In lieu of a final exam, you will write a 3-5 page (max) paper (double-spaced, size 12, Times New Roman or similar font) that articulates a critical perspective on how American foodways reflect cultural, scientific, and social processes at work in Western E culture. Your bibliography/references do not count towards the total page count; in other words, your paper should be minimum 3, maximum 5 pages of body text, and your bibliography should constitute one or two more additional pages.
You will do this in the form of a proposal for ‘America Eats I|’ (a contemporary version of the original America Eats project, which you have been reading about this term in the Kurlansky book). Your proposal should: Tell me what kind of organizational framework you will apply. (If regional, what will you do with Alaska, Hawaii, and US territories? If you won’t organize by region, how will you do it?) Also tell me what kinds of entries you would include and explain how these are useful for understanding American culture and society.
In other words, if you were going to re-do the America Eats project, how would you approach it? What facets of American life would you highlight and why? What would you do that’s like the original? What would you do that’s different? Now tell me about it in writing while showing me you’re familiar with course ideas and materials and using outside sources to highlight how things have changed since the original project.
Make sure to cite your sources. These should include BOTH the Kurlansky and Wallach texts, and any other materials you use to illustrate your approach to America Eats II. CMS author-date style B› is standard in American anthropology, but other styles (e.g. APA B, MLA B) are acceptable too so long as they are followed consistently and correctly.
