Daily Schedule Fall 2018
Units 1—Bourbon—the Histories, Myths, and Making of America’s Native Spirit
In this unit students will learn about Bourbon’s “mythic” history, who has told it, who gets featured, who gets left out, and the importance of rectifying for both Bourbon’s flavor and image profiles.
- Major projects: a brand/social media analysis presentation, and the authoring of a personal vita and writerly mission statement.
- Field research: Distillery Tour at Town Branch, Justin’s House of Bourbon
- Concepts/Learning Outcomes: Define and Analyze bourbon’s brand, develop a tasting vocabulary (apply to chocolate), working knowledge of Bourbon’s “Golden Age”
- Suggested writing exercises: draft memoir/memory related to your first encounter with Bourbon or its mythology, practice a “tasting notes” essay using Bourbon chocolates,
Week 1: Introductions
Thurs. Aug. 23
Welcome and Introductions
Resume/Mission Statement Assignment Distributed
Week 2: Lexington and Kentucky’s Brand
Tues. Aug 28
Exercise: Describe Bourbon, bourbon drinkers, Kentucky—paint as vivid a picture as possible.. .with your words (250-500) words
Kentucky Distiller’s Association
https://kybourbon.com/
*pay careful attention to “About Us,” “Bourbon Culture,” and “Heritage Tabs”
City of Lexington’s tourism page
https://www.visitlex.com/
*pay careful attention to the “Things to Do” tab and it’s dropdown menu on the left-hand side
Who is included? How are they imagined?
The Perfect Lexington, KY Itinerary by Ashlea Halpern (Conde Next) October , 2016
https://www.cntraveler.com/story/the-perfect-lexington-ky-itinerary
Lexington Weekend Escape by Wanda MacKenny (Southern Living)
https://www.southernliving.com/travel/south-central/lexington-kentucky-weekend-vacation
Visit Lex Bourbon Itinerary
https://www.visitlex.com/about/discover/bourbon/itinerary/
Exercise/Study Questions: What are the key components to itinerary-based travel writing? Who is the audience? How do you know? How would you rewrite one of these itineraries for a different audience? What is Lexington’s “brand”? Kentucky’s?
Thurs. Aug. 30
Resume/Mission Statement Due
Noah Rothbaum’s The Art of American Whiskey Chapters 1-3
“The Late 1800s and Early 1900s” 1-5
“Prohibition” 25-47
“Life after Temperance” 47-63
Reid Mitenbuler’s Bourbon Empire: Introduction “Beneath the Char” 1-12
“Straight Bourbon. Or Possibly Gay. Whatever” by Garrett McChord July 24, 2014
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/garrett-mccord/bourbon-straight-or-possi_b_5615912.html
Archival Brands—(professor’s presentation)
Exercise/Study Questions: Key components to bourbon branding—what are they? What do they tell us about Bourbon’s imagined market? Who’s missing? Why? How can we begin to change this image?
Brand/Social Media Analysis Assignment Distributed
Extra credit opportunity: Hidden Histories: Uncovering Black History in the Bluegrass
6-7 pm Lexington Public Library
https://www.facebook.com/events/254307291866330/
140 E. Main Street
Week 3: Bourbon’s Jewish Heritage
Tues. Sept. 4
Carla Harris Carlton’s Barrel Strength Bourbon: The Explosive Grown of America’s Whiskey (chapters 1-2) p. 1-54
“The Jewish Origin of Kentucky’s Bourbon” (Atlantic Monthly) May 12, 2015 by Reid Mitenbuler
https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/05/the-jewish-origins-of-kentucky-bourbon/392408/
“The Jews in Jim Beam’s Family Tree” by Joshua London
http://washingtonjewishweek.com/35982/the-jews-in-jim-beams-family-tree/arts/lchaim/
“Jewish Kentucky” (from the Institute for Southern Jewish Life’s Encyclopedia)
http://www.isjl.org/kentucky-encyclopedia.html
Excerpts from oral history interviews: click “description” to read summaries and then listen to the following selections:
Larry Kass, (especially minutes 31-50) https://kentuckyoralhistory.org/catalog/xt7z348gj711
Max Shapira (especially minutes 14-18, 57-61) https://kentuckyoralhistory.org/catalog/xt731z41v804
Kate Shapira Latts (especially minutes 50-67)
https://kentuckyoralhistory.org/catalog/xt76t14tmh6k
Anne Edelstein Shapira (especially minutes 58-71)
https://kentuckyoralhistory.org/catalog/xt7brv0cz643
Exercise/Study Questions: How does knowing this heritage help reshape Bourbon’s image? How does Carlton’s history differ from Mitenbuler’s? Why? Who are their respective audiences?
Recommended Further Reading
Excerpts from IW Bernheim’s “The Story of the Bernheim Family”
https://archive.org/stream/TheStoryOfTheBernheimFamily/TheStoryOfTheBernheimFamily_djvu.txt
Josh Nathan-Kazi’s “Which Side Were We On? Kentucky Slavery, Mine Wars, and Segregation”
https://forward.com/culture/310910/which-side-were-we-on-kentucky-slavery-mine-wars-and-segregation/
Jewish Kentucky Oral History Project https://kentuckyoralhistory.org/catalog/xt72ng4gqc3f
Jewish Kentucky Oral History Project Digital Exhibit http://www.nunncenter.net/jewishkentucky/exhibits
Excerpts from oral histories with Tom Block https://kentuckyoralhistory.org/catalog/xt7j0z70zq7x
Thurs. Sept. 6
Resume/Mission Statement Returned with Instructor Feedback
“The Jews Who Made American Whisky” by Noah Rothbaum Dec. 19, 2015 (Daily Beast)
https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-jews-who-made-american-whisky-1
Life Behind Bars Episodes “Is the Old Fashioned the World’s First Cocktail?”
https://www.thedailybeast.com/life-behind-bars-episode-11-the-old-fashioned?ref=topic
Exercise/Study Questions: What makes a good podcast? What is engaging about these episodes? What might benefit from a different strategy of deliver? What is the most interesting, surprising thing you learn from them? What further research questions does listening spark? Noah Rothbaum has made a career for himself with his writing and editing, what would you like to ask him to help you in your own path?
Guest Speaker: Noah Rothbaum, Senior Editor of the Daily Beast Food and Drink
Required attendance 7pm Hilary J. Boone Center
Lecture from Noah Rothbaum author of The Art of Whiskey Making, Senior Editor of Food and Drink at the Daily Beast
Co-host of Life Behind Bars
Week 4: Field Research—Distillery Touring and Writing for Distilleries
Tues. Sept. 11
No Class Rhosh Hashana
Carla Harris Carlton’s Barrel Strength Bourbon: The Explosive Grown of America’s Whiskey (chapters 3-4, p. 54-106) “From Mash to Masterpiece: How Bourbon is Made”
“Make Mine a Double: The Big Business of Bourbon”
Exercise/Study Questions: What are the most important parts of distillation and processing? What surprised you about this history of bourbon’s business side?
Thurs. Sept 13
Meet at Town Branch for Distillery/Brewery Tour
Travel Writing—Distillery Brochures
“A New Wave of Spirits-Driven Travel” by Elaine Glusac (New York Times) Aug. 10, 2018
401 Cross Street, Lexington, KY 40508
http://www.distillerytrail.com/directory/listing/town-branch-distillery
Town Branch
http://www.kentuckyale.com/portfolio_page/townbranchbourbon/
Carla Harris Carlton’s Barrel Strength Bourbon Chapters 5-6 p. 106-162f
Ch 5“The Proof Is in the Pilgrimmage: Bourbon Tourism”
Ch 6: “ ‘The Kentucky Chew’: How to Taste Bourbon”
Exercise/Study Questions: Rewrite a segment of the Town Branch Distillery brochure for a specific audience (women, African Americans, LGBTQ, Latinx, ??). When did KY begin to cultivate Bourbon tourism? What does it mean that distilleries are now featured in the NYT travel section? What part of Bourbon tourism are most appealing to you and why? How might you write for/about them?
Week 5: Field Research Continued—Lexington Bourbon sites and writing
Tues. Sept 18 (YK begins at sundown)
Visit Justin’s House of Bourbon, meet with the Justins
WKET Out and About “Justin’s House of Bourbon”
Bourbon Pursuit (podcast): Episode 156: “Justin’s House of Bourbon” (July 5, 2018)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gU9ylOFjYiI
Vintage Spirit Law
Gov. Signs HB100 Re-Defining Kentucky Whiskey and Allowing Vintage Spirit Sales
“Kentucky Made It Easier for Regular Folks Get Rare Vintage Bourbon” by Brad Japhe Oct. 5, 2017 (Food and Wine)
https://www.foodandwine.com/cocktails-spirits/kentucky-vintage-spirits-law
Carla Harris Carlton’s Barrel Strength Bourbon Ch 7 “Double-Barreled Betting on Bourbon’s Future) 162-176
Exercise/Study Questions: Justin Thompson is a very successful entrepreneur who owns Belle’s Cocktail House (in downtown Lexington) , Justin’s House of Bourbon and who founded and edits the Bourbon Review, what do you want to learn about his career path? What is the appeal/prestige of owning vintage Bourbon? How does Bourbon Pursuit’s podcast compare to Life Behind Bars? What features are similar, different? Who is its audience? Write a travel writing piece about Justin’s House of Bourbon.
Thurs. Sept. 20
Guest Speaker Liz Roach, freelance writer, contributing author to The Bourbon Review
“Bourbon and Girl Scout Cookie Pairings” Feb. 11, 2016
“Neat and Sweet: Bourbon and Girl Scout Cookies” (The Bourbon Review) Feb. 17, 2018
http://www.gobourbon.com/neat-sweet-bourbon-girl-scout-cookies/
“A Place to Have a Mint Julep” (The Bourbon Review) June 22, 2013
http://www.gobourbon.com/a-place-to-have-a-mint-julep/
Exercise/Study Questions: Liz Roach is one of the few women already writing about Bourbon, how do you think gender expectations influence her experiences as a writer? The Girl Scout/Bourbon pairings were so popular that she updated them. What do you think is the appeal? What other quirky pairings can you imagine and writing about?
Week 6: Showcasing Student Expertise
Mon. Sept. 24 Extra Credit Opportunity Dan Pashman of the Sporkful and You’re Eating It Wrong will give a lecture 2-3 pm
https://twitter.com/TheSporkful/status/969249062305353729
#826: The Vodka Proof
https://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=588345420
Tues. Sep. 25
Final Project Distilling Lexington Publication Assignment Distributed
Revision Instructions for Resumes/Mission Statements
Group Invention for Final Assignment
Thurs. Sept. 27
Class catch-up
Review Resumes/Mission Statements revisions due Oct.11
Review Brand/Social Media Analysis Assignment–Presentations due Oct. 9
Rectifying Bourbon Heritage—lecture from Dr. Fernheimer
Michael Veach’s Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey, Ch. 4 “Distillers and Rectifiers”
“Does a Whiskey Brand Need to do Its Own Distilling” (Daily Beast) by Heather Greene July 7, 2018
https://www.thedailybeast.com/does-a-whiskey-brand-need-to-do-its-own-distilling?ref=scroll
“The Best Bourbon I’ve Ever Tasted” by Tom Wilmes July 19, 2018 (Garden and Gun)
https://gardenandgun.com/articles/best-bourbon-ive-ever-tasted/
Tasting Exercise: Bourbon chocolates
Exercise/Study Questions: What vocabulary do you need to have to describe chocolate and bourbon, review Carlton’s list in our textbook? Write a “tasting notes” for one of the chocolates we sampled, or a review of them all.Brand/Social Media Analysis Presentations
Unit 2 Rectifying the Record—Expanding Bourbon’s Audience
Students will learn more about Bourbon’s history, who is included, who isn’t, and why. In this unit students will visit and conduct both digital and primary archival research in UK libraries. Students will learn methods for conducting primary and secondary research while beginning to discover and author their own “bourbon backstories” to help rectify the record and transform bourbon’s audience into a more inclusive one.
- Major projects: develop a research question, conduct research for your Bourbon backstory; exam; final project research/pitch
- Field research: Introduction to Archival, Oral History, Digital Database research methods at UK Libraries; review a Lexington Bourbon destination
- Concepts/Learning Outcomes: develop and practice new research methods for primary/secondary research
- Suggested writing exercises: generate key words for your research question, respond to oral history/archival research “finds”, practice writing a press release for your discoveries
Week 7: Introduction to Primary/Secondary Research Methods
Tues. Oct. 2 (Simchat Torah)
Meet in the King Library for Archival Research with Matthew Strandmark—(Schenley Materials)
Doug Boyd on the Bourbon Tales Project
Dr. Fernheimer on Jewish Bourbon Heritage
Exercise/Study Questions: Bring at least one research question to class, so you can practice. What is different about archival research? If you like this type of research, where else in Lexington might you go to learn more? Who might you want to interview?
Thurs. Oct. 4
Regular Library research workshop–Meet in William T. Young Library, room 1-78
Exercise/Study Questions: Bring at least one research question to class, so you can practice. What about bourbon or food or alcohol writing intrigues? What are you curious about? What keywords might you use to find out more?
Recommended:
Bourbon Tales film
Week 8: Rectifying the Record: Bourbon’s African American Innovators
Tues. Oct. 9
Brand Analysis Presentations Due
Thurs. Oct. 11
Review Assignment Distributed
“When Jack Daniels Failed to Honor a Slave, an Author Rewrote History” by Clay Risen New York Times Aug. 2017
“Jack Daniels’ Embraces a Hidden Ingredient: Help From a Slave”
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/26/dining/jack-daniels-whiskey-nearis-green-slave.html?_r=0
Colonel Akley–
http://www.abvnetwork.com/my-bourbon-journey/2017/10/2/meet-ney-4sxys-wk74a-6m86j-tce4b-sty2c-83msx-9r34xjeremy-schell-bbapz-dd5wj-sgag7-8j7c9-cn8wm-9wacw-5bmzw-dc9ff-7r266-d68ea-9ta8c
Clay Risen and Fawn Weaver “Whiskey Credit”
https://www.southernfoodways.org/clay-risen-fawn-weaver-talk-whiskey-and-credit/
FYI-starts playing around minute 2
Exercise/Study Questions: What role did women play in preserving the record? What does Weaver do to call attention to it? Risen points out that sometimes there are “stories that block other stories” what does he mean by that and how does it connect to what we’re exploring in class?
Reading/Writing Logs due
SPECIAL EVENT: BOURBON CAREER FAIR 4-6pm
https://dwb.ca.uky.edu/BourbonCareerFair
Thursday, October 11 from 4:00 to 6:00 PM in Woodford Reserve Room at Kroger Field. NOTE: The Woodford Reserve Room is located on the Alumni Drive side of Kroger Field. Attendees should use the entrance between Gates 10 and 11.
Week 9: Women and African American Bartending Backstories
Mon. Oct. 15: Extra Credit Opportunities
Optional lunch with Pati Jinnich, host of Pati’s Mexican Table on PBS
*email Dr. Fernheimer if you’d like to participate (lunch is paid for by UK Jewish Studies)
3:30 Cooking Class with Pati Jinnich
6:00 pm public lecture at W. T. Young Auditorium
“The Flavors of Jewish Mexico: Immigration and Migrating Foodways”
Tues. Oct. 16
“Mixologist vs. Bartender” Life Behind Bars Episode 5
https://www.thedailybeast.com/podcast-mixologist-vs-bartender-life-behind-bars-episode-4
“The Cunningest Compounders of Beverages: The Hidden History of African Americans Behind the Bar” by David Wondrich (Bitter Southerner)
http://bittersoutherner.com/a-history-of-black-bartenders/#.W04s4BJKj-Y
“The History of Black Bartenders” by Dianna Pittet
https://daily.sevenfifty.com/the-history-of-black-bartenders/
Exercise/Study Questions: How are mixologist and bartender defined? How the definitions connect to perceptions about class? Why is it important
Thurs. Oct. 18
“Why Did It Take America So Long to Have Female Bartenders”
https://www.thedailybeast.com/why-did-it-take-america-so-long-to-have-female-bartenders
“The Spirited Rise of Bourbon Women” Megy Karydes
https://www.forbes.com/sites/megykarydes/2015/09/23/bourbon-women-chicago/#70cbcc07311f
Bourbon Women Association
https://bourbonwomen.org/
“Meet Kentucky’s First Female Distiller Since Prohibition” (Saveur) by Matt Rodbard March 9, 2017
https://www.saveur.com/marianne-barnes-female-master-distiller-kentucky-bourbon
“Kentucky’s First Female Master Distiller” (Daily Beast) by Eric Felten September 19, 2016
https://www.thedailybeast.com/kentuckys-first-female-master-distiller-marianne-barnes
*Guest visit from Bourbon Women Board Members
Exercise/Study Questions: How do the stories about Marianne Barnes portray her? What do they focus on and what do they leave out? Why? Identify someone for whom you’d like write an industry profile.
Recommended Oral Histories
Kate Shapira Latts (especially minutes 50-67)
https://kentuckyoralhistory.org/catalog/xt76t14tmh6k
Anne Edelstein Shapira (especially minutes 58-71)
https://kentuckyoralhistory.org/catalog/xt7brv0cz643
Recommended Further Reading:
Minnick, Fred. Whiskey Women. Potomac Books, 2013.
Week 10: Latinx Bourbon
Tues. Oct. 23
Chocolate Tasting Exercise
Review Workshop
Yelp! Reviews of Art Eatables
https://www.yelp.com/biz/art-eatables-louisville-3?hrid=4aPCkl43CIdXH8uhZCGIFA&rh_type=phrase&rh_ident=bourbon
Trip Advisor Reviews of Old Kentucky Chocolates
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g39588-d1657774-r306985123-Old_Kentucky_Chocolates-Lexington_Kentucky.html
Thurs. Oct. 25
Skype visit from Dr. Steve Alvarez
“A Bourbon from the American South, via South America” Lisandra Bernadet
“Agave Diplomacy”
“What is Latino Enough”
https://www.southernfoodways.org/gravy/what-is-latino-enough/
2014 Pew data on Hispanics in KY
Demographic and Economic Profiles of Hispanics by State and County, 2014
Mexington
https://www.southernfoodways.org/film/mexington/
“Bluegrass and Birria”—Oral Histories about Latinx Food Culture in Lexington/KY
https://www.southernfoodways.org/oral-history/bluegrass-and-burria/
Exercise/Study Questions:How is Latino/a defined in these essays? How is the Gravy episode different from the other podcasts we’ve listened to this semester? How are tequila and bourbon connected?How will Kentucky’s growing Spanish speaking population impact the Bourbon industry?
Write a Taco and bourbon pairing?
Week 11: Building Bourbon Vocabulary/Expertise: Mid-Review and Exam
Tues. Oct. 30
Mid-term Quiz Review
Post questions/content you want on the quiz to Canvas
Reviews Due in class
Thurs. Nov. 1
Unit 3 Reimaging Place/Rewriting Identity/Rectifying the Record
In this unit we will explore the way a variety of authors are literally rewriting the way we conceive of the South, Appalachia, and Kentucky’s relation to them, and the role of food and drink in both. We will read excellent reimaginings and work to author our own.
Major projects: Final project pitch, analysis of exemplar stories, final stories!
Field research: On your own—to the locales you plan to write about
Concepts/Learning Outcomes: learn how to generate and pitch an original, research-based story idea; write, revise, and publish it.
Suggested writing exercises: try writing your story aimed at different audiences—do one version aimed at women, another at young African Americans visiting Lexington for business, someone else?
Week 12: Migration and the New Face(s) of Kentucky Cuisine and Culture
Tues. Nov. 6
Mid-term Quiz
Story pitch/Examplar Analysis Distributed
Thurs. Nov. 8
Michael Twitty’s The Cooking Gene xi-xvii Preface: “The Old South”
Frank X. Walker Kentucke (in Affrilachia) p.95
Excerpts from Chef Ed Lee’s Buttermilk Graffiti: A Chef’s Journey to Discover America’s New Melting-Pot Cuisine “Introduction” p. 1-11.
Ch 6 “Slaw Dogs and Pepperoni Rolls” 102-121
Excerpts from Ronni Lundy’s Victuals: An Appalachian Journey with Recipes “Introduction” p. 16-22
Ch. 2 “Salt of the Earth: Salty Dogs: Chili Buns and Slaw Dogs” p. 69-98
Exercise/Study Questions: How are each of these authors reimagining the south? How is their writing beginning to rectify the record? How is Appalachia defined?
Selections from Elizabeth Catte’s What You’re Getting Wrong About Appalachia
Exercise/Study Questions: How does Catte define Appalachia? How can we interpet Gipe’s short fiction through Catte’s lens? How does Catte’s definition expand Bourbon’s potential audience? How are they rectifying the record?
Week 13: Focus on Writing: Analysis of Model Stories
Tues. Nov. 13
Examplar Story Analysis Due
Robert Gipe’s “Comfort Food”
https://www.southernfoodways.org/gravy/comfort-food-a-story-by-robert-gipe/
Thurs. Nov. 15
Feedback Distributed
Work in Groups on Final Story
Week 14: Focus on your Writing
Tues. Nov. 20
Writing Day
No Class Meeting
Feedback on examplar analysis returned.
Thurs. Nov 22
Thanksgiving
Happy Turkey/Tofurkey Eating!
Week 15: Focus on Writing and Revision
Tues. Nov. 27
Research Annotations DUE
In -class writing
Thurs. Nov. 29
First submission of Final Story due
Peer Review
Week 16: Focus on Writing and Publication
Tues. Dec. 4
Course Evaluations
Instructor Feedback on First Submission Distributed
Thurs. Dec. 6
Final Reflections Due
Guest Speaker Josh Hafer from Heaven Hill
Mon. Dec. 10
10 am Final Story + Final Logs Due