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Skidmore College
First-Year Experience

Scribner Seminar Program
Course Description

From Chocolatl to Chocolate: culture and foodways

Instructor(s): Kristi Peterson, Art History

An interdisciplinary examination of the history of chocolate, its cultural significance, and its introduction into global foodways. Students will engage in a wide-ranging investigation of the Indigenous American origins of what they know as chocolate and the complex historical exchanges that led to its global presence. This class will highlight chocolate’s position within mechanisms of colonialism, visual and material culture, pop culture, and modern business practices, including debates surrounding the ethics of modes of production in the Global South.

Course Offered