Critical Social Inquiry 0249 - Critical Ethnography

In this course, we will use the method of critical ethnography to explore food as a system that connects individuals and communities, both locally and globally. Students will carry out a multi-sited ethnographic research project that begins with a question about food, whether about production and consumption, culture and identity, health and environment, memory and desire, community and activism. Students will "follow the food" wherever their questions take them-from table to market to factory to farm-and be guided through the process of posing ethnographic questions, conducting fieldwork and interviews, writing fieldnotes and other forms of ethnographic documentation, and engaging throughout in the critical, reflexive act of interpretation and writing. As part of the Luce Grant on Asian Studies and the Environment, this course will focus on global food chains across the Pacific and students are encouraged to explore connections between U.S. and Asia in their own projects. Prerequisite: Students should enter this course with a viable research project and ready to begin fieldwork by the third week.

Power, Community and Social Justice Independent Work Multiple Cultural Perspectives Writing and Research