552.286 (21W) Topics in American Cultural Studies: The American Story of Meat – Representations and Realities
Overview
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- Lecturer
- LV Nummer Südostverbund ENM03002UL
- Course title german Topics in American Cultural Studies: The American Story of Meat – Representations and Realities
- Type Proseminar (continuous assessment course )
- Course model Blended learning course
- Online proportion 70%
- Hours per Week 2.0
- ECTS credits 3.0
- Registrations 23 (25 max.)
- Organisational unit
- Language of instruction Englisch
- Course begins on 18.10.2021
- eLearning Go to Moodle course
Time and place
Course Information
Intended learning outcomes
- critical analysis of "meat" discourses in the US-American context
- representations of "meat" in media and literature
- realities related to "meat" (environmental concerns, exploitation of labor, stereotypical constructions of gender, animal rights/welfare concerns, and many other issues)
Teaching methodology including the use of eLearning tools
- lecture, group discussion, student presentations, analysis of core texts
Course content
In many parts of the world, and particularly in the US, eating “meat” is a widespread cultural practice, perfectly inconspicuous and at first sight benign; regarded as normal, natural, and necessary, as part of the American cultural identity, and just “the way things have always been.” This conception is as powerful as it is destructive because it disregards “the holocaust of nonhuman animals,” its role in global ecocide and the climate crisis, and serious threats to human health including the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. For these reasons, it is a phenomenon requiring urgent attention and academic scrutiny, as the images evoked by “meat” in mainstream western societies, including the United States, are very likely variations of these themes: cherished tradition and rural nostalgia, ancestors’ rise in the food chain, healthful nourishment and savory celebration, physical necessity and masculine virility, palatable comfort and taken-for-granted prosperity; modern-day families gathered around “Sunday roasts” and “holiday turkeys,” enjoying “burgers” or “barbeques,” depending on the occasion. The lives of the animals consumed in these ways tend to be imagined in ways reminiscent of “farm life” as illustrated in children’s books and advertising. This illusory conceptualization has become deeply entrenched in the minds of individuals who have internalized myths and half-truths, including that “meat” is what made humans strong and intelligent, that “meat” is the essence of good health and masculinity, and that “the animals” happily embrace their roles as providers of their own flesh. Apart from serious animal rights concerns, however, current levels of “meat” production and consumption as part of the animal-industrial complex can be linked scientifically to serious problems: “Sustainability concerns include, at the very least, direct environmental pollution, greenhouse gas production, human health impacts of consumption and labor, effects on communities, land use priorities, water consumption, zoonotic disease, and ethical questions around the killing of the animals” (Twine 2013, 78) – at the very least, that is. The continued consumption of “meat” has, therefore and with good reason, been called “a socially acceptable form of science denial” (Dutkiewicz, Taylor and Vettese 2020).
Curricular registration requirements
American OR British Culture: History and Society
Literature
available on Moodle
Examination information
Examination methodology
- active participation in classroom activities including giving a presentation
- written test and proseminar paper
Examination topic(s)
- topics and contents covered in class
Assessment criteria / Standards of assessment for examinations
30% presentation: based on materials on Moodle and independent research
30% final test: general questions on all topics
40% final paper: 2,500 -3000words, based on course contents
Grading scheme
Grade / Grade grading schemePosition in the curriculum
- Bachelor-Lehramtsstudium Bachelor Unterrichtsfach Englisch
(SKZ: 407, Version: 17W.2)
-
Subject: Anglophone Cultural History and Theory
(Compulsory subject)
-
ENM.003 Topics in American Cultural Studies (
2.0h PS / 3.0 ECTS)
- 552.286 Topics in American Cultural Studies: The American Story of Meat – Representations and Realities (2.0h PS / 3.0 ECTS) Absolvierung im 4., 5., 6. Semester empfohlen
-
ENM.003 Topics in American Cultural Studies (
2.0h PS / 3.0 ECTS)
-
Subject: Anglophone Cultural History and Theory
(Compulsory subject)
- Bachelor-Lehramtsstudium Bachelor Unterrichtsfach Englisch
(SKZ: 407, Version: 15W.2)
-
Subject: Anglophone Cultural History and Theory
(Compulsory subject)
-
ENM.003 Topics in American Cultural Studies (
2.0h PS / 3.0 ECTS)
- 552.286 Topics in American Cultural Studies: The American Story of Meat – Representations and Realities (2.0h PS / 3.0 ECTS) Absolvierung im 4., 5., 6. Semester empfohlen
-
ENM.003 Topics in American Cultural Studies (
2.0h PS / 3.0 ECTS)
-
Subject: Anglophone Cultural History and Theory
(Compulsory subject)
- Bachelor-Lehramtsstudium Bachelor Unterrichtsfach Englisch
(SKZ: 407, Version: 19W.2)
-
Subject: Anglophone Cultural History and Theory
(Compulsory subject)
-
ENM.003 Topics in American Cultural Studies (
2.0h PS / 3.0 ECTS)
- 552.286 Topics in American Cultural Studies: The American Story of Meat – Representations and Realities (2.0h PS / 3.0 ECTS) Absolvierung im 4., 5., 6. Semester empfohlen
-
ENM.003 Topics in American Cultural Studies (
2.0h PS / 3.0 ECTS)
-
Subject: Anglophone Cultural History and Theory
(Compulsory subject)
- Teacher training programme English (Secondary School Teacher Accreditation)
(SKZ: 344, Version: 04W.7)
-
Stage two
-
Subject: Advanced Culture Studies
(Compulsory subject)
-
SE zu Topics in American Culture Studies (
2.0h SE / 5.0 ECTS)
- 552.286 Topics in American Cultural Studies: The American Story of Meat – Representations and Realities (2.0h PS / 3.0 ECTS)
-
SE zu Topics in American Culture Studies (
2.0h SE / 5.0 ECTS)
-
Subject: Advanced Culture Studies
(Compulsory subject)
-
Stage two
- Bachelor's degree programme English and American Studies
(SKZ: 612, Version: 15W.3)
-
Subject: Fachliches Grundstudium Culture
(Compulsory subject)
-
6.2 Topics in American Cultural Studies (
0.0h PS / 3.0 ECTS)
- 552.286 Topics in American Cultural Studies: The American Story of Meat – Representations and Realities (2.0h PS / 3.0 ECTS) Absolvierung im 3. Semester empfohlen
-
6.2 Topics in American Cultural Studies (
0.0h PS / 3.0 ECTS)
-
Subject: Fachliches Grundstudium Culture
(Compulsory subject)