Anthropology | Anthrpology of Hunger
A211 | 31099 | Roditis
“We are still hungry” this quote comes from a doctor in Greece trying
to explain why his country is experiencing an increase in overweight
and obesity. Why are there areas in the world where the majority of
people are undernourished whereas in other areas the majority of the
population is over nourished and overweight or obese? What are the
different types of assessments used to identify people as underweight,
normally weighted, or overweight and how does such terminology relate
to body image issues? What are the health risks that go along with
being placed in these different categories? How can differing rates of
these problems globally help us understand larger economic, political,
and cultural trends?
In this class we will read case studies from places such as Sudan,
North Eastern Brazil, China and the U.S. to address these questions.
We will also have a guest speaker from Farm restaurant talk to us
about the eating local movement and attend a Farmer’s Market as a
class to take a closer look at eating local. Students will use online
materials, popular literature, and personal observations to better
understand how things like malnutrition, the creation of health
standards, and food availability relate to their own lives.