Shopping Week, Day Four: Me Want Food!

Sometimes shopping six courses a day can lead to missed meals and hunger pangs during your umpteenth syllabus perusal of the day. In fact, some of you are probably hungry right now. Well, we’ve got just the solution for you! Get your daily serving via one of these food-related courses.

But first, let’s revisit some shopping week highlights of the day. We heard that in African and African American Studies 10: "Introduction to African American Studies," Professor Henry L. Gates Jr. played an attention-grabbing rap about literacy. Though it may sound like a strange convergence of themes, Gates used the song to discuss how during the Enlightenment, literacy was viewed as the link to humanity, and Africans who could not write were seen as less than human.

Professor Joshua D. Greene '97 of Psychology 15: "Social Psychology" employed the gross-out factor to keep students on the edge of their seats today. Apparently, he called three students to the stage and proceeded to give the first one a big hunk of fudge, which was quickly devoured.  He then gave the second girl a piece of the same fudge, but shaped like poop. He made sure to point out this fact, but she ate it after a brief moment of hesitation. The third girl was told to spit in a cup and then drink it, which she, too, did after hesitating. All this was done in the name of a lesson about how automaticity makes us hesitate before rationally deciding to do things that would otherwise be automatically considered repugnant.

Chemistry 17: "Principles of Organic Chemistry" was somewhat livened up today by a runaway green balloon floating aimlessly around Science Center B. Maybe it had been used in a demonstration about electrons or something earlier in the day—or maybe it was just funny.

And now for your delicious courses. Dig in!

1. United States in the World 19: "American Food: A Global History"

Food has defined this country ever since its inception. What’s up with American food policies and choices and how to they connect us to the wider world? Find out in this course! | Tu., Th. 11. Link.

2. Anthropology 1040: "Origins of the Food We Eat"

Learn about the transition from hunter-gatherers to an agricultural lifestyle. Take a bite of many different topics, like botany, zoology, history, and climatology in this course. It's only offered every other year, so catch it now. | M., W., (F.) 11. Link.

3. Science of Living Systems 19: "Nutrition and Global Health"

Analyze nutrition and global health problems in light of society, politics, physiology, and epidemiology. Check out the more serious side of food with discussions of malnutrition and disease in history and the present day. | M. 3-5. Link.

4. Social Analysis 70: "Food and Culture"

Take this to answer all the questions you’ve always wondered about how food influences lifestyles and cultures across the globe. Expect film screenings, ethnographic research, and the chance to study a smattering of dishes from America, Japan, China, Korea, South Asia, Europe, Africa, Portugal, and Latin America. | M., W., (F.) 1. Link.

5. Organismic and Evolutionary Biology 59: "Plants and Human Affairs"

You don't need your mom around to know that veggies are good for you. This course will teach you about those plants that you may or may not love to eat. | M., W. 10. Link.