SOUTHERN STUDIES
555: SOUTHERN FOODWAYS
Dr. Catarina Passidomo FALL 2016
Barnard Observatory 112 Mondays
1:00-3:30pm
passidomo@olemiss.edu Barnard Observatory 108
(o):
662.915.3376
Office
hours: M 11am-12pm; T/R 1-2pm
Course Description:
Southerners
tend to be quite passionate about food. There is considerable debate
surrounding the authenticity of particular dishes and their preparations, and
some conflict over who can or should claim certain culinary traditions.
Underlying these passions, debates, and traditions are important lessons about
historic and contemporary race relations, gender roles, immigration patterns,
and other phenomena. In this course, we’ll use southern foodways as a lens to
explore deeper questions about ownership and access; inclusion and exclusion;
and what it means to grow, cook and eat in the 21st century South.
In that sense, we will examine southern foodways from a critical perspective. We
will begin by studying the region’s culinary history, considering the crucial
importance of climate and both voluntary and involuntary migration for shaping
southern food. We will consider the trenchant but evolving relationship between
food and regional identity, and the ways in which food can be understood as
indicative of a changing South.
Expectations:
This
course is very reading-intensive, by design. We will read an average of one
book per week, with some additional articles and other multimedia assignments. You
are expected to come to each class prepared to discuss that week’s readings,
and to respond to others’ comments with respect and interest.
Objectives:
- Expose students to the interdisciplinary study
of the South, through the lens of foodways and agriculture;
- Challenge students to think and write
critically about both the South and its foodways;
- Provide students with an opportunity to read,
analyze, and discuss interdisciplinary texts and other materials;
- Prepare students to successfully conduct
independent oral history projects;
- Collaborate with students on an academic paper
on the critical study of southern foodways.
Assessment:
Assessment
will be based on the following:
n Discussion Lead:
o Each week, two students will be
responsible for leading the week’s discussion.
o Each student will sign up to
co-lead discussion twice.
o Discussion leaders should begin
the class with a presentation that addresses the following questions:
§ What is/are the author(s)’
professional background?
§ What is the author’s agenda? (What does he/she hope to accomplish?)
§ What is the author’s approach to
studying the South?
§ What is the relationship of the
primary reading to other assigned readings (for this particular class and past
classes)?
§ What is the importance or relevance
of the arguments or problems posed?
§ What did you find most intriguing
or exciting or problematic about this reading?
o Discussion leaders will also
prepare and distribute hard copies of an outline of the readings (roughly 1
page, single-spaced), which focuses on key points:
§ Identify keywords in the text.
§ Identify the thesis and/or arguments
of the reading.
§ Discuss the analytical framework of the reading. (What assumptions are axiomatic to this
thesis or argument? Does the author have
particular interlocutors or draw on other theoretical interventions?)
§ Consider the conceptual/methodological framework of the reading. (Does it call for us to conceptualized a
disciplinary method in new ways? Does it
envision different sources or a new use of established sources?)
§ Discuss the kinds of sources that
the author uses.
§ Note: Not every question will apply to every text.
o Discussion leaders are exempt from
writing a blog post (see below) for that week.
n Weekly Blog Posts:
o I have set up a shared blog for
this course and SST 401 (http://southernfoodwaysfall2016.blogspot.com/). You will all be granted access to edit the
blog.
o Each week, you will write a
substantive post (350-500 words) that addresses key issues or questions in that
week’s reading materials. Your
contribution should be polished, structured, and free of grammatical
errors.
o Post responses by 8pm the day before class, and then read
all of and respond to at least two of the posts by the start of class.
n Class Participation:
o This class relies heavily on
engaged student participation. You
should come to each class having read the assigned materials closely and
prepared to ask questions and share ideas.
o You are expected to listen to and
respect the opinions of your classmates
n Oral History Project (details to
follow):
o See http://www.southernfoodways.org/oral-history/ for examples
of oral histories. SFA oral historian
Sara Wood will be on hand to assist with this project, and will visit the class
early in the semester to talk about how to do oral history interviews.
o You will complete oral history
projects in pairs.
o Pairs will present their oral
history project during our final class meeting (Nov. 28).
o In addition to the collaborative
oral history project, each student will write a 5-7 page paper that provides context or background information
about the oral history narrator(s), and that analyzes the oral history
interviews using texts we’ve read throughout the semester. The paper and completed oral history project
are due before 5pm on Dec. 5 (Upload
to Blackboard).
n Collaborative Writing Project:
Response to “Beyond Cornbread Nationalism” CFP (details to follow)
o Collectively, we will write a
paper responding to Scott Romine and Jon Smith’s call for papers for a
collection entitled, “Against Cornbread Nationalism: How Foodways Misrepresent
the South.” (See CFP)
n Graduate Only:
o Book review: Select one book from
the list of books we are reading this semester, and write a 1000-1500-word
review. You may turn this in at any time
during the semester. See book reviews in
the CSSC’s publication, The Southern
Register: http://southernstudies.olemiss.edu/publications/southern-register/
Break down of grades
Graduate
Students
Oral
History Project
|
20%
|
Oral
History Accompanying Paper
|
20%
|
Weekly
Blog Posts
|
15%
|
Discussion
Lead
|
10%
|
Collaborative
Writing Project Contribution
|
10%
|
Class
Participation
|
15%
|
Book
Review
|
10%
|
Undergraduate
Students
Oral
History Project
|
25%
|
Oral
History Accompanying Paper
|
20%
|
Weekly
Blog Posts
|
15%
|
Discussion
Lead
|
15%
|
Collaborative
Writing Project Contribution
|
10%
|
Class
Participation
|
15%
|
Grading Scale: I will grade all assignments on an A-F (+/-)
scale. See http://www.olemiss.edu/info/grading.html
for more details.
* Late
assignments will only be accepted with the prior approval of the instructor,
and a grade penalty may apply.
Other Policies and Useful
Information:
Attendance: I expect all students to attend all classes, barring
extreme circumstances. Students unable
to attend class should email me before class begins, and will need to provide a
reason for missing class. If the absence
is excused, I may assign make-up work.
An unexcused absence will lead to a deduction in the participation
grade. More than one unexcused absence
will result in a letter grade value deduction from the final grade for each
absence.
Plagiarism will not be tolerated, and will
result in dismissal from the course.
Syllabus Disclaimer: This syllabus is a general plan
for the course; deviations announced to the class by the instructor may be
necessary. Your patience, good humor, and attentiveness are appreciated.
Classroom Conduct:
Students
should contribute to an environment of
learning while in the classroom.
Please respect this environment, your classmates, and your instructor by
refraining from any disruptive behavior, which may include: arriving late to
class, using a cell phone, reading or looking at material unrelated to class,
talking out of turn, sleeping, dancing (unless instructed to do so), or any
other disruptive behavior. If you are
disrupting the class or disrespecting me or your fellow classmates, you will be
asked to leave.
Please observe
the following simple rules for maintaining a positive learning environment for
everyone in the class.
*Come to
class on time and don’t leave early unless there is an emergency or you have
informed me ahead of time.
*Turn
off cell phones.
*Listen
and participate.
Academic Honesty: Academic honesty is the pursuit of scholarly activity in an open,
honest and responsible manner. Academic integrity is a basic guiding principle
for all academic activity at the University of Mississippi, and all members of
the University community are expected to act in accordance with this principle.
Consistent with this expectation, the university's culture of honesty requires
students to be academically honest in all academic work and to not tolerate
academic dishonesty of others. Academic honesty includes a commitment not to
engage in or tolerate acts of falsification, misrepresentation or deception.
Such acts of dishonesty violate the fundamental ethical principles of the
university community and compromise the worth of work completed by others.
Anyone in violation of these policies will receive a failing grade for the
course.
ADA Notice:
It is university policy to
provide, on a flexible and individual basis, reasonable accommodations to
students who have disabilities that may affect their ability to participate in
course activities or meet course requirements. Students with disabilities are encouraged
to contact their instructors to discuss their individual needs for
accommodations.
Schedule of Readings and
Discussions:
-Week-
Date
|
READING
|
NOTES
|
|
PART I: INTRODUCTION TO SOUTHERN FOODWAYS
|
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Lewis,
Edna. 2008. “What is southern?” Gourmet
Magazine. January.
Lefler,
Lisa J. 2007. “Introduction.” Southern
Foodways and Culture. Knoxville: Newfound Press. Pp. 1-6.
CFP: "Against Cornbread Nationalism" |
SFA Film: Smokes and Ears
|
||
Egerton,
John. 1993. Southern food: At home, on
the road, in history. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina
Press.
Green,
Rayna. 2008. Mother corn and the Dixie pig: Native food in the Native South. Southern Cultures, 14 (4): 114-126.
|
SFA Film: Muddy Pond
Oral histories: Work and Cook and Eat: Lumbee Indians of NC
|
||
Sept. 5: LABOR DAY: NO CLASS
|
|||
Cohen Ferris, Marcie. 2014. The Edible South: The Power of Food and
the Making of an American Region. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press.
|
SFA
Film: Counter Histories: Jackson, MS
|
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**
NO CLASS ** Attend SFA Graduate Student Conference at Yerby Center and
Keynote by Krishnendu Ray. (Optional, Read Ray (2014) “The Immigrant Restaurateur
and the American City”)
|
|||
Edge,
John T., Elizabeth Engelhardt, and Ted Ownby, Eds. 2013. The Larder: Food studies methods from the American South. Athens,
GA: The University of Georgia Press.
Evans,
Amy. 2009. Chance meetings and backroads. Southern
Cultures, 15 (4): 67-77.
|
“How to conduct oral history”: Visit from Sara Wood, SFA Oral Historian
SFA Film: Sapelo
|
||
Shields,
David S. 2015. Southern Provisions: The
Creation and Revival of a Cuisine. Chicago: The University of Chicago
Press.
|
SFA Film: Southern Betty Brunch
Oral History: Women at Work in Charleston
|
|
PART II: MULTIPLE OPPRESSIONS: STORIES OF RACE, CLASS,
& GENDER
|
||
Engelhardt, Elizabeth. 2011. A mess of greens: Southern gender and
southern food. Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press
|
(SFA Symposium 10/13-16)
Oral History: Women Who Farm: Georgia
|
|
Williams-Forson,
Psyche A. 2006. Building Houses out of
Chicken Legs: Black Women, Food and Power. Chapel Hill: The University of
North Carolina Press.
|
SFA Film: Hot Chicken
|
|
Cooley, Angela Jill. 2015. To Live and Dine in Dixie: The Evolution
of Urban Food Culture in the Jim Crow South. Athens: The University of
Georgia Press.
|
SFA Film: If We So Choose
Oral History: Jackson’s Iconic Restaurants
|
|
Daniel,
Pete. 2013. Dispossession:
Discrimination against African American farmers in the age of Civil Rights.
Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press
Coates,
Ta-Nehisi. 2014. “The case for reparations.” The
Atlantic, May 21.
|
Films: Harvest of Shame; Food
Chains
|
|
Estabrook,
Barry. 2011. Tomatoland. Kansas
City, MO: Andrews McMeel.
Stuesse, Angela. 2013. “Low wage
legacies, race, and the golden chicken in Mississippi: Contemporary
immigration meets African American labor history.” Southern Spaces, December 31.
|
Discussion of both Daniel (2013) and Estabrook (2011),
as well as previous week’s articles and films.
|
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PART III: A GLOBAL SOUTH
|
||
Knipple, Paul and Angela Knipple.
2012. The World in a Skillet: A Food
Lover’s Tour of the New American South. Chapel Hill, NC: The University
of North Carolina Press.
Kelting, “Performing Multicultural
Futures on Atlanta’s Buford Highway”
Olsson, “Your Dekalb Farmers Market”
|
SFA Film: Viet Cajun
Oral Histories: Nashville’s Nolensville Road; Houston’s Underbelly; Chinese Grocers; Delta Lebanese
|
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21 NOVEMBER: THANKSGIVING: NO CLASS
|
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FINAL PRESENTATIONS
|
Last Day of Class: 11/28: Final paper and project due Monday, 12/5
at 5pm
|
|
*** End of Semester Potluck: Date/Location TBD ***
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