RSO-12806 Eating, Customs and Health

Course

Credits 6.00

Language of instruction:

Dutch

Contents:

A healthy live is highly appreciated in modern life and personal health has become a major public concern. This course explores identities around food on the one hand, and the context of everyday eating practices and customs on the other, doing so from a health perspective. It examines the complex relations between personal and public health concerns, eating patterns and customs. The course provides students with the tools and skills required to analyse and understand issues of (public) health, eating and customs across different geographical and cultural settings. The increased interconnectivity and mobility of people, goods and eating customs at global scale raises new issues and poses new health challenges. In the course we specifically focus on interview techniques, and on working with and analysing the data obtained through interviews.

Learning outcomes:

After successful completion of this course students are expected to be able to:

- contextualize individual health problems and related issues in a broader social and cultural framework;
- understand how the experience of health and eating is shaped by social and cultural contexts;
- critically reflect on eating, customs and public health concerns and public health interventions;
- analyse data obtained through interviews, use the analysis to answer a research question, and report on the results.

Activities:

- lectures;
- tutorials;
- group assignments.

Examination:

- written exam with open questions (50%);
- group assignments (50%).
To pass a minimum mark of 5.5 is required for both components.

Literature:

We will use scientific publications in this course. These will be made available through Blackboard.