Description

"Civilization is mostly the story of how seeds, meats, and ways to cook them travel from place to place." - Adam Gopnik, "What's Cooking."

"A significant part of the pleasure of eating is in one's accurate consciousness of the lives and the world from which food comes." - Wendell Berry, "The Pleasures of Eating."

If you are what you eat, what are you? Food is at once the stuff of life and a potent symbol; it binds us to the earth, to our families, and to our cultures. The aroma of turkey roasting or the taste of green tea can be a portal to memories, while too many Big Macs can clog our arteries. The chef is an artist, yet those who pick oranges or process meat may be little more than slaves. In this class, we will explore many of the fascinating issues that surround food as both material fact and personal and cultural symbol. We will read essays by Chang-Rae Lee, Francine du Plessix Gray, M. F. K. Fisher, Anthony Bourdain, and others on such topics as family meals, the art and science of cooking, fair trade, eating disorders, and food's ability to awaken us to "our own powers of enjoyment" (M. F. K. Fisher). We will also read Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation and view one or more films or videos as a class. Assigned essays will grow out of memories and the texts we read, and will include personal narratives and essays that depend on research. Workshop review of writing in progress and revision of essays will be an important part of the course.

*This is a CI-HW class

Overview and Course Policies

Objectives and Assignments

The primary work of this class is:

• To develop your skills in writing and speaking clearly and effectively;
• To help you become aware of your own purposes as writers; and
• To help you become aware of the audience(s) you are writing for.

In this class you'll write and revise three essays and keep a journal. Readings will serve to get us thinking and provide models of good writing; they'll provide inspiration for your essays and discussion points for Essay 2.

Here are the major writing assignment for the course.

Essay 1 (4 pages) will grow out of your own memories and experience connected with food.

Essay 1 gives you practice in developing ideas based on your own experience and heightening your awareness of the audience(s) you write for.This essay will be revised once and polished for the Portfolio.

Essay 2 (5-6 pages) will ask you to explore, analyze and reflect on ideas from two or more of our readings, using your own experience and developing your own idea. Essay 2 gives you practice developing an argument and working with other writers' ideas. This essay will be revised once or twice (as needed) and polished for the Portfolio.

Essay 3 (10-12 pages) is a research essay focusing on a topic of your choice from a list I will provide or a similar topic. Essay 3 gives you the opportunity to develop your investigative and critical skills and ability to organize a longer essay, along with practice using sources responsibly. This essay will be revised once or twice (as needed) and polished for the Portfolio.

The Journals for this class will include all our shorter writing assignments:

• A minimum of 5 journal entries containing your own observations and reflections on the subject of food. They may stem from our readings, ideas that come up in class discussion, a movie you see, a conversation with your mother, or
• a few prompted responses to readings,
• a vocabulary list

Portfolios

At our last class meeting I will collect a portfolio of all your written work for our class-so don't throw any of your drafts or homework away!

Oral Presentations

You'll give a 10-minute presentation on your research project. I may also ask you to give a 5-minute talk on an element of writing.

Course Policies

Attendance

This class is structured more like a workshop than a lecture class. Therefore, attendance is important. Your responsibility in the class is not only to be a writer, but also to read and respond to classmates' work and to participate in discussions. If you miss more than two classes for any reason, you risk getting a lower grade. With five unexcused absences you will be withdrawn from the class. It is your responsibility to let me know why you are absent and to keep up with assignments when you do miss class. Lateness is discourteous to your classmates and to your professor. If you are 10 minutes late three times it will count as an absence.

Deadlines

To participate in class discussions, you must read assignments on time. It is also imperative that you bring a draft to class on workshop days, post drafts to workshop partners on time, and be prepared for oral presentations. Your will be graded down if you are not prepared for class. Due dates for all drafts are listed on the course syllabus. Portfolios will be due at our last class meeting.

Evaluation

I'll give you evaluative comments on all essay drafts, and v, v+ or v- for homework, journal entries and oral presentations. You will receive one grade at the end of the term for all of your work, which is to be handed in to me in a portfolio.This means I will not be grading individual essays but, rather, guiding you toward effective revision of your work. I will provide evaluation criteria with each essay assignment.You will revise each essay at least twice. The quality of your writing will be the primary criterion for your semester grade. I'll also take into consideration effort and improvement, especially as demonstrated by revision; homework, including journals, and class participation, including your participation in workshops. A grade of C or better satisfies the Communication Intensive requirement for students who have matriculated since the summer of 2001. No later than mid-term we will consult on your progress. You may also request a meeting with me if you have questions about your progress in the class.

Note: All required work must be completed satisfactorily for you to receive a passing grade for the course. This includes at least 20 pages of revised writing (the 3 major essays).

Academic Integrity

To borrow someone else's language and/or ideas without attribution is academically and professionally dishonest, and cheats you and your readers as well as the person whose work you illicitly use. It can also have serious consequences to your academic career. MIT takes plagiarism seriously: Plagiarism in this class will result in an automatic F and a letter in your file; a second violation can result in expulsion. You should have received a booklet entitled Academic Integrity at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology: A Handbook for Students. Please read it immediately-you will find it helpful, and you are responsible for understanding its contents. We will work with it in class, and discuss ways to properly acknowledge sources. Style handbooks such as A Pocket Style Manual contain discussions of plagiarism, and offer many examples of how to cite sources,

Note: For this class and most classes, it is not acceptable to hand in a paper that you wrote for another class, even though it is your own work. If you are ever in doubt, ask your instructor.

Conferences

You are required to have two conferences with me and may have more. Bring specific questions about your writing, such as how to make an introduction more vivid or how to connect the ideas in your essay. You are also welcome to use conference time to continue discussions begun in class or try out ideas sparked by your reading.

Note: I am happy to hear from you by e-mail with questions and comments about class, and will respond as promptly as I can. However, I will not read drafts submitted electronically.