ILC

Storytelling and Social Geography Through Food: Developing a Personal Menu

Narrative: In this eight credit ILC “Storytelling and Social Geography Through Food: Developing a Personal Menu” the student will engage in research surrounding storytelling through and about food, as well as the development of taste through nature and nurture. The research will include chapters from  First Bite by Bee Wilson, Taste What You’re Missing by Barb Stuckey, The Cooking Gene by Michael W. Twitty, Fresh Banana Leaves by Jessica Hernandez, Feasting With Dead Souls by Elizabeth Carmichael and Chloe Sayer, The Soul of a New Cuisine by Marcus Samuelsson, as well as short stories, interviews, and oral histories. The student will then apply this research to develop a personal menu that tells the story of their history and social geography and cook through these recipes to create a storytelling presentation, as well as create a scaled-down version of the activity that can be taught to first and second-year students. 

Learning objective	Activity	Deliverable
To explore examples of food used in and as storytelling.	Using a variety of sources I will explore examples of food used in storytelling of personal histories and life stories, as well as food used as a mode of storytelling and generational connection. This research will include short stories, articles, excerpts from novels, oral presentations, and interviews.	The research will be summarized in a weekly WordPress post.
To explore the nature versus nurture of taste development.	Using chapters from three books, First Bite by Bee Wilson, Taste What You’re Missing by Barb Stuckey, and The Cooking Gene by Michael W. Twitty, I will explore the development of taste and how it develops on both a biological and social-emotional level.	The research will be summarized in a weekly WordPress post.
To develop a personal menu of dishes that tell the story of my personal history, and a lesson plan that would allow me to teach this activity on a smaller scale.	Applying ideas from my research I will develop a personal menu of dishes that tell the story of my life and history with an accompanying presentation with photographs and explanations of my process and reasoning. I will also scale down this activity in a way that allows it to be taught to first and second-year students.	Final presentation with pictures and storytelling elements, and activities for first and second-year students.