• Thematic Cluster: Health and Society, Culture and Community
  • Course for Minor: Health & Society Minor - Elective
  • Credits: 3
  • Pre-reqs required: No
  • Course Frequency: Generally offered at least once per academic year
  • Course Notes / Requirements: The syllabus below is a sample syllabus. For up-to-date course information, please refer to the syllabus on your Canvas course site on the first day of class.
  • Syllabus: Syllabus File

Course Description:

This course draws upon a variety of perspectives to examine the social processes that shape how food is produced, prepared, and consumed in the United States. The course begins with a focus on the environmental and political dynamics that characterize U.S. food systems from farm to fork. It then explores concentration in the food system, farm labor, hunger and food security, the politics of nutrition advice, and the rise of alternative food movements. Students will consider how problems in the food system, including environmental degradation, labor injustices, and unequal access to healthy food are social problems that reflect an ongoing tension between the agency of individual eaters and the power of institutions and social structures.