UF Center for Latin American Studies
Days/times: Tuesdays
Times: 1:55 - 4:55 pm
Location: Grinter 376
NO PREREQUISITES OR INSTRUCTOR APPROVAL NEEDED FOR REGISTRATION
Do you start your day with coffee? Are you curious to learn about coffee and its controversies? If so, take this course! We will consider the many expressions and ramifications of “coffee culture,” from the farmers who see it as their life, to the roasters and entrepreneurs who know it as a living, to the consumers who can’t imagine life without cups of java. We will explore the historical roots of coffee production and trade, including its roles in nation-building and international power relations, and its implications for environmental and socioeconomic sustainability, social justice, and economic development and its gendered dimensions. Alternatives to conventional coffee production and marketing will be considered, including Fair Trade, direct trade, and certifications (Rainforest Alliance, organic). Given periodic collapses in coffee prices, we will address the impacts of market volatility on producers and other actors. Why do consumers in the United States see little change in coffee prices when international prices fall? We will examine the roles and meanings of coffee in society, media depictions, medical controversies, and coffee-related humor. The course will be run as a seminar. Students are expected to discuss readings and participate in class activities, including a coffee tasting. Evaluation will be based on a fieldwork mini-project, class participation, short writing assignments, and a final project.
ProfessorCatherine Tucker
Associate Director of Academic Affairs
Professor
Center for Latin American Studies
Department of Anthropology
E-mail: tuckerc@ufl.edu
Tel: 352-392-0690
Research interests
Environmental governance, community-based conservation, institutional analysis, climate change adaptation, belief systems, sustainability
Geographic expertise
Central America, Mexico, and Peru
