Overview

Schedule

"Elements of Religion"

Team Activities

Writing Assignments

> Activities

> Observation Reports

> Source Analysis

Extra Credit

iFAQs

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Observation Reports --> Worship & Food Culture

During the first half of the course, the Worship Report describes your observations and interviews among participants at a local worship site. During the second half of the course, the Food Culture Report describes your observations and the stories of those who sell you food from a local farm, and your experience of sharing that food with others or eating it in solitude. These reports also relate your observations to those documented in related course readings. You write for a peer (vs. a specialist) who is unfamiliar with the topic, since half a dozen student observation reports will be assigned as readings for application exercises in Units 2 & 4 and for the final TRA.

IMPORTANT: for the Worship Report, you must observe formal worship at one of the times listed under Local Sites, not simply visit the site and talk to people. Although you may at other times have interesting informal interactions with community members there, it will be difficult to tell what they normally do when outsiders are not present based exclusively on such interactions. There is more flexibility in your choice of farmer's market or farm stand for the Food Culture report, although you should *choose a location that is within 100 miles of your home.*

Extra Credit

Up to ten (10) points of extra credit may be given for any report that reflects thorough reading of ONE of the ADDITIONAL sources listed below, SUBSTITUTED for those listed under "Related Sources" in C(ii) of the worksheet and integrated into your final product (step 3).

IMPORTANT: Make sure to hand-write "PLEASE CONSIDER FOR EXTRA CREDIT" at the top of your paper if you wish you report to be considered.

for Units 1-2 --> Any 20-25 page chapter from these books (@ RBR):

  • Toussaint-Samat, A History of Food
    (--> search index for India, China, middle ages, middle east & European countries)
  • Counihan & Esterik, Food & Culture
    (--> chapters on Asian cultures, middle eastern & European cultures)
  • K.C. Chang, Food in Chinese Culture
  • Sterckx, Of Tripod & Palate
  • "Eat, Food, Man Woman" (@ LMC)
  • Fick, Food, Farming & Faith
  • Bynum, Holy Feast & Holy Fast, chapters 7-10
  • Garn, Cities, Peasants & Food in Classical Antiquity

Unit 3-4 --> for Food Culture Report

  • [TBA]


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