following learning instructions. You are expected to be prepared for lectures and discussions and to be ready to conduct yourself in such a way as to respect the rights and opinions of others, even when you disagree with them.

NYUL Academic Policies

Attendance and Tardiness • Key information on NYU London’s absence policy, how to report absences, and what kinds of absences can be excused can be found on our website (http://www.nyu.edu/london/academics/attendance-policy.html)

Assignments, Plagiarism, and Late Work • You can find details on these topics and more on this section of our NYUL website (https://www.nyu.edu/london/academics/academic-policies.html) and on the Policies and Procedures section of the NYU website for students studying away at global sites (https://www.nyu.edu/academics/studying-abroad/upperclassmen- semester-academic-year-study-away/academic-resources/policies-and- procedures.html).

Classroom Conduct Academic communities exist to facilitate the process of acquiring and exchanging knowledge and understanding, to enhance the personal and intellectual development of its members, and to advance the interests of society. Essential to this mission is that all members of the University Community are safe and free to engage in a civil process of teaching and learning through their experiences both inside and outside the classroom. Accordingly, no student should engage in any form of behavior that interferes with the academic or educational process, compromises the personal safety or well-being of another, or disrupts the administration of University programs or services. Please refer to the NYU Disruptive Student Behavior Policy for examples of disruptive behavior and guidelines for response and enforcement.

Disability Disclosure Statement Academic accommodations are available for students with disabilities. Please contact the Moses Center for Students with Disabilities (212-998-4980 or [email protected]) for further information. Students who are requesting academic accommodations are advised to reach out to the Moses Center as early as possible in the semester for assistance.

Page 14 Instructor Bio Dr Rodney J Reynolds is a Teaching Fellow in Global Health and Anthropology at the University College London’s Institute for Global Health (IGH) and a Lecturer at NYU London for the course Food, Culture and Globalization. His research and teaching are interdisciplinary. Current research on overweight and obesity emerges from a year of fieldwork in Mexico City, Mexico as a 2015-2016 Newton Fellow. He lectures in Global Health, Health Promotion and Social/Cultural Anthropology. He teaches undergraduate and masters level students and guides medical students’ research on global health topics. Past academic and applied research include understanding barriers to cultural competency training for European physicians, migration and homelessness and how technology-led collaborative frameworks between universities and industry might encourage solutions to pressing global problems. He is a co-author of the Lancet Special Issue on Culture and Health and has recently published on miraculous healing practices in Panama’s Portobello region through the intervention of the Black Christ. Other writing about aging in Peru, eating practices in Mexico in their relation to overweight and obesity and family’s foodways in Mexico City will shortly come into press.

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