IDS 100
Second Essay Topics
Length: Same as the first essay
- Prepare a shopping cart of about four or five processed food items (i.e. ones that come in tins, boxes or other kinds of packaging, as opposed to fresh produce) that are produced outside of Canada (and, ideally, outside of the US), but sold at one of the major grocery store chains (Safeway, Sobey’s, Extra Foods). In particular, I’d like you to pick items from smaller, “alternative” companies—organic, all-natural, or independent brands—and compare them in terms of ingredients, nutritional value, and price to major brands. So, for example, instead of Uncle Ben’s rice, you’d go for the bag of jasmine rice from Thailand. Instead of Campbell’s soup, you’d find some organic, vegetarian concoction produced by a small family collective in California. Once you’ve done your comparison, write an analysis of your findings, and consider at least one of the following questions:
- Does being a “globally aware” shopper change your attitudes about buying brand items instead of independent ones?
- What incentives are there to buying from alternative sources (if you choose coffee or tea, this could be an important question)? What disincentives are there?
- How much shelf space is dedicated to the alternative products over the name brands? How are they displayed and/or marketed in the store?
- How are the alternative products packaged? How do they make themselves attractive to consumers?
- How have the major brands tried to undermine the attractiveness of these alternatives (be careful here—sometimes major companies compete with themselves by marketing alternative choices through some other brand. Check the packaging carefully to make sure those smiling hippies on the box aren’t really a creation of Kraft.)
- Find a document (photograph, advertisement, poster, newspaper article, &c.) that depicts “the East” in some way. How does your document use Orientalist stereotypes, either positive or negative? Write a critique of your document, explaining how the document is intended to be used (ie audience), what traditions it builds on, and how this document contributes to our image of the Middle East/South Asia/East and Southeast Asia.
2. A somewhat narrower version of 2: Find an example of a Western appropriation of Asian culture. Consider, for example:
India:
Ayurvedic medicine; yoga, meditation and “export gurus”; popular
culture’s appropriation of Indian music (thank you, George Harrison); Bollywood movies; Western imitations of Indian food (including “curry powder” and overpriced chai!!).
Japan:
Manga, anime, kawaii; Western versions of sushi and other Japanese food; J-pop (and maybe K-pop while you’re at it)—basically, how does the West see (and try to assimilate) Japan’s unique culture.
Explain how Western culture has adopted, appropriated and reworked Asian culture, and why we in the West are so fascinated with Asian “otherness.” What Asian cultures generally get left alone, and why?
