[cardcrimson]

I see there is now a course entitled "The Cultural Politics of Food and Eating."  What has happened to academics?

I assume it is this course: https://explorecourses.stanford.edu/sear...&collapse=

The topics covered include: the industrialization of agriculture; globalization and local foodways; food justice and ethics; new technologies in food practices (e.g., biotechnology, delivery apps); health and diet trends; and food and global challenges (e.g., climate change, COVID-19).

Up to you whether that's something that appeals, of course, but I could see how it would be useful.  My father worked for international subsidiaries of consumer packaged goods companies, so I could see how a course such as the above might have been relevant to his job.  For example, if you are an executive at, say, Hershey's chocolate, and the price of cocoa is skyrocketing because of chronic underinvestment in cocoa farms, and dry weather, that might be relevant to your quarterly profit.  It doesn't seem to be in the syllabus, but I wouldn't be surprised if one topic is the impact of weight loss drugs on the food industry.  And there are many examples of wars that were started over food.

I roll my eyes about a lot of academic courses, and there are elements of the syllabus that are less interesting to me, but as a whole, I would probably find the course interesting and valuable.  YMMV.

BC

BC, gotta agree with you on this, and hopefully not veering into political discourse. The culture of food and eating is a pervasive and timely topic indeed. Sustainable, Fair Trade, Obesity, etc. etc. are important tenants in today's socio-economic environment. Over the years, my daughter was an actor in a couple of political ads advocating banning vaping and taxing sugary drinks. It's big business.

On another note, I've been to the last two supermarket energy and design conferences and the focus on sustainability was stunning. To be fair, I"ve not looked at the syllabus, but there is a surprising amount of potential curriculum around the food chain. . . .

[cardcrimson]

I see there is now a course entitled "The Cultural Politics of Food and Eating."  What has happened to academics?

I assume it is this course: https://explorecourses.stanford.edu/sear...&collapse=

The topics covered include: the industrialization of agriculture; globalization and local foodways; food justice and ethics; new technologies in food practices (e.g., biotechnology, delivery apps); health and diet trends; and food and global challenges (e.g., climate change, COVID-19).

Up to you whether that's something that appeals, of course, but I could see how it would be useful.  My father worked for international subsidiaries of consumer packaged goods companies, so I could see how a course such as the above might have been relevant to his job.  For example, if you are an executive at, say, Hershey's chocolate, and the price of cocoa is skyrocketing because of chronic underinvestment in cocoa farms, and dry weather, that might be relevant to your quarterly profit.  It doesn't seem to be in the syllabus, but I wouldn't be surprised if one topic is the impact of weight loss drugs on the food industry.  And there are many examples of wars that were started over food.

I roll my eyes about a lot of academic courses, and there are elements of the syllabus that are less interesting to me, but as a whole, I would probably find the course interesting and valuable.  YMMV.

BC

BC, gotta agree with you on this, and hopefully not veering into political discourse. The culture of food and eating is a pervasive and timely topic indeed. Sustainable, Fair Trade, Obesity, etc. etc. are important tenants in today's socio-economic environment. Over the years, my daughter was an actor in a couple of political ads advocating banning vaping and taxing sugary drinks. It's big business.

On another note, I've been to the last two supermarket energy and design conferences and the focus on sustainability was stunning. To be fair, I"ve not looked at the syllabus, but there is a surprising amount of potential curriculum around the food chain. . . .