Sociology Department

Sociology 498-02
Senior Seminar: Food, Gender and Society

SPRING 2005
WEDNESDAYS 12:00-3:40 p.m.

Professor: Myrna Goodman
Office: Stevenson 2081
Phone: 664-4296
E-Mail Address: myrna.goodman@sonoma.edu

We will use social theory and sociological methodology to analyze the relationships between food, gender and society. After considering the origins of modern food distribution and consumption patterns, we will study the interplay between food and the construction of ethnic and gender identity. An integral component of our investigation will be to consider how women and men’s roles influence their relationships to food. Because this is a “capstone” course for Sociology majors, we will also review the basic concepts and theories that constitute the discipline of Sociology.

The goals for this semester are to: 1) expose students to current sociological scholarship on the role of food in American life with a focus on the relationship of food to politics and gender; 2) increase students’ analytic skills (in writing and oral presentations); 3) review the fundamental theories and concepts in the discipline of sociology and 4) facilitate the design and completion of an original senior-level research project.

Please note: This class is an upper division seminar; students will have the major responsibility for facilitating classroom discussions.

• Beardsworth, Alan and Teresa Keil, Sociology on the Menu: An Invitation to the Study of Food and Society. Routledge, 1997.
• Charon, Joel M. The Meaning of Sociology: A Reader. 7th Edition. Prentice Hall, 2002.
• Inness, Sherrie A. Pilaf, Pozole, and Pad Thai: American Women and Ethnic Food. University of Massachusetts Press 2001.
• Nestle, Marion. Food Politics. University of California Press, 2002.
• Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. Harper Collins, 2002.
• Course Reader. The reader will be available online. Directions for accessing it through the new e-Reserves service available through the Schulz Library website will be distributed in class and through the class listserv.