6 ECTS credits
150 u studietijd
Aanbieding 1 met studiegidsnummer 4015486FER voor alle studenten in het 2e semester met een gespecialiseerd master niveau.
Eating food is not only a biological necessity: food and eating are phenomena that pervade every aspect of any society, past or present. The production, distribution and consumption of food are therefore key elements of socioeconomic differentiation. This course will explore a plethora of different aspects of diet, nutrition and living standards in the Graeco-Roman world and deal with diverse topics ranging from political economy, demography and food supply of cities and armies, to religion and rituals, taboo, gender, culinary history, and farming and food processing techniques. The students will both study the ancient textual sources as well as secondary historical literature. In addition, they will also be introduced to archaeological subdisciplines such as archaeobotany, archaeozoology and ethnoarchaeology, which are increasingly important to study of food in the ancient world. Furthermore, the course will include a Roman crop processing and cooking practicum, an on-campus lab excursion, and the opportunity to engage with material remains from antiquity.
The main reading material, consisting of recent articles and chapters in monographs (all in English), is made available through Canvas.
The master course ‘Food and Society in Classical Antiquity’ is designed to provide a general appreciation of social, economic and political aspects of diet and nutrition, the food supply and consumption. Upon completion, the students will be able to analyse the key social, political, and economic issues associated with the production and distribution of food, as well as the main historical and archaeological sources and methods in studying diet and nutrition in the ancient world. The course will provide the analytical tools to study and interpret primary sources and modern debates independently. Furthermore, the course will train the student in practical research and writing skills as well English language competency.
De beoordeling bestaat uit volgende opdrachtcategorieën:
Examen Mondeling bepaalt 100% van het eindcijfer
Binnen de categorie Examen Mondeling dient men volgende opdrachten af te werken:
The course does include an oral exam in which the student can show his understanding of the nature of the various sources available to study diet, nutrition and living standards in the ancient world and of the modern debates on this topic. Equally important is the ability of the student to criticise modern approaches and to go beyond the conclusions of the arguments and conclusions of the modern publications that are read and discussed as part of the course. Therefore half of the grade is assessed on the basis of the student’s active participation in the form of written essays and discussion.
Because the course is designed to enable students to learn from each other, active presence is mandatory. If students are absent in more than two meetings, an extra task will have to be written as compensation. If this extra task does not receive a pass mark, the student willl earn a 0 on the paper.
Dit studiedeel maakt geen deel uit van vastgelegde afstudeervereisten. Het is aldus een vrij keuzevak.