About this course
This course looks at the many ties between food and place. What links a particular food to a particular region? How do people come to think of foods as “ours” or “theirs”? Why do certain foods seem more meaningful, more enjoyable, or more ethical, because of their local identity?
To explore these questions, we will examine the constructs of culture and tradition, focusing on how these concepts are shaped by government policy, market dynamics, international organizations, historical narratives, and personal agency. From city markets in Copenhagen to seaside tavernas in Greece, we will employ ethnographic methods and our own bodies as instruments in studying the hidden forces that forge connections between food, identities, and geography.
Syllabus
Summer 2026 (Draft)
Go to syllabusThis is a draft syllabus. The final syllabus will be available here a few days prior to the new course’s first start date.
Faculty
Anders Larsen
FacultyCand.Mag. (History and English Literature and Language, University of Copenhagen, 2008). Research focused on cultural history and visual culture. Teaches Meaning of Style, which is an introduction to semiotic analysis using fashion as a case study, as well as Visual Culture of Cities in the summer. Worked on various projects for DIS relating to cultural competencies and cultural engagement and staff training within the Housing & Student Affairs department. With DIS since 2007.
Aimee Placas
FacultyPhD in Anthropology from Rice University, 2009. Lecturer in the College Year in Athens program in Athens, Greece since 2003. Research and publication interests include the anthropology of consumption, economic anthropology, and gender and sexuality. Most recently co-edited the volume Living Under Austerity: Greek Society in Crisis (Berghahn 2018). With DIS since 2018.