Gastronomy

• MET ML 702: Special Topic: Concepts in Economics and Political Dimensions of Food Production
  Course covers basic concepts in economic and political dimensions of food production, consumption and trade, with emphasis on the global food system.Topics include market and consumption analysis, types of food policy instruments and how these affect consumer food choices, environment, diet, nutrition and health.
• MET ML 704: Special Topic: Cookbooks and History
  Seminar on the use of cookbooks and recipes as historical documents unique to food history. Cookbooks and recipes will be examined from a variety of perspectives: cultural, culinary, social, economic, agricultural, geographical, and comparative.
• MET ML 705: Artisan Cheeses of the World
  An in-depth exploration of the styles and production of cheeses from regions around the world, from their beginnings on the farm to the finished products at the table. 2 cr
• MET ML 706: Representations of Food and Gender in the Media
  This course examines the relationship between food and gender (and gender roles) through an interdisciplinary examination of representations of food in visual culture. It looks at films and TV programs as well as other forms of visual culture (i.e. magazines, cookbooks, advertisements, photography, web pages, etc.). The investigation of these materials is guided by two main objectives: 1) to examine how these visual texts depict the relationship between food and gender; and then, 2) to analyze how these meanings are produced. In class, we watch relevant films and TV programs as well as look at other forms of visual culture. Assigned readings are designed to illuminate both the topics discussed as well as the specific visual material examined. A good portion of class time is given to discussing the readings in combination with a hands-on, in-depth analysis of the visual material.
• MET ML 707: Directed Study
  Students may work with a full-time Boston University faculty member to complete a Directed Study project on a topic relevant to the program. Directed study may also take the form of an internship. This may be completed off campus. These projects must be arranged with and approved by Gastronomy program coordinator.
• MET ML 708: Directed Study
  Prereq: consent of coordinator.
• MET ML 709: Directed Study
  Directed Study - Permission Required.
• MET ML 711: The Many Meanings of Meat
  There is perhaps no foodstuff more prized than meat, and there is none more problematic. Long associated with power, masculinity, vitality, and progress, meat is also linked to imperialism, sexism, speciesism, environmental collapse, foodborne disease, and chronic illness. In this comprehensive overview we will examine meat's many historical, economic, ecological, ethical, and nutritional dimensions. Coursework will include a wide variety of readings, online discussions, written assignments, field trips, and other experiential opportunities. 4 credits
• MET ML 712: The Sociology of Food and Labor
  Course will examine the work of producing food, from agriculture to domestic consumption and everything in between. It will focus on sociological frameworks for thinking about the labor of growing food, transporting it, transforming it into comestibles, and finally serving and cleaning related to food consumption. With some emphasis on the Americas, the course will also consider the way global labor shapes the availability of food for different populations. It will also include a substantial analysis of gender, race, and social class as factors in the division of food labor. Readings and discussion will touch on migrant labor, domestic cooking, waiting and serving, growing and butchering, cooks and chefs, and more. Course is structured around three meetings and online instruction.
• MET ML 713: Agricultural History: a Survey of Agriculture form the Pre-Historic Period to the Modern Period
  This course examines the history of agriculture within a broad interdisciplinary context with discussion of the relationships between the environment, populations, cultures, technologies, economics, and politics as they shape agricultural history. Emphasis on food production within different civilizations and continents from the prehistoric period to the modern era. 4 cr
• MET ML 714: Urban Agriculture
  Growing food in urban contexts raises interesting questions about food access, nutrition education, perceptions of public spaces and the place of nature in the urban environment. This course focuses on urban agriculture in Boston and a number of case studies from around the globe. Students visit gardens, learn basic cultivation skills through hands-on activities, and study the social and cultural sides of urban agriculture, as well as the political and city planning aspects of urban agriculture projects. 4 cr.
• MET ML 715: Experiencing Food Through the Senses
  This course is an interdisciplinary exploration of the sensory foundations and implications of food. We will study the senses as physical and cultural phenomena, the evolving concepts of terroir and craft, human nutritional and behavioral science, sensory perception and function, and the sensory and scientific aspects of food preparation and consumption. Understanding these processes, constructions and theories is key to understanding a vast array of food-related topics; cheese-making, wine-tasting, fermentation, food preservation, culinary tools and methods, cravings and food avoidance, sustainability and terroir, to name just a few.
• MET ML 720: Food Policy and Food Systems
  This course presents frameworks and case studies that will advance participants' understandings of U.S. and global food systems and policies. Adopting food-systems and food-chain approaches, it provides historical, cultural, theoretical and practical perspectives on world food problems and patterns of dietary and nutritional change, so that participants acquire a working knowledge of the ecology and politics of world hunger and understand the evolution of global-to-local food systems and diets. Global overview of world food situations will be combined with more detailed national and local-level case studies and analysis that connect global to local food crisis and responses.
• MET ML 800: Masters Project
  Students nearing the completion of their degree requirement for the MLA in Gastronomy may register for the Masters Project. This graduation requirement is available for students who entered the MLA program during or after Fall 2009. The Masters Project must be completed under the direction of a full-time Boston University faculty member. The coordinator of the Gastronomy program must approve a topic, outline, bibliography and schedule for the project. Please contact the program coordinator for further details and guidelines. Students must also concurrently enroll in ML 802. 2 cr.
• MET ML 801: Masters Thesis
  Students nearing the completion of their degree requirement for the MLA in Gastronomy may register for the Masters Project. This graduation requirement is required for students who entered the MLA program before Fall 2009. The Masters Thesis must be completed under the direction of a full-time Boston University faculty member. The coordinator of the Gastronomy program must approve a topic, outline, bibliography and schedule for the project. Please contact the program coordinator for further details and guidelines. 4 cr.

Back to full list of Courses