HSTY2686 - Food, Environment and Culture in Europe

Semester 1, 2011  |  Credit Points: 6

Coordinator: John Gagne
Phone: +61 2 9036 5248
Email: john.gagne@sydney.edu.au

Description

Does environment determine culture, or vice versa? This unit explores the connections between the natural world and human society in premodern Europe (ca 1200-1800), and investigates how food served as the crucial link between the two. From individual to international, we will trace the meanings that nourishment carried. Topics will include landscape and agriculture; embodiment, medicine and health; feasts and famines; colonization and 'globalization'; taste, delicacies and aesthetics; and the challenges and implications of early industrialization.

Assessments

1x1500wd short essay (30%), 1x2500wd research essay (50%), 2x250wd tutorial assignments (10%), tutorial participation (10%)

Classes

2x1-hr lectures/week, 1x1-hr tutorial/week

Prerequisites

12 Junior credit points of History, Ancient History, or Asian Studies

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