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FOOD
AND NUTRITION
(ANTH 330)
DR. RICHARD W. FRANKE
( franker@mail.montclair.edu
)
Spring 2001
Office Hours: MWR
11:00-11:50
Classroom: DI-436
Required Readings:
Franke, Richard W. 1996. Life Is a Little Better: Redistribution as a Development
Strategy in Nadur Village, Kerala. New Delhi: Promilla & Co. Publishers.
Franke, Richard W. 1995. The Anthropology Student Guide to
Better Grades. 2nd edition. Available at http://chss2.montclair.edu/anthropology/bettergrades.htm.
Franke, Richard W., and Chasin, Barbara H. 1980. Seeds of Famine: Ecological
Destruction and the Development Dilemma in the West African Sahel. Baltimore:
Rowman/Allanheld.
Harris, Marvin. 1977. Cannibals and Kings: The Origins of Cultures. New York:
Random House.
Vayda, Andrew P. (editor). 1969. Environment and Cultural Behavior: Ecological Studies
in Cultural Anthropology. Garden City: The Natural History Press. (on reserve in
Sprague Library only)
Harris, Marvin. 1985. Good to Eat: Riddles of Food and Culture.
New York: Simon and Schuster (on reserve in Sprague Library only).
This book was reprinted with the title The Sacred Cow and the Abominable
Pig: Riddles of Food and Culture.
The first 4 books above should be purchased at the bookstore. We will be using only a few
chapters from the other two. You can read them in the library.
Course Requirements
You will not be expected to remember trivial cultural details.You
will be expected to understand the ways anthropologists study human food practices
and the debates presented in the course. Exams will emphasize connecting facts to
explanations. Multiple choice, short answer, and essay questions will be used. Exams will
be approximately ½ from the readings and ½ from class notes. Grades will be based on:
1) an
outlining assignment due February 5, (5%),
2)
a first midterm exam on February 22 (25%),
3) a second midterm on March 29 (25%),
4) a final exam on May 9 (40%), and
5) class
participation (5%).
Full credit for the class participation points requires virtually
perfect attendance.
Office Hours:
Come and discuss issues that arise in the course or any problems that you are having
understanding the materials. My email address if franker@mail.montclair.edu
. My office is DI-409 ext. 4133. Hours when you can reach me:
Monday: 10:00-11:00 am
Wednesday: 10:00-11:00 am
Thursday: 10:00-11:00 am
Or other times at your request.
Topics to be
Discussed
| January 17 |
Introduction
How Anthropologists Study Food and Nutrition
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| January 18 |
Hunting and Gathering: the Earliest Food Production system
VIDEO: Bushmen of the Kalahari
Sprague Library Video # 92
|
| January 22 |
Hunting and Gathering: How It Produces and Distributes Food
READINGS:
Richard Lee. Eating Christmas in the Kalahari. To be distributed.
Richard Lee. !Kung Bushman Subsistence: An Input-Output Analysis. In Vayda, pp.
47-79.
|
| January 24 |
Hunting and Gathering: Optimal Foraging Theory
|
| January 25 |
Food and Nutrition in the Stone Ag
READINGS:
Harris, Chapters 1 and 2
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| January 29 |
The Invention of Agriculture
READINGS:
Harris, Chapters 3 and 13
|
| January 31 |
The Invention of Agriculture—continued
READINGS:
Kent Flannery. The Ecology of Early Food Production in Mesopotamia. In Vayda pp.
283-307.
|
| February 1 |
Shifting Agriculture and the Tropical Rain Forest.
|
| February 5 |
Do Food Systems Cause Religions?
The Tsembaga Case
READINGS:
Roy Rappaport. Ritual Regulation of Environmental Relations Among a New Guinea People. In
Vayda, pp. 181- 201.
|
| February 5 |
Outlining Assignment Due:
Rappaport Reading in Vayda, pp. 181-201.
READINGS:
Franke. The Anthropology Student Guide to Better Grades.
|
| February 7 |
Do Food Systems Cause Sexual Attitudes?
READINGS:
John Whiting. Effects of Climate on Certain Cultural Practices. In Vayda, pp. 416-450.
|
| February 8 |
Do Food Systems Cause War?
The Tsembaga and the Yanomamo cases
READINGS:
Harris, Chapters 4, 5, and 6
|
| February 12 |
Film: The Feast
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| February 14 |
Do Food Systems Cause Disease? The Case of the African Tse-Tse
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| February 15 |
Do Food Systems Cause Disease? The Case of Malaria and the
Sickle Cell.
READINGS:
Stephen Wiesenfeld. Sickle-Cell Trait in Human Biological and Cultural Evolution.
In Vayda, pp. 308-331.
|
| February 19 |
What Causes Cannibalism?
READINGS:
Harris, Chapters 8, 9 and 10.
|
| February 21 |
Review for First Midterm
|
| FEBRUARY 22 |
FIRST MIDTERM IN CLASS
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| February 26 |
Why Are There No Vegetarians?
READINGS:
Harris, The Sacred Cow and..., Chapter 2
|
| February 28 |
Where's The Beef and Why Is It There?
READINGS:
Harris, Chapters 11 and 12.
|
| March 1 |
Why Is There So Much Beef?
READINGS:
Harris, The Sacred Cow and..., Chapter 6
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| March 5-10 |
Spring Break
|
| March 12 |
What Causes Milk Love and Milk Hatred?
READINGS:
Harris, The Sacred Cow and..., Chapter 7.
|
| March 14 |
Did Food Systems Cause the Rise of Modern Society?
READINGS:
Harris, Chapters 7-8
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| March 15 |
Did Food Systems Cause the Rise of Capitalism?
READINGS:
Harris, Chapters 14 and 15
|
| March 19 |
How Serious Is the World Food Problem?
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| March 21 |
University Day: No Classes
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| March 22 |
The World Food Problem Part 2
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| March 26 |
What Caused the Sahel Famine?
READINGS:
Seeds of Famine, Chapters 1-2, pp. 1-62.
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| March 28 |
Review for second midterm
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| March 29 |
SECOND MIDTERM IN CLASS
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| April 2 |
What Caused the Sahel Famine?
READINGS:
Seeds of Famine, Chapters 3-4, pp. 63-108
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| April 4 |
SLIDES: The Sahel Famine.
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| April 5 |
Can the Sahel Recover?
READINGS:
Seeds of Famine, Chapters 5-7, pp. 133-164.
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| April 9 |
Contradictions of Sahel Development
READINGS:
Seeds of Famine, Chapters 8-10, pp. 167-239
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| April 11 |
SLIDES: The Sahel Development Program.
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| April 12 |
SLIDES: The Animal of Friendship.
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| April 16 |
VIDEO: After the Warming Part 1
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| April 18 |
VIDEO: After the Warming Part 2
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| April 19 |
Kerala: How Important Is Inequality?
READINGS:
Life Is a Little Better..., Chapters 1-5, pp. 1-107
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| April 23 |
SLIDES: The Kerala Experiment.
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| April 25 |
Nadur Village, Kerala: Is Change Possible?
READINGS:
Life Is a Little Better..., Chapters 6-9, pp. 108-192
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| April 26 |
Kerala: Can Social Reforms Bring Food to the Poor?
READINGS:
Life Is a Little Better..,.Chapters 10-14, pp. 193-287.
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| May 1 |
Nutrition in Kerala since 1996
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| May 2 |
LAST CLASS:
VIDEO: Kerala—The Quiet Revolution
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| May 3 |
Reading Day
ASSIGNMENT: Life Is a Little Better...
All Chapters
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MAY 9
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10:15-12:15 FINAL EXAMINATION
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Classroom
Courtesy
Professor Richard W. Franke
Please observe the following rules of classroom courtesy. By
observing these rules you will help me—the instructor—to provide a better and
more interesting course. You will also help yourself and your fellow students to achieve
better concentration and therefore to get better grades. I do not curve, so the more you
concentrate, the more you learn, and the better your grade, no matter how other students
do. So, please—
1. Be in your seat with your notebook open and your pen or pencil
ready when the class starts.
2. Do not start packing your materials until class is actually
over.
3. Do not eat or drink during class.
4. Turn off all cell phones and pagers.
5. Do not leave the room during class unless you plan to stay out
for the period. Use the toilet and the drinking fountain before or after class.
6. Do not whisper, rattle papers, or otherwise distract your
fellow students during class, especially during videos or films. If you have seen the film
previously and are bored, either try to see something new in it, or leave.
7. Do not ask to discuss your grade or other matters at the
beginning of class unless you feel your concerns are relevant to the entire class. In that
case, please tell me you feel a public discussion is needed. Otherwise, use my office
hours or make an appointment to see me privately.
8. Let me know if special circumstances make it hard for you to
follow any of these rules.
9. Break these rules on occasion if particular circumstances make
it necessary. If most people observe the rules most of the time, an occasional exception
will not cause any problems.
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