Courses, Communication Studies Major | Northwestern University School of Professional Studies - Northwestern School of Professional Studies

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COMM_ST 395-CN : Topics in Communication Studies: Food, Communication, and Culture

Description

Food can seem like the most mundane and banal aspect of our everyday lives, but it is much more than the simple sustenance of a meal on the table. In addition to fueling our bodies, it is a powerful form of communication, a means to construct individual identity and to connect with others, and a way to create a shared culture as well as strengthen social ties. Food is also a crucial aspect of modern media production as seen in the explosion of books, magazines, social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, television programs, and feature films devoted to the subjects of cooking and eating. In this seminar, we will explore multiple aspects of food as communication, with the objective of gaining insights into the powerful and prevalent ways that our relationships with food communicate and negotiate our identities and cultures.