RSSS 305 - Russian and American Foodways: Cultivation, Culture, and Connectedness

Although Arizona and Russia have vastly different climates, cultures, and histories, there are more shared traditions of food cultivation, preparation, and consumption than we might assume. This is a comparative course in Russian and Sonoran foodways that not only explores food preferences, recipes, and cooking as part of human identity but also examines power structures behind food economies; the significance of ancient recipes and remedies in indigenous cultures; and the effect of oppressive policies/ideologies, such as colonialism or communism, on foodways. This course offers an in-depth study of food culture, traditional cuisine, agriculture, and "locavore" movements in Russian and American (particularly Sonoran) contexts. Through a variety of readings, films, lectures, and experiential learning activities, students will investigate how foodways serve as markers of inequalities or oppression (but also resistance and liberation) that inevitably leave a deep imprint on cultures, with additional emphasis on contemporary issues of sustainability, environmental impact, and global interconnectedness.