KOR 451Food and Foodways in Korea

3 credits · Korean · Penn State

Food is an essential means to live but it is also an important element to tell us about who we are and how we live. Korean cuisine offers rich history and tradition. It is also a gateway to deeply understand and appreciate Korean culture and society in which key ideas of national and individual health and identities, social life, international relations, gender roles and relations, class, and food activism manifest in actual food and ways of preparing and consuming food. This course explores historical, social, cultural, and geographical aspects of Korean food almost entirely in Korean language. By learning Korean food and foodways, students will understand traditions of Korean food; the ways Korean food evolved; the relationship between food and national and individual identity; and ingredients and recipes for some of the representative Korean dishes. Various course materials will be used such as scholarly books and articles, cookbooks, TV cooking shows, films, youtube, culinary tour brochures, etc. Students will have an opportunity to master how to cook a few essential Korean dishes during the course and present their actual cooking process of at least one dish either in class presentation or in video-recording.