PROGRAM
Summer Institute
Landscapes of Food, Culture, and Environment
in England
STUDY ABROAD -- Summer Session II
July 8 - 23 2008
PROGRAM
LONDON-BASED TOPICS OF STUDY (July 8 to 15 and July 23)
Geography of pubs:
- significance of pubs as a reflection of broader changes in British society and economy
- pubs and urbanization
- pubs as central places
- changing pub architecture
- pubs and social status
- different types of pubs today
- differences between rural and urban pubs
Geography of cheese:
- an example of the significance of place and region
- cheese as a reflection of variations in the environment
- the survival of small-scale artisan craft cheese production in the context of increasing corporate control in the food industry
- ethical sourcing and food
- the concept of "food miles" -- how far does your food travel to get to you, a major contemporary concern in Britain
- our study includes a trip to cheese producers in the farming region of Somerset/Dorset—see map in header above
Geography of fish and chips:
- a relatively young "tradition"
- the role of changes in transportation in the emergence of fish and chips
- changing patterns of consumption of fish and chips
- food consumption in relation to national identity
- impacts of the growth in popularity of fish and chip on the ocean environment
- the survival of fish and chips restaurants in the context of increasing competition from fast-food outlets, such as McDonalds
- regional variations in consumption patterns
- cod and international relations - the Cod Wars with Iceland
Geography of bananas:
- comparison of banana consumption in the UK with other countries in the EU
- the impact of the European Union on the nature of the UK banana market
- banana import policies as a source of conflict between the US and UK
- the role of transnational corporations and globalization
- increasing control of supermarkets in the British food industry
- impact of UK and EU banana import policies on the lives, agricultural practices, and gender relationships of small-scale farmers in the English-speaking Caribbean islands
Geography of ethnic conflict:
- ethnic conflict in relation to Muslims in Britain
- cultural integration issues
- the impact of economic restructuring on employment opportunities for ethnic minorities
- the importance of mosques as elements of the cultural landscape
- immigration and urban patterns
- Edgware Road, London's center of Arabic businesses
Geography and landscape paintings:
- British landscape paintings as windows on changing cultural perceptions of people’s relationships to their environments
- perceptions of ideal rural settings and traditional country life in art
- the construction of “rural” as a region in art
- Tate Britain museum as the center of British landscape paintings
Geography of gardening:
- the devotion to gardens, gardening, and flowers in British society
- public and private gardens
- the role of culture, politics, and urbanization in the evolution of public gardens
- public gardens and the obligation of British royalty to the public
- the history of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew (just south of London, which we will visit)
- Kew Gardens, environmental policies, and the British Empire
- Kew Gardens as the center of a global network of botanic gardens and the impacts on global economic development
Geography of tourism:
- tourist landscapes and economy
- the imagery of the “traditional” region
- tourism in the picturesque Cotswolds region (which we will visit--see map above), which has been designated officially as an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
- the evolution of the Cotswolds region
- rural-urban linkages
- thatched roofs in houses and social status
LAKE DISTRICT-BASED TOPICS OF STUDY (July 16 to 22)
Glacial Landscapes:
- landforms created by glacial erosion and deposition
- glacial lakes and streams
- patterns of human occupation glacial lowlands
- hazards characteristics of glacial landscapes
- low-intensity field activities to study glacial landscape
Coastal Landscapes:
- coastal processes, especially those associated with high tidal ranges
- coastal landforms, including mudflats, salt marshes, and coastal dune systems
- hazards associated with estuarine environments
- patterns of human occupation and use of estuarine landscapes
- environmental management issues associated with coastal landscapes
Historical, cultural, and economic dimensions of the Northern Lake District region:
- prehistoric stone circles, 5000 BP
- Hadrian’s Wall ,ca. 112 AD, built to protect the Romanized settlements from northern tribes occupying the borderlands with Scotland
- 15th century Tower Houses and Pele Towers associated with "Border Reiver" activities and Anglo-Scottish boundary disputes
- Middle Age monastery, Elizabethan restoration of medieval Castles, and "statesman farmers" properties
- earlier industrial activities, including 12th century mining and 19th century textiles and coal mining
- literary landscapes associated with Wordsworth
