BRD201: Food Studies - Globalisation of Food - Assessment Answer

Food Studies Assignment

Assignment Task

Task: 1 Annotated Bibliography

You will write an annotated bibliography relevant to the chosen research area/s of your essay question. An annotated bibliography gives an account of the research that has been done on a given topic. Like any bibliography, an annotated bibliography is an alphabetical list of research sources. In addition to bibliographic data, an annotated bibliography provides a concise summary of each source and some assessment of its value or relevance. This annotated bibliography will serve as the foundation for your essay. See also additional links provided on your LMS page. At the end of this unit guide you will find marking criteria.

Aligned with LO: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 Length: 1500 words maximum Due date: End of Week 8 Assessment criteria: Validity of sources and relevance to essay question

Task: 2 – Oral Presentation

You will give a 5-minute presentation on your chosen essay question. You will be allocated to a particular presentation day. If you are not able to attend on that day an alternative will need to be arranged in discussion with your Tutor (alternatives include an alternative presentation timeslot, or upload of your presentation to the LMS (the latter will apply only if a medical certificate is supplied)).

Task: 3 – Essay

You will be expected to write a carefully structured and coherently argued essay on any one of the essay questions underneath.

See instructions online and/or ask your tutor.

Aligned with LO: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 Length: 2000 words maximum, excluding headings and reference list. Due date: End of Week 13 Assessment criteria: Marks will be awarded for both the essay (structure and content) and for correct referencing within the essay. You can use either Chicago or APA as your reference style, as long as you are consistent in your chosen style. You will also be marked on the validity of your sources. Please refer to the marking guide in your unit guide.

ESSAY QUESTIONS:

1.How is food ‘fundamental, fun, frightening, and far-reaching?’ (Rozin 1999).

2. Why is the food industry often less than forthcoming in revealing its processes and practices?

3. Trying to understand the food system more clearly by taking a global view is essential, but this can obscure many other perspectives of food systems at different levels. For this reason it is often helpful to study food systems at the regional, national, community and even household level. Please explain.

4. What are the limits of the ‘You are what you eat’ axiom? In what ways might your food choices not reveal who you are?

5. Are genetically modified crops a natural progression in efficient agriculture or are we ‘playing God’ with nature? Can we afford not to embrace GM?

6. What is the role of technology and innovation in promoting food security?

7. Is food security really just about food?

8. How important are issues of sustainability in your food choices?

9. What is the role of food marketing on consumer behaviour?

10. What role does food play in people’s lives beyond nutrition?

11. What are some different ways in which individuals express their identities through food choices? (for example by being vegetarian or vegan)

12. Should the government play a role in personal food choices? If so, what should its responsibilities be toward its citizens?

Task: 4 – Tutorial Participation

There are weekly 1-hour tutorials starting in week 2. Assessment is based on preparation and engagement in tutorial discussions, group exercises and oral presentations.

In this unit the requirement for participation in tutorials is contributing to at least 8 of the 11 tutorials, where contribution includes:

• Evidence of completion of reading materials;
• Asking appropriate questions during the tutorials;
• Asking questions and responding to questions during the oral presentations;
• Raising, expanding on or explaining points;
• Participating in group exercises; and
• Uploading equivalent of the above (external students only).

Failure to contribute to at least 8 of the 11 tutorials without evidence of extenuating circumstances for your absence can mean failing the Tutorial Participation component of the unit. • There will be no tutorial in week 1; and attending the last lecture will count as 2

tutorial attendances. The last lecture is in the form of a panel discussion and you are encouraged to participate.

Anderson’s book published in 2014 seeks to explain how food and culture are related. In this book, the universality of food is discussed and how different cultures associate to their food is also explained. The role of food in the cultural setting seeks to explain how different cultures perceive their food and how these perceptions colour their food practices.In a cultural perceptive, Anderson’s book examines the relational aspect of food in terms of how food was used to bring people together in different cultures and the types of foods that were used during festivals and feasts in the past. He also delves into the cultural significance of feasts and the vital role that food plays in these feasts as a bonding tool or as a way of communing with the ancestral spirits. By offering this insight, the role that food across different cultures and how that role has changed as time progresses.

Belasco, W. (2012). Food and social movements.

In Belasco’s 2012 article, the role of food in the social movement is critically discussed. According to Belasco, food is at the core of any human’s existence and can be very vital in creating social movements. He further claims that any group of people has the liberty to make their own choices regarding the food choices they deem fit for them. If that group decides to change their preferences, due to a myriad of factors, this can be deemed as the begging of a social movement.

In this publication, the role of food in creating social change is recognised. This he describes as being the politics of food in terms of the ability to bring about change by changing food preferences. For instance, if a society decides that they will no longer consume beef due to religion reasons, they have used their food to create social change and this change could be carried on to the future generations. By offering such examples of social movements initiated by food choices, the author demonstrates the power that food can have within a community.

Caplan, P. (Ed.). (2013).Food, health and identity. Routledge. Milton Park.

In Caplans’s 2013, the role of food in health and identity is examined. In this book, identity is described as the social identity that a group of people is associated with. The importance of food in crafting this identity is critically examined over the passage of time. Caplan also looks at social identities in terms of family food practices as well as the development of the healthy eating phenomenon in the current society.

The book looks at the issue of family meals and the role that food played in these occasions. Further to this, the role of different foods in different occasions is also examined. For instance, the use of cakes on occasions and the role those cakes had on such occasions. In addition to this, Caplan seeks to explain the evolution of health food habits and how this evolution affected the role of food in this society. Further to this, he discusses the how food was and is used to form social identities of different communities in the traditional and modern societies

Counihan, C., & Van Esterik, P. (2012).Food and culture: A reader. Routledge.UK

Food and culture: A reader was Counihan and Van Esterik’s maiden book in the world of food studies. Published in 2012, the book delves into the complex world of food studies dating back to the Middle Ages. They look at the cultural links that food has to people and the significance that certain people give to some types of foods over other types of food.

This book draws information from previous food studies that have been published and offers in-depth information regarding the politics of food, the geography of food as well as the cultural relevance of food over past centuries and how that has changed as time advances. The social practice of food is critically examined in this book.

In examining the politics and geography of food, he discusses how different communities living in different geographical areas related to food. For instance, he discuses how people living in marine areas viewed fish and other marine foods as compared to people who lived in fertile agricultural lands.

Counihan, C. M. (2013).Food and gender. Routledge.UK

Food and gender was first published in 2013 and it is part of Counihan’s attempts at explaining food and its relevance to people over the ages. In this book, she seeks to explain the linkage that exists between food and gender and how that linkage has evolved over time. This book also examines the masculinity and femininity of foods in terms of what foods were deemed feminine and which ones were deemed as being masculine and the characteristics of those foods that led to that label.

In this book, the social role that food plays in society is elaborated. For instance, the role of the men and women in the consumption and distribution of food is discussed in terms of what genders were in change of looking for food and what genders were charged with cooking the food. In this book, she also studies the eating habits of the various groups and what food taboos existed and what genders they were biased for or against.

Cleave’s, P. (2015). Anthropology of food.The Routledge Handbook of Sustainable Food and Gastronomy, 1.

Published in 2015, Cleaves study on the anthropology of food seeks to explain the evolution of food and how eating habits have evolved till now. He looks at how food and social identities are related and how certain classes of people regard certain foods as status symbols and as symbols of economic prosperity while other foods are viewed as belonging to people of lower social classes.

In his book, the issue of food choices and how they form people’s social identities, and sense of individualism is well discussed. Further to this, he discusses how food choices have evolved over the centuries and how this has affected the role of food in the modern society. He also offers unique and fresh perspectives into the anthropology of food and the evolution of food roles over the last two centuries in different societies.

Klein, J. A., & Murcott, A. (Eds.). (2014). Food consumption in global perspective: essays in the anthropology of food in honour of Jack Goody. Springer.Newyork

In this collection of essays published on 2014, various authors venture their thoughts on the anthropology of food and the role of food in both the modern and traditional societies. In this collection of essays, the role of food in the social, economic, religious as well as the cultural aspects is examined and the changes that the role of food has undergone in the proceeding centuries.

This book offers the most comprehensive explanation on the role of food in the society. It offers differing perspectives on the role of food from a variety of writers who all have fresh and different perspectives and viewpoints. All the different perspectives provide unbiased and fresh information regarding food roles in different societies.

Kneafsey, M. (2015). Community-led culture economies of food.

Kneafsey delves into the complex world of food studies with his handbook published in2015b that discussed the economies of food. It seeks to elaborate the role that food has in a society and culture in the economic aspect. For instance, he looks at the food types that different economic classes in any culture partook and the perceptions that those economic class had on those particular foods.

By examining food in an economic perspective, Kneasy offers insight into the classism that existed and how food was used to enhance and distinguish the different economic classes that existed in different cultures in the traditional communities. For instance, Kneasy looks at how lower economic classes could not eat certain foods because they were too expensive and how the higher classes refused to eat certain food because they perceived those foods as belonging to the lower economic classes. By offering these insights, Kneasy offers an in-depth understanding on the role that food had in the economies of different cultures.

Wilson, A., & Renzaho, A. (2015). Intergenerational differences in acculturation experiences, food beliefs and perceived health risks among refugees from the Horn of Africa in Melbourne, Australia.Public health nutrition,18(01), 176-188.

In this journal published in 2015, the authors delve into the religious significances of food and how food beliefs and perceived risks have changed people’s perceptions of foods. Placing emphasis on the refugees and their food habits and how this changed when they moved to Australia, this study offers exceptional insight into the role of food to this group of people.

By studying the generational differences, and the food beliefs, this journal gives an in-depth understanding on the religious and cultural significance of food and the evolution of this significance over time. By studying the refugees from Africa, the journal looks at how changes in a culture affected the refugees and how the role of food for this group changed when they moved to Australia.

Yoshida, M. M. (2015). Dialectics of belonging and othering-The significance of food in multicultural urban contexts.

In Yoshida’s article published in 2015, the significance of food in an urban area that is populated by multiple cultures is discussed. Yoshida attempts to explain how the cultural significance of food for different cultures can be affected by the cross-linking of cultures in urban settings. It seeks to explain how food habits can be adjusted if different cultures reside in one geographical place.

In this study, the significance of food is seen to be affected by the cross-linking of cultures. For instance, if a culture that views a certain food type as having religious importance meets another culture that doesn’t place religious importance to that food, they will steadily start learning from each other and they may change their mind sets. By offering such examples, Yoshida’s panel discussion offers information regarding the changing food practices in society.