COMM2229 · Communication

Food, Media, and Culture

Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences

This course may be used to satisfy one of four electives required within the Communication major.Beyond providing sustenance, food has become increasingly important in how we communicate our cultural identities, politics, and tastes with ourselves and others. This class will explore the complex intersections of food, media, and culture to analyze the various ways mediated food operates as communicative practices in our everyday lives. This course will examine topics such as the history of food on television, communicating nationalism through culinary discourses, online debates over authentic foods, global flows of food documentaries, dieting and foodie culture in social media, YouTube food tutorials as cultural maintenance, online food activism, and the racialization of ethnic foods in popular culture. Grading will be based on classroom discussion, essay-based exams, and interactive group-work.