RELI 381 - Feasting, Fasting, Farming: Religion and Ritual through Foodways

Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)

Food is central to religious life, from rituals of worship, to social and environmental ethics, to the transmission of regional cultures and traditions. Food practices and prohibitions have been used to define religious boundaries and to articulate moral and spiritual understandings of the human body. Sharing food as an act of service and sociability has structured religious institutions around the world. Food scarcity, famine, food waste, and other structural features of global food production and distribution are central matters of religious concern and engagement. This course explores global religions and the analytical categories of religious studies through the role of food – growing it, preparing it, eating it, abstaining from it, and sharing it with others. The readings and site visits address Islam, Judaism, Christianity, South Asian religions, and indigenous religions of the Americas. Students develop independent research projects on foodways of their choice. The course includes several required field trips to farms and other sites in the Hudson Valley, and hands-on experience researching, preparing, and sharing food. Kirsten Wesselhoeft.

Prerequisite(s): One course in Religion.

One 2-hour period.

Course Format: INT