This course will focus on the social implications and cultural meanings of food. Topics to be covered include: ecology, food and foodways, diffusion of food; cultural uses of food; table manners; social relations, gender and the construction of identities through food; commensality and social relations; food taboos and food symbolism; globalization and localization of fast food; the continuity and discontinuity of traditions; concepts of fi tness, beauty and medical beliefs in the production and consumption of food; and food security. We will explore the role of the state, popular culture, and individual agency in the change in foodways.