Embodiment, Food & Environment

Embodiment refers to the connection between mind and body. In various disciplines different theories developed about embodiment. Social-psychologists emphasize mind-body interactions, e.g. feelings-as-information theories or ‘off-line’ mental processes. Such notions are often applied in marketing and consumer studies. Social theories stress socially patterned ways of sensing, informative for understanding how people perceive nature. Anthropologists have theorized about skill-based action helpful to analyse how technologies are used. In philosophy the body is construed by Plato as a prison of the soul, an idea contested in modern philosophy. In the course these and other perspectives are presented and discussed. Cases and examples are selected from food production, cooking, food consumption, nature and environment. Students are encouraged to experience embodiment in concrete activities, for example a walk in nature or prepare and eat food.

Target group

The course is aimed for advanced Master students and PhD candidates in various fields, most prominently the social sciences, environmental sciences, food and nutrition sciences.

Learning outcomes

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

• understand and explain the way mind and body interact
• understand and reflect on how embodiment is conceptualized and applied in different disciplines and scholarly fields;
• evaluate the benefits and limitations of the presented embodiment approaches
• analyse real-life experiences related to food and environment

Activities

Literature study, lectures and tutorials. Tutorials contain assignments to experience and analyse concrete activities, for example a walk in nature or prepare and eat food.

Former occurrences of this course

25 Oct – 2 Dec 2021   |   19-28 May 2020   |   21-31 May 2019   |   15-25 May 2018