Study-Unit Description

Study-Unit Description


CODE LAS1005

 
TITLE Health, Food and Lifestyle

 
UM LEVEL I - Introductory Level

 
MQF LEVEL 5

 
ECTS CREDITS 4

 
DEPARTMENT Centre for the Liberal Arts and Sciences

 
DESCRIPTION This Unit has been designed to introduce some salient events in history and to connect the effects these events have had on food preparation and processes through the years.

The effects of lifestyle and work-leisure balance, religious belief, gender, food design, the perception of health and safety, and the effect of media on food selection will also be reviewed.

The unit also includes a review of food perception and phobias to different foods. It will enable students to recall and demonstrate knowledge of the evolution of trends and preferences in food and their effects to health.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Knowledge & Understanding:

By the end of the Unit the student will be able to:
- Recall and understand several milestones in history (e.g. The Crusades, Discovery of the Americas, silk and spice route, Napoleonic wars, WWI & II, accessible air travel) and their effect on the palate and diet;
- Understand the problem of changing food habits;
- Understand trends in food consumption (with reference to agricultural practices);
- Associate gender with food consumption;
- Associate food policy and security with identity and politics;
- Associate food culture choices with the incidents of disease.

2. Skills:

By the end of the Unit the student will be able to:
- Recognize and interpret food trends through the ages and analyse its effect on health, life style and society;
- Characterize nuances of appetite;
- Decipher a meal (cultural and religious belief on food consumption).

Main Text/s and any supplementary readings:

- Toussaint-Samat, M (2009) A History of Food Wiley Blackwell.
- Counihan, C. b., & Van Esterik, P. (Eds.). (2008). Food and culture : A reader (2nd ed.) Routledge.
- Atkins, P., & Bowler, I. (2001). Food in society : Economy, culture, geography Arnold.
- Harris, M. (1986). Good to eat : Riddles of food and culture Allen & Unwin.
- Katz, S. H. i. i. c., & Weaver, W. W.,associate editor. (2002). Encyclopedia of food and culture Scribner's.

 
STUDY-UNIT TYPE Fieldwork, Group Learning, Lecture & Seminar

 
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT
Assessment Component/s Sept. Asst Session Weighting
Presentation (20 Minutes) Yes 40%
Essay Yes 60%

 
LECTURER/S Anna McElhatton (Co-ord.)
Anton Paul Pizzuto

 

 
The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints.
Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice.
It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years.

https://www.um.edu.mt/course/studyunit