All 8 of the resources that must be used for this research paper are uploaded here (BIBLIOGRAPHY). The FINAL PAPER prompt is on the syllabus. I know that it is not very specific, but the main components are the basic requirements (12 font, double spaced, 3,000 words minimum etc.). Also, the professor is an Indigenous Scholar, so she wiill be grading this paper STRICTLY. Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions at all. Indigenous Food Cosmologies Spring 2022

Instructor
Mariaelena Huambachano
Assistance Professor, Religion – Native and Indigenous Studies Office Hours: Thursday 12pm-1:30pm and by appointment Email: [email protected]

Course Schedule and Location
TuTH 2-320pm
School of Management 302

Course Description

?It could plausibly be argued that changes in diet are more important than changes of dynasty or even of religion.? (George Orwell 1937: 82)

?The first step begins with the seeds, because they carry the memory and wisdom of how to survive.? (Caduto and Bruchac 1996:10)

Food has culture, history, and stories. This course will take you on a thrilling journey of exploring the larger context of food relationships between Native communities in the U.S and other Indigenous peoples living in settler-colonial societies such as Aotearoa New Zealand, and Peru. Around the Western world, ?eating local? has become a trend and a call for action against a globalized food system that pollutes the environment, oppresses small farmers and contributes to chronic illness. In many Native and Indigenous communities, the renewed push to “eat local” is more often based on reviving a traditional food culture that has been affected by alienation from the land and a shift to modern culture. This course will explore Indigenous cosmovision/worldviews to understand their distinctive philosophies of well-being guiding their traditional food systems and the struggles they often face in preserving their ways of life and treaty- guaranteed foodways. We?ll examine the Native communities’ connections with territories, resources, and efforts to protect their TEK about food systems in modern society and the creative ways in which Indigenous peoples are revitalizing their foodways and taking control of their well- being.

COURSE STRUCTURE

In order to optimize this experience, this class combines interactive lectures with in-class group discussions. The course is complemented with a compilation of the most up-to-date reading materials. In the interest of fostering better discussion, you must read all material assigned.I listed all the readings in the syllabus and provided links to them in most cases. You are responsible for all of the readings listed for each week and you are expected to come to class ready to discuss and ask questions. Experts in the field of study will be invited as guest lectures to the course to extend the dialogue about the specific key topic being studied. Because it is an interactive seminar, this

course adopts an innovative group discussion which I named the ?knowledge traveler? cafe approach. It is a fun, effective, simple, and flexible format for hosting a group dialogue.

Office Hours: My office is room 318 in the Tolley Hall, my office hours are Thursdays from 12:30-1:30 and by appointment if you have another class during that time. I hope you will visit during my office hours?it is a chance to talk about the course, assignments, group work, paper topics, or whatever else you would like to discuss. You do not need to have a problem to visit. If you find yourself having difficulties with any of the assignments, however, I definitely want to see you; I may be able to help.

GRADING SUMMARY
10% Attendance and participation (is mandatory and will be taken at each session) 25% Knowledge Traveler Caf? (Weekly short assignments)
20% Response paper (Essay) due 10th March 2022 (Guidelines to follow) 10% Paper Topic Proposal due 12th April 2022
35% Final Paper due May 10 2022 (Guidelines to follow)

100% TOTAL

Attendance and Participation (in class discussion): 10%

Attendance will be taken each day and comprise a part of the in-class participation grade. The other half will be based on posts every Tuesday to the Blackboard site (weekly readings digest) as part of the ?Knowledge Traveler ?exercise. The class format is dependent on everyone doing the reading and feeling comfortable speaking up about their own interpretations of the material, and more importantly, aspects of the readings that you did not understand. We will all work together to foster a safe place to grapple with challenging ideas and concepts, and I ask you to please always be respectful in your comments during discussion. Working through the material together in this way will go a long way to helping us digest the course material. Part of this is obviously coming to class prepare to ask questions, engage the reading materials and actively participate in class discussions to receive full credit for in-class participation.

Tuesday class lectures will be dynamic incorporating in-class discussions, activities, film/documentary clips, and guest lectures. I will present the information you need to understand about food cosmologies and the major issues facing Indigenous communities in relation to access to healthy foods, including sovereignty, education, natural resource use, and activism. The in-class discussions will adopt a vibrant, flexible and engaging group approach, for example the world caf? and wisdom panel methods.