First-Year Seminars 110BR - Breakfast in the Americas

Have you ever thought about the origins of the sugar, coffee, bananas, and chocolate that we consume at the breakfast table? Who cuts the sugar cane? Who owns the coffee plantation? What are the social and environmental costs of bananas? This interdisciplinary course examines some of the cultural, historical, social, political, and economic issues surrounding these Latin American commodities. We will explore the lives of company owners, laborers, producers, and consumers as we trace the role sugar, coffee, bananas, and chocolate have played in the historical and cultural development of Latin America. We will also learn how these products are represented in art, literature, and film.

First-year students only, by placement.