UNST 126K

Spring 2015
Project 2: Food History
Due: Thursday, May 7, by noon
Mandatory Draft Due: Thursday, April 30, in mentor session
Imagine for a moment if we once again knew, strictly as a matter of course,
these few unremarkable things: What it is we're eating. Where it came from.
How it found its way to our table. And what, in a true accounting, it really
cost.
Michael Pollan, The Omnivores Dilemma
In The Omnivores Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals, Michael Pollan
undertakes the ambitious task of tracing the origins and the true cost of the
foods we eat. Inspired by Pollans example, your midterm project asks you to
undertake your own natural historical investigation of a foodstuff to reveal
its origins, cultural significance, and its costnot just financial but also
environmental, political, and medical.
Choose one food item, and research the history of its production, distribution,
and consumption. This should include not only a social history of your foods
origins, how your food became popular, where it comes from, how it is grown
or produced; but also an analysis of the political, environmental, economic,
human health, and cultural significance of this product or commodity over its
history. Your food can be a simple commodity (sugar, coffee, tea, potatoes,
turkey, pepper, quinoa), a product (chocolate, beer, Coke, corn flakes), or
a dish (pizza, burritos, apple pie, chiken tikka masala), but you should
choose something with a rich and interesting history that most people may
not be aware of, ideally a product with lots of effects on many kinds of people
and environments. If you select a dish (say, pizza) with more than one
ingredient, you should also consider the origins and implications of each
major ingredient (how much water is needed to produce one pizza? What is
the environmental impact of dairy farming to produce the cheese? How did
pizza sauce come about?). Also be careful not to choose a foodstuff that is
too broad (something like rice, or even bread, might be too widespread to
be easily analyzed in a short essay)your essay should have a clear
narrative and a sense of unity, rather than just presenting a list of facts or
dates, and should also be specific and focused enough to present a coherent
narrative.
To reiterate, you should think of your essay as presenting an argumentyou
need to develop a thesis, present evidence, and use logical and rhetorical
strategies to prove your case. Why is your foodstuff a good case study for
analyzing the truecost of the foods we eat? Which is the most significant
hidden cost youve uncovered (is it environmental, or medical, or perhaps
cultural, for example)? In developing your thesis, look for patterns or

especially important connections amongst the historical facts you have

discovered, then find a way to clearly and effectively articulate these
connections. It is not enough to simply describe a historical chronology; you
also need to try to connect these dates and developments to the social,
political, cultural, environmental and/or economic context(s) in which these
events take place. Work on giving your essay a strong sense of unity by
connecting the beginning and the end and making sure the relevance of each
part to the whole is evident.
While it is ok (but not required) to include a brief personal anecdote or
commentary, perhaps as a way of explaining why you chose your particular
foodstuff, you should avoid personal opinions or narratives as much as
possible.
The essay should be no less than 4 pages long; around 5 pages is optimal.
Your essay must include reference to at least two scholarly sources, but may
refer to additional non-scholarly sources of your choice.
Be sure to use MLA citation style to properly acknowledge these sources,
whether you use direct quotations or paraphrase, and to draw on Graff &
Birkensteins templates for framing other writers ideas with your own
words.
Use a standard 12-point font and 1 margins, and give your essay an
interesting and descriptive title.
Pay careful attention to paragraph breaks, organization of ideas, and logical
flow; and carefully proofread your essay for grammar, spelling, punctuation,
and clarity. You are strongly encouraged to visit the Writing Center for
assistance with drafting and revising your essay.

Mandatory draft due: Thursday, April 30, in mentor session. You must bring a
draft of your paper to mentor session that day to receive full credit
for the assignment. Failure to submit a draft and participate in draft
workshop will result in a 10% penalty on your paper grade.
Due date:
Tuesday, May 7, by noon. Submit your essay via the D2L
Dropbox in .doc or .pdf
format.