2021 – Summer

Eating America: Food Reporting and Writing (Session 2)

Course Number: SS2: JOUR-UA 204.003

Day & Time: Tue/Thu 12:00-3:00pm

Location: Online

Instructor: Mayukh Sen

Albert Class Number: 2825

“Food writing is stepping out. It’s about time. For far too long it’s been the timid little sister of the writing world, afraid to raise its voice.”
— Ruth Reichl, The Best American Food Writing 2018

It’s certainly an exciting time to be a food journalist. Food journalism, like many coverage areas, shifted dramatically in 2020: The pandemic changed the restaurant landscape significantly and exposed the precarious nature of labor in so many food businesses. The public also became privy to the racial and socioeconomic inequities in the industry. This current scenario has thus served as a reminder that food journalism isn’t just a fluffy diversion. There’s always been more to the discipline than recipes and restaurant reviews. The above quote from Ruth Reichl captures the ethos of this course: Food deserves to be taken seriously as a topic of narrative inquiry. Food can serve as a springboard to tell broader stories about politics, labor, and culture.

Over six weeks, you’ll immerse yourself in food journalism’s many forms. You’ll read noteworthy personal essays and profiles of figures who’ve influenced the way consumers cook and eat today. Assignments will include articles, Q&As, and as told to stories. Some of the most vital voices working in food journalism will visit the class as guest speakers, while we’ll also devote time to generative writing and reporting exercises during our sessions.

Throughout the summer, you’ll be working towards a profile of no more than 1,500 words of someone who works in any part of the food industry—a grocery store worker, a delivery driver, a farmer, a restaurant line cook, a chef—who’s been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with two secondary sources. You’ll walk away from this class with a firm understanding that reporting on food, when done with rigor and empathy, can touch on matters that go far beyond the plate.

Notes: Counts as an elective for the journalism major and both journalism minors.