Politics of Jewish Food

POLITICS OF JEWISH FOOD

Spring 2016

Professor Richard K. Scher

204 Anderson Hall

352-273-2356

Office Hours:

Tuesday 5th and 6th period

Thursday 6th period

and by appointment

CLASS SYLLABUS

Central questions of the course:

1) What is Jewish Food?

2) What makes food Jewish?

3) What are the consequences of Jews eating non-Jewish food?

Topics:

The bases of Jewish food:

1) Dietary Laws – Kashrut

Are Jewish dietary laws unique?

2) Traditions

3) Geography

4) Economics and Poverty

5) Discrimination against Jews

The variety of Jewish food:

1) The Ashkenazi tradition

2) The Sephardic tradition

Relationship between the two

3) Jewish food of the Diaspora

Central Asia
Russia
India and China
Africa
Latin America
North America

The Role of food in Jewish culture – why is food so central to Jewish experience everywhere?

1) Jewish food in everyday life

2) Jewish food and Jewish holidays

3) Jews and restaurants/eating out/vacations

4) Jews and non-Jews sharing food/meals

Survey of traditional Jewish foods – for example Pastrami, hummus, Gefilte fish, bagels, bialys, falafel, shawarma, babka, kugle, latkes, stuffed cabbage etc. – and their many variations.

Modern Jewish food and cooking – US, London, Israel

Classes – students are expected to attend class regularly, and come prepared to participate actively in our community of scholars. Students are expected to read the required materials in advance of class, and come prepared to use them as a vehicle for discussion. Attendance will NOT be taken, but students are responsible for everything that happens in class whether present or not. Likewise they are responsible for ALL of the information on the syllabus. In particular, students must pay careful attention to due dates for written assignments – in this class, NO LATE PAPERS will be accepted under any circumstances except for excused absences as listed by UF. Early submission of written work is always acceptable and welcome. Students should take advantage of the instructor's office hours to discuss issues with him.

Absences from Class -

· The instructor firmly believes that students have a right to make choices about how they spend their time, including coming to class. He is not a policeman, he does not take roll, he comes to class every day to provide, as best he can, observations and insights into Money and Politics, and to discuss with and among students why the topics of this course are valuable to them.

· Those who feel that this is a worthwhile use of their time are invited to attend regularly, and to become full participants and partners in the intellectual journey the class offers.

· But the instructor is well aware that students have competing demands on their time. They need to decide whether or not those competing demands are more valuable to them than coming to class, or if some seeming obligation outside of class obviates or takes precedence over the need to attend. The decision is the students’ alone, and entirely.

· Thus, it is not necessary to ask the instructor’s permission to miss class, because he cannot give it. It is not necessary to inform the instructor about an absence, because that is the student’s business, not his.

· Nor is it good student practice to ask, in the event of an absence, if he/she missed anything “important.” The instructor designs each class with the idea that the topic of the day is important; otherwise, why bother?

· And what students need always to remember is that their choice of how they will use their time has consequences. The instructor urges students to think them through before deciding to miss class.

NOTE: NO CLASSES OR OFFICE HOURS WILL BE HELD JANUARY 5 OR JANUARY 7. OFFICE HOURS WILL RESUME ON JANUARY 19.

Examinations – there is no midterm exam in this course. There is a cumulative and comprehensive take-home final examination of the essay variety, based on readings, class materials, films, etc. It will be handed out on the last day of class, Tuesday, April 19 and e-mailed to students via the list serve later in the day. It will be due the following Tuesday, April 26, at noon in the instructor’s office. NO LATE PAPERS WILL BE ACCEPTED WITHOUT the prior approval of the instructor, subject to the stipulation below.

READINGS:

Students should purchase the following three books:

· Pastrami on Rye by Ted Merwin (NYU Press, 2015)

· Kosher: Private Regulation in the Age of Industrial Food by Timothy Lytton (Harvard University Press, 2013)

· Jerusalem: A Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi (Ten Speed Press, 2012)

Additional readings:

· An extensive list of articles, chapters, and short materials from the electronic and print media (most of which can be found online) which will be distributed via the class list serve and for which students will be responsible; there will be a substantial number of such readings.

o NOTE: These will be posted to the class list serve as they become relevant to the topic considered in class. Students are expected to read the pieces ASAP as they are sent out. The instructor usually will announce in class when he is sending out readings, but he may forget to do so. Again, students should watch their inbox regularly for arrival of readings as well as other announcements.

VIDEOS

· As time and relevance allow, videos of a documentary nature will be shown.

REQUIREMENTS: Students will be expected to satisfy the following course requirements:

· Comprehensive take-home final exam. (As described above)

· Individual projects – all students must complete two individual projects:

1) A critical review/reaction paper to the book Kosher by Timothy Lytton

o Paper should be 3-5 pages (printed, doublespaced)

o Due Date: March 8, 2015; late papers are not accepted without prior approval of the instructor;

2) A written-up conversation with an elder – an older family member, friend of family etc., about what Jewish food was for them and what it meant in their household.

o Paper should be 3-5 pages (printed, doublespaced)

o Due Date: April 12, 2015; late papers are not accepted without prior approval of the instructor;

· A group project – all students must join a group which will make, eat, photograph and discuss Jewish holiday meal. (Further details will be offered in class.)

o Due date: April 19, 2015, last day of classes.

o Note: In the past one or another student has not joined a group. The instructor allowed them to complete the assignment individually. THIS IS NO LONGER THE CASE. Failure to join a group and participate actively results in a grade of ZERO (0) for the assignment. NO EXCEPTIONS, don’t even ask.

Criteria for Grade:

· Group project - 30%

· Individual projects – 40% (@20 %)

· Final examination – 30%

Grading Scale:

· 90-100: A

· 80-89: B

· 70-79: C

· 60-69: D

· <60: E

· +/- grades will be awarded at the margins (for example, 78/79 is a C+; 77 is a C; 80-82 receives a B-, 83 is a B).

NOTE: All written assignments MUST be given to the instructor as hard copies. He cannot download and print them. Anything sent as an attachment will NOT be accepted. Sorry about this, it’s a logistical and budget issue.

NOTE: Because of budget constraints, there is no hard-copy version of this syllabus. Nor is it posted on any website. There is only the e-version. Please download it or preserve it in some way so you will have ready access to it.

NOTE: help is available on campus for students having trouble coping, for whatever reason. Please see the instructor for suggestions and referrals – he will not pry into your affairs, but will try to guide students needing assistance to the right place.

NOTE: students with disabilities or other recognized/protected conditions should