552.286 (21W) Topics in American Cultural Studies: The American Story of Meat – Representations and Realities

Wintersemester 2021/22

Registration deadline has expired.

First course session
18.10.2021 14:00 - 17:00 N.0.45 On Campus
... no further dates known

Overview

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it may be necessary to make changes to courses and examinations at short notice (e.g. cancellation of attendance-based courses and switching to online examinations).

For further information regarding teaching on campus, please visit: https://www.aau.at/en/corona.
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

Please note that the currently displayed dates may be subject to change due to COVID-19 measures.
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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

Im Fall von online durchgeführten Prüfungen sind die Standards zu beachten, die die technischen Geräte der Studierenden erfüllen müssen, um an diesen Prüfungen teilnehmen zu können.

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 scheme

Position 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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)
  • 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

Equivalent courses for counting the examination attempts

There is no equivalent course for the purpose of counting examination attempts.