Course Description

This 5-week course is devoted to the life and work of distinguished culinary professionals of the recent past and the present who have changed the way we eat, drink, and cook in the United States. We will examine the lives and legacies of innovators Julia Child, Henri Soulé, James Beard, Edna Lewis, and Marion Cunningham. Some are well-known to the public, others less so, but they all have left a long-lasting mark on the food industry and the way American’s think and talk about food.

Course Learning Objectives

By completing the four units of this course, you will:

• Achieve a better understanding of the culinary arts as a relevant field of research and reflection
• Explore recent developments in the U.S. culinary arts, examining various contributing cultural and social factors.
• Identify and evaluate the influence of innovators in the field.
• Acquire critical tools for the analysis of the culinary arts

Where to begin and what to do first

Before starting exploring the course material, please go to the course information page to learn more about how to use this course.

The front page will be your navigation tool. Every week, you will find the links and the directions to navigate each unit’s material and to successfully proceed through the course.

Structure of the Course
 

Get started!

Week 1

Julia Child: The Birth of Food TV

Week 2

Henri Soulé: French Cuisine and the American Culinary Arts

Week 3

James Beard: Defining American Cuisine

Week 4

Edna Lewis: Southern and African-American Culinary Culture

Week 5

Marion Cunningham: The Cookbook as an American Genre