FREN3212 Bon Appetit! From Plate to Palate!

2018

4.5

1 x 2-hour seminar weekly
3 x 4-hour workshops per semester

This topic examines how French gastronomy has evolved over time and remains a fundamental trait of French culture despite globalization. This topic will analyse French cuisine from historical, anthropological, social, and cultural viewpoints. A range of issues such as the influence of modern living, ethical questions, health but also new conceptions of wellbeing and hedonism will be explored. A strong identity marker, French gastronomy remains an area of conflict, battles which go over the strict area of cuisine and reflect contemporary fractures in France, and the world. A range of written, aural and/or visual texts, such as those from the media, literature and cinema, will be incorporated into the topic.

Lectures and materials will be delivered in English.

This topic aims to

• expose students to contemporary cultural and societal issues through the study of French cuisine
• provide opportunities for the development or consolidation of students' background knowledge of French culture
• develop learners' critical and analytical skills through the study of texts, and foster students' involvement in individual research projects

On completing this topic, students will be able to:

• identify the importance of French cuisine, and its connection to French culture and identity.
• articulate issues affecting the evolvement of French cuisine in France today, and identify and discuss some of the precipitating factors
• summarise and illustrate historical, cultural, and social developments related to the themes discussed, and use them as context for the interpretation, comparison and critique of texts
• identify and organise relevant research material in order to produce original spoken and written text in French or English