Wednesdays, June 7-28 || 6:30-8:00 PM
People's Food Coop || 3029 SE 21st Ave
Tuition: $100 self-paid, $180 professional development || Limited to 25 students || Scholarships Available

Taught by Dr. Lisa C. Knisely, PhD

Is food a political or a moral topic? How does your social identity –your gender, race, class, ethnicity, cultural heritage, or religion– influence what food you eat and who produces and prepares that food for you? Is there such a thing as “food tourism” or food appropriation? Can only rich white people be "foodies"? Are women naturally better at cooking because they are nurturing? Did feminism kill the homecooked meal? Why are there so few famous women chefs? Do people eat “poorly” because they just don’t know better? Does eating “real food” make you morally or politically virtuous? What does it mean to be an ethical consumer of food?

In this course, we will come together each week to discuss how our social identities and experiences in life help shape our answers to these questions and influence our ideas about food and justice. We will briefly touch on a number of topics including the philosophical definition of justice and the difference between moral and political claims about justice, urban vs. rural divisions in agricultural ethics, classism, sexism, and racism in food justice movements, labor rights in the restaurant industry, and gendered care labor. Readings outside of class will be drawn from both academic and popular sources. Foodies, chefs/cooks, farmers/butchers, and all critical thinkers welcome! 

Week One: Food Ethics Beyond Farm-to-Table

Overview of philosophical concept of “justice” and discussion of key areas of injustice in our food systems with a focus on agricultural food production.

Week Two: Who Cooks and Who Eats – Racial Justice in the Kitchen

Discussion of systemic racism in the restaurant industry and the ideas of cultural exchange and appropriation through cuisine and cooking.
Week Three: Who Cares? Gender, Food, and Labor

Defining what “care labor” is and discussion of the gendered aspects of food preparation. 

Week Four: Thinking Politically, Not Morally, about Food

Discussion of the difference between political claims and moral claims with an eye towards how this distinction can apply to conversations about food justice and social inequality.
 

Lisa C. Knisely holds a PhD in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from Emory University and has taught at Knox College and PNCA. She served as the Editor-in-Chief of Render: Feminist Food & Culture Quarterly and has written for publications such as Bitch, Paste, The Daily Dot, Comestible, Communal Table, and Eater PDX. She is the daughter of a poet and a farmer.