SOC-20037 - Module Specification
School of Social, Political and Global Studies
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Programme/Approved Electives for 2020/21

Available as a Free Standing Elective

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2020/21

Food is part of every single day of our lives ¿ we cannot live without eating and many people and organisations are involved in growing, processing and retailing food! Whilst we may think of food and eating as unremarkable activities, food events are unquestioningly interwoven with our personal experiences in deeply meaningful ways, whilst simultaneously linking those personal experiences with public issues, social-cultural relations and systems of provisioning. It is therefore important to attend to the ways in which foods are produced and consumed, how these areas of the food system interact, and to consider the wider consequences of dominant modes of organisation. In the UK, for instance, food retailing is dominated by a few large supermarkets where most people regularly shop for food, and it is argued that these for-profit organisations hold much power, over consumers, but also in other areas of the food system. When food appears in the media, we are confronted with many contemporary complexities and contradictions. In contemporary life, three major and interconnecting societal challenges are: - access to food, - food and health, and - the impacts contemporary food systems have on the environment. At the same time, food gives rise to pleasures and spectacles: celebrations are never complete without some food and eating. During this module, we will explore the sociological questions that arise when we consider the ways in which food and eating are organised in contemporary societies. We do so by attending to topics that engage with the three challenges of access, health and environment, and that range from understanding food poverty through to the cultural hegemony of meat, and the plastics in which foods are now routinely packaged. In doing so, we will learn much about food and how it is socially organised, whilst simultaneously seeing how food and eating are important lenses through which to understand the nature of the social.

This module aims to introduce students to a range of substantive and theoretical issues in the sociology of food and eating. This will be achieved through discussion of contemporary food systems challenges that highlight the ways in which food provisioning and consumption are socially organised and how these interact. The module aims to develop student understanding of the contemporary food system and its challenges, whilst simultaneously illustrating the sociological perspectives and theories that are useful for understanding the topics that are discussed. The module will offer a range of learning resources and opportunities that will prepare students for the assessed work.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Discuss a range of social, cultural, ethical and political characteristics and consequences of the social organisation of food and eating in contemporary societies in sociological ways: 1,2
Apply relevant sociological theories to explain substantive issues in food systems and eating cultures: 1,2
Utilize analytical and expositional skills in the communication of themes and theories in the sociology of food and eating: 1,2
Make intelligible judgments about the strengths and weaknesses of sociological explanations on food and eating: 1,2
Attend to the cross-cultural and global dimensions of the social organisation of food and eating: 1,2

Study hours

10 lectures
10 tutorials
60 hours weekly preparation
70 hours assessment preparation
TOTAL 150 Hours

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment