English 119 - Writing Roundtable: What's for Dinner? Writing About Food.

Students hone their writing skills (defined broadly to include critical thinking, research and documentation, argument development and mastery of written English) as they enhance their understanding of an issue of current import and consequence. They read and write in a variety of genres (ranging from experience narratives to academic essays) and supplement their required reading with excursions to scholarly and cultural venues at Smith. Prerequisite: One WI course or permission of the instructor. Enrollment limited to 15: Michael Pollan writes in Omnivore’s Dilemma that the U.S. suffers from a “national eating disorder”—that essentially, we don’t know what to eat. This course examines that confusion, considering which of the many diets available to us—vegan, slow food, locavore—is truly healthy; what roles ethnicity, gender and class play in our choices; and how pervasive hunger is in the United States. Students read from the spectrum of food writing and hone their own writing in a variety of genres ranging from academic essays to restaurant reviews. Prerequisite: One WI course or permission of the instructor. Enrollment limited to 15.

Limited to first-years, sophomores.