TOPICS: INTRO TO FOOD STUDIES in Fall 2025 (CM1091A)

Food studies is a growing international and interdisciplinary field that uses food as a lens through which to view, explore, analyze and interpret society in the present and past. The field includes, but is not limited to, the study of foodways, food systems and food science; food production and consumption; gastronomy and cuisine; health and nutrition. Born in the latter half of the twentieth century, the field gathers a diverse array of scholars, artists and practitioners. Because it originally took shape in response to the excess of industrial agriculture and globalization, it is an inherently politicized field, and its participants engage in both the critique of power and movement for change. While the term “food studies” references the field’s anglophone roots, participants from a range of countries have been contributing from the onset. This is the case of France, in particular, where food has long held a special importance. Food study scholars work across borders and across disciplines. They use multiple methods and consciously write for audiences located outside their respective disciplines. In recent decades, a growing interest in collaboration and activism encourages food studies scholars to build connections, and professions, outside of the university proper. In this class, students will be introduced to key concepts and thinkers in the field. Students will also get a sense of the field’s historical development. As AUP is an anglophone university in Paris, this course, like much of the food studies minor, lends special attention to Franco-American conversations in food studies, including topics such as gastronomy, cuisine, taste and terroir.