We had a global dinner for the students to talk about global hunger
issues. Good,
but it can take a lot of planning.
I've offered to bake "chirpie cookies" with a
grasshopper
recipe I've got...chopped fresh hoppers...or maybe I could bring in
fried ones like in Oaxaca.
Mmm…Crispy salty snack. (Seriously.) Nobody's
ever
wanted them...but *just offering* led to many students making
“faces”....then to great discussion
about how we literally learn taste, follow "food rules" (e.g.,
pancakes for breakfast, not dinner). This line of discussion, of
course, leads to dialogue
about cross cultural openness and ethnocentrism in regard to how people
do other
things (what they wear, what/who they worship, sexual practices…you
name it.)
Lastly (and, again, ages ago), I did an activity where I gave students
cups of m&ms (peanut and
plain) and smarties. I asked them to sort them in as many ways as
possible....We got lots of options....primary colors vs pastel, oval v
round,
peanut v not, etc...the list got long. (Some
students even sorted candies into "good" vs "bad" with all
the candy in just one group--the good, yummy group!) Believe it or not
from there, we talked about the social (and arbitrary) labeling of
people and
the meaning that has been attached to certain races (although it could
be
relevant for any kind of labeling). I know it sounds a bit odd, but
students seemed to really like it...and it warmed us up for "serious"
discussion about race. Sorry I can't recall details. I
can dig out the directions but this was years ago...done on a
whim....and since
then have moved on to better/newer methods. (I've yet to read the
sneeches to them but have wanted to. Mostly we dive in. BTY, last
term I gave a bonus quiz to the "brown eyeds" and told the blue eyeds
to sit there.. that they didn’t deserve one and would probably fail
anyway. It wasdone on a whim...and I
can't believe they believed I'd do such a thing...but they did! Fantastic responses! I ran into several
students last week who remarked on it...loved it....called home about
it...blogged about it. But I digress...back to food)
Teach Soc has an article about gumballs and
strat. Was that Don Sabo who wrote it? And I recall someone bringing
in a big cake and divding it by "class"...with some students getting
crumbs and others getting big pieces. Do you all remember these?
A compilation sounds good. Great to know about the Soc of Food manual,
too.
Andi
Jackie & Others:
Betsy Lucal & I edited a new (2005) ASA teaching
resources guide on The Sociology of Food that includes
a number of exercises and other teaching techniques
incorporating food. You might find the volume useful.
-Denise Copelton
--- Jacqueline Bergdahl
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas for using food
to teach that they
would be willing to share. I use m&ms to show
students how samples and
populations work and I've used starburst candies to
show the inequality
of wealth distribution. I'd be happy to compile the
results.
Thanks,
Jackie
Jacqueline A. Bergdahl, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Sociology
Wright State University
3640 Colonel Glenn Highway
Dayton, OH 45435
937-775-2272
Fax: 937-775-4228
--------------------------------
Denise A. Copelton, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Sociology
SUNY Brockport
350 New Campus Drive
Brockport, NY 14420
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