- How did coffee travel from Ethiopia all the way to Japan? How was it used in Sufi rituals, why was it banned when it first arrive in the Muslim world, and how did milk help democratise it? How did European empires battle over the domination of the world coffee market, and what was the human price of growing coffee production?

- How was the Coffee Stock Exchange born, what were the economic interests behind the invention of cupping, and what does the moka pot have to do with fascism?

- How does the Third Wave of coffee bring both quality and inequality to producers and consumers? What is the "glocalisation" of coffee, and what social and cultural aspects shape our perception of taste and our coffee experience?

The course will draw upon both fieldwork and the work of notable coffee scholars - historians, anthropologists and economists. Reading materials will be provided to compliment online reading.

Module 1: Origins

The history of coffee from Ethiopia to the Third Wave.

Module 2: Specialty vs. Commodity

The economics and sociology of coffee, class, and taste.