French

Learning Culture through Cuisine

Larry Kuiper, Associate Professor

Course: FRENCH 192 SEM 001

Class Number: 40587

Credits: 3 HU

Time: 2:00-3:15 p.m.

Place: CRT 119

Course Description:

"You are what you eat." This old saying has an equivalent in many languages, and it is no surprise that when anthropologists study cultures, old and new, they look first at how those cultures eat. So what does the way you eat say about your culture? Is it different from your parent's? Your friend's? What does the word "cuisine" mean? How is "cuisine" different from just plain old "food?" What is a national cuisine? How will some of the answers to these questions help us understand cultures that are different from our own? How will they help us understand our own culture? What effect does globalization have on how we might answer these questions now and in the future?

Work Involved:

In this course, we will explore these questions and others concerning how we define ourselves at the table and on the plate. We'll use Milwaukee's vast culinary resources to find some of our answers, and we'll also look at cuisine and food as they are treated in film and print. The ultimate goal of the course will be to develop a framework for understanding the complex personal and social issues that relate to food and food practices. You should also know that, even though this course is called "French 192", NO French language skills are required.

About the Instructor:

Larry Kuiper received his M.A. and PhD. in French from Michigan State University and has been teaching at UWM since 1998. Along with coordinating the lower-division French language program, he teaches courses ranging from beginning level French to graduate seminars in language teaching. He publishes primarily in the field of French linguistics. In a prior life, before graduate school, he made his living by running restaurant kitchens. He is a huge fan of the 3-hour meal, but has been spied eating a burger and fries on many occasions as well.