Summer 2004 Voyage

Course Home
Syllabus (pdf format)
Readings
Requirements
Field Component
Schedule

More about Prof. Lozada

ANT 1752: Anthropology of Food:
Food, Culture, and Globalization

Prof. Eriberto P. Lozada Jr., Davidson College

Field Component

The field projects are designed to familiarize students with the conduct of ethnographic field research and to apply the various theoretical models in the study of food to a particular situation. This will involve two written submissions: the first will be fieldnotes, and the second will be an analysis in the form of a short essay. Fieldnotes should include diagrams, maps, and picture (if possible). The essay will be limited to 4-5 pages, and will concisely summarize how your observations fit in with the issues we have discussed in the course. Possible fieldsites include restaurants, food markets, fast food restaurants, street vendors. Here are some suggestions to think about:

• Start mapping out the locale in which the selected site is situated, noting people you identify in key roles (i.e., chef, waiter, hostess, patrons, etc.) How does the design of the site reflect social or cultural issues? What messages are implied in the division of space?
• Are there cultural practices surrounding food preparation, distribution, or commensality that seem unfamiliar to you? Why?
• Are there particular social roles that differ from what you experience in your own culture? From your observations, who is eating at the restaurant?
• Is food-related etiquette different from your own sense of propriety?
• What is the order of the meal? Do the courses follow the same pattern as in your own culture?
• What foodstuffs, cooking techniques, dishes, etc., are different from your own food practices?