KSCB006 Food and Foodways in China’s culture(s)

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2024
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
Teacher(s)
Mag. phil. Ute Wallenböck, Dr. phil. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. et Mgr. Dušan Vávra, Ph.D.
Department of Chinese Studies – Asia Studies Centre – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Mag. phil. Ute Wallenböck, Dr. phil.
Supplier department: Department of Chinese Studies – Asia Studies Centre – Faculty of Arts
Prerequisites (in Czech)
KSCA001 Introduction to Chin. Studies
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 20 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/20, only registered: 0/20, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/20
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 6 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
Light will be shed on the cultural practice and meanings of food, cooking, eating, and drinking in the context of China. This course examines the varied facets of food as a socio-cultural phenomenon in the context with China with focus not only on Chinese cuisine but also on ethnic cuisine. The course is based on the reading, analysis and discussion of sources in Chinese and English. Training in methodology, team work, essay writing, and oral presentation is an integrated part of the course.
Learning outcomes
•Students will learn how to identify a research topic, narrow down its focus, and formulate research questions related to a specific research topic within the study of China’s culture(s).
•Students will learn to read extensively, and to critically analyse sources in English
•Students will learn to present and discuss academic knowledge in oral and written form
Syllabus
  • These following topics will be covered during the term:
  • 1. Introduction into Anthropology of Food / Food Anthropology
  • 2. Food and Beverages as Cultural Heritage
  • 3. Culinary Culture in Europe and Asia
  • 4. Chili Pepper & Columbian Exchange
  • 5. Traditional & Ethnic Food
  • 6. National & Local Food
  • 7. Chinese Food and Cuisine
  • 8. Muslim Food and Foodways
Literature
    required literature
  • Mintz, S.W. and C.M. Du Bois. 2002. The Anthropology of Food and Eating, Annual Review of Anthropology 31: 99-119.
  • Wu, X. 2004. “Ethnic Foods and Regional Identity: The Hezha Restaurants in Enshi.” Food & Foodways 12: 225-246.
  • Goody, J. 1982. The high and the low: Culinary culture in Asia and Europe. In Cooking, Cuisine and Class: A Study in Comparative Sociology (Themes in the Social Sciences, pp. 97-153). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
    recommended literature
  • Cheng Jie程杰. 2020. “Wo guo lajiao qiyuan yu zaoqi chuanbo kao” 我国辣椒起源与早期传播考 (Research on the Origin and Early Spread of Pepper in China). Yuejiang Academic Journal 阅江学刊 3: 103-126.
    not specified
  • Moreno-Black, Geraldine. 2017/ 2019. The Anthropology of Food and Food Anthropology. In: Chrzan, Janet and Johan Brett. Food Culture. Anthropology, Linguistics and Food Studies. 31-46.
  • Kim. 2015. Re-orienting cuisine: East Asian foodways in the twenty-first centure. Berghahn Books.
  • Bruckermann, & Feuchtwang. 2016. The Anthropology of China: China as Ethnographic and Theoretical Critique. Imperial College Press.
  • Wang, Q. (2015). Chopsticks: A Cultural and Culinary History. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/CBO9781139161855
  • Chang, K.C. 1977. Food in Chinese Culture: Anthropological and Historical Perspectives, Introduction. Yale University Press
Teaching methods
The course is conducted in the form class discussions based on selected texts as well as group work.
Attendance of Conference on “Cultural Heritage of Beer” (Panel “Beer in Asia”) on September 29, 2022 in the afternoon at Masaryk University
Assessment methods
Active participation in class and attendance is mandatory (only one unexcused absence is accepted)
One oral presentation in class, individually or as part of a team
A home exam consisting of a paper of 3000 words plus list of reference.
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
The course is taught once in two years.
The course is taught: every week.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2011, Spring 2013, Autumn 2014, Autumn 2022, Spring 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2024, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/autumn2024/KSCB006