Students

ANTH2003 – Food Across Cultures

2023 – Session 1, Online-flexible

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Convenor, lecturer, tutor
Eve Vincent
eve.vincent@mq.edu.au
Contact via Email
25WW B523
Monday 11-12 or by appointment
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
(ANTH150 or ANTH1050) or (40cp at 1000 level or above
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

We all eat. But what, when, how, how much and with whom we eat is bound up with questions of cultural difference, gender and power. The study of food, eating and hunger has long held a particular fascination for anthropologists--from subsistence strategies to nutritional intake, from food taboos to the social rules that structure how people eat together. This unit introduces the idea that the everyday activities of cooking and eating are packed with economic, medical, political, and cultural meanings. We will focus on some classic anthropological work on eating as a social practice. Then we move to the concerns of contemporary anthropology, examining issues such as the global industrial food system, and the link between migration, ethnic identity and food. Throughout this unit we are concerned with everyday eating practices, exploring the extraordinary variety of food likes and dislikes in a range of ethnographic contexts.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: Analyse how the everyday activities of food classification, cooking and eating are packed with cultural meanings.
  • ULO2: Identify connections between food, globalisation, consumption practices and class, identity and migration.
  • ULO3: Analyse the relationship between food, gender and power.
  • ULO4: Apply anthropological theory to the study of food-related practices in contemporary Australia.
  • ULO5: Demonstrate a command of anthropological knowledge and theories as applied to the study of food and culture.

General Assessment Information

Late penalties: please read carefully as this is a new policy

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a mark of ‘0’ (zero) will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical issue. This late penalty will apply to non-timed sensitive assessment (incl essays, reports, posters, portfolios, journals, recordings etc). Late submission of time sensitive tasks (such as tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, scheduled practical assessments/labs etc) will only be addressed by the unit convenor in a Special consideration application. Special Consideration outcome may result in a new question or topic. 

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Participation in Tutorial Discussions or Weekly forums 15% No Weekly
Weekly Quizzes 25% No Weekly
Short Essay 35% Yes May 14, 11:55pm
Observational Task 25% No June 4, 11:55pm

Participation in Tutorial Discussions or Weekly forums

Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 12 hours
Due: Weekly
Weighting: 15%

 

Active participation in either weekly tutorials or Weekly Forums

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Analyse how the everyday activities of food classification, cooking and eating are packed with cultural meanings.
  • Identify connections between food, globalisation, consumption practices and class, identity and migration.
  • Analyse the relationship between food, gender and power.
  • Demonstrate a command of anthropological knowledge and theories as applied to the study of food and culture.

Weekly Quizzes

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 22 hours
Due: Weekly
Weighting: 25%

 

Online Weekly Quizzes

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Analyse how the everyday activities of food classification, cooking and eating are packed with cultural meanings.
  • Identify connections between food, globalisation, consumption practices and class, identity and migration.
  • Analyse the relationship between food, gender and power.

Short Essay

Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 35 hours
Due: May 14, 11:55pm
Weighting: 35%
This is a hurdle assessment task (see assessment policy for more information on hurdle assessment tasks)

 

You are required to submit a short essay in response to a selected question. Details for this assessment task and essay questions will be made available.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Analyse how the everyday activities of food classification, cooking and eating are packed with cultural meanings.

Observational Task

Assessment Type 1: Reflective Writing
Indicative Time on Task 2: 25 hours
Due: June 4, 11:55pm
Weighting: 25%

 

This short reflective assessment tasks requires you to observe and describe something to do with food and culture in contemporary Australia.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Apply anthropological theory to the study of food-related practices in contemporary Australia.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

Unit readings are available via iLearn and Leganto.

Unit Schedule

Week

 

1

Commensality

2

Taste and taboo

3

Cannibals?

4

Gender

5

Cooking

6

Eating the continent

7

Entanglements

8

Fast food

9

Slow food

10

No classes. Essays due

11

Hunger

12

Home, memory, migration

13

Covid and conclusions

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

The Writing Centre

The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via AskMQ, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Unit information based on version 2023.01R of the Handbook