HIST 388: Topics in European History

HIST 388-005: Food, Health, and Cultural Tastes
(Spring 2013)

10:30 AM to 11:45 AM MW

Section Information for Spring 2013

Diet and health have always gone hand in hand, but preferred dietary regimens to restore or maintain health (along with definitions of a healthy body) have undergone constant and sometimes radical transformations. This course explores how Western medical theories and cultural contexts have come together to shape dietary fashion from antiquity to the present (or, as some would say, from Athens to Atkins).

We will approach the history of food and health from both dietary and cultural points of view. From a dietary perspective, we consider how preferences for various foodstuffs (herbs, spices, alcohol, caffeine, sugar, etc) and their perceived medical virtues have changed over time. From a cultural perspective, we consider how meanings of food and dietary choices (vegetarianism, organics, bio-engineering, etc) are shaped by broader cultural and medical forces. How and why did certain fad diets come in and out of fashion? How have changing attitudes about the body and health shaped our choices about what constitutes healthy food?

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Course Information from the University Catalog

Credits: 3

Study of historical topics or periods of special interest. Notes: Topics announced in advance. May be repeated for credit when topic is different. Offered by History & Art History. May be repeated within the term.
Specialized Designation: Topic Varies
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.

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