Students at the University of Utah’s Asia Campus (UAC) in Korea participated in two food studies courses in Spring and Fall semesters of 2021. From harvesting peppers at Bear Foot Gardens to designing food-themed board games, the class engaged students in an exploration of the humanities through our stomachs. Readings, films, guest lectures, and a multitude of projects tackled the following questions:
- How does food shape our identities?
- How do we engage with the food system?
- How have histories of foods been shaped by war, immigration, industrialization, and climate change?
- How does the media impact our relationship with food?
- and more…
As an American university taught in Korea with students from both countries, our goal was to approach food from a transnational perspective. As we explored over the course of the semester, our food memories are constructed and reconstructed daily through the meals we cook, the restaurants we visit, the games we play, and the stories we share with one another over a bowl of ramen.
On this page you’ll learn more about the course and our food studies projects at Utah Asia Campus.
Kera Lovell, Ph.D. 