Sustainable Food Systems

Sustainable Food Systems is an interdisciplinary academic program with partners across campus and throughout the region. In our classes, students learn about a variety of topics including agricultural production, food and the environment, nutrition and public health, food communication and media, food policy, food history...and much more! Through our interdisciplinary approach to food systems education, students develop skills of critical analysis that enable them to examine the complex food system on which we all depend from multiple perspectives. Most importantly, our curriculum encourages students to critically examine their own participation in the food system and empowers them to become activists for positive food system change. Hands-on, experiential learning is a central part of the Sustainable Food Systems program. Through the FOOD 201 practicum course, all Sustainable Food Systems minors spend a semester with a community partner working to change the food system for the better.

More information can be found online at https://www.stetson.edu/other/academics/undergraduate/sustainable-food-systems.php

Determine the sustainability implications of historical and current issues of food production, access, and consumption.
Evaluate the history and development of current systems of agricultural production and food consumption.
Explain the impact of societal expectations and policy on food consumption, public health, and nutrition.
Articulate the role of culture and communication in food systems.
Develop and defend solutions for sustainability and equity challenges in the food system.
Cultivate basic practical skills of food production/preparation/distribution and apply an understanding of food-related science.

Minor in Sustainable Food Systems - 5 Units

Course List
Code	Title	Units
FOOD 101S	Food Studies	1
FOOD 201	Beginning Practicum for Sustainable Food Production	1
Natural Sciences and Food
Select one of the following:		1
CHEM 112P	The Chemistry of Food
ENSS 112P	Environmental Science and Society
ENSS 140P	Introduction to Environmental Science and Studies
FOOD 230P	Growing Food in Cities
FOOD 228	Salt Fat Acid Heat
HLSC 200V	Introduction to Nutrition Science
Food Economics, Politics, and Policy
Select one of the following:		1
ENSS 310V	Cultural and Political Ecology
ENSS 317V	Global Perspectives of Food Production
FOOD 226V	School Food: Eating to Learn, Learning to Eat
FOOD 310V	Eating on a Shrinking Planet (Food Economics, Politics and Policy)
PUBH 486	Planning for Healthy Cities
Food Culture and Communication
Select one of the following:		1
ANTH 215B	Anthropology of Food (Anthropology of Food)
AFST 343V	Soul Food African Diaspora
ARTS 214B	All Things are Delicately Interconnected - Global Food and Art in Sao Paulo
COMM 328B	Food, Communication and Culture
COMM 336V	Food and Nutrition in the Media
ENGL 141	Writing About (Writing About Food and Drink)
FOOD 318V	Seeds of Equity
Total Units		5

FOOD 101S. Food Studies. 1 Unit.

A breadth-first introduction to a wide variety of topics related to modern day food systems. The impact of food on the world around us is both obvious and unexpected. Topics covered will include sustainability of food systems, food production and distribution, food politics, business of food, marketing of food, health and nutrition, food culture, and many more. Offered fall and spring semesters.

FOOD 190. Special Topics in Sustainable Food Systems. 1 Unit.

Course offered on selected topics in food studies and/or sustainable food systems designed to extend the range of the curriculum. May be repeated for credit with different titles and content. Any prerequisites will be indicated in the course schedule. Note: A special topics course may count for a course in the Sustainable Food System minor. Please consult the Program Director prior to course registration to obtain permission for the course to do so.

FOOD 201. Beginning Practicum for Sustainable Food Production. 1 Unit.

This experiential course provides real-world opportunities for students to develop soil; plant and harvest food; process food for storage and distribution; prepare food for consumption; and manage food waste. Working side-by-side with farmers, food processors and distributors, and restaurant owners, students will learn various aspects of the farm-to-table system. Prerequisite: FOOD 101S. Offered spring semesters.

FOOD 226V. School Food: Eating to Learn, Learning to Eat. 1 Unit.

This course traces the origins of the National School Lunch Program, which provides low-cost or free lunches to 29.4 million children every day, and examines lesser known initiatives like the Black Panthers’ Free Breakfast Program, which also shaped the U.S. contemporary school food landscape. We will study examples of diverse school food programs from around the world, as well as initiatives in the U.S. such as school gardens and Farm-to-School, which aim to use school lunch as an agent of positive change in the food system. This class also includes a community-engaged component, and students will visit local school cafeterias or relevant non-profit organizations to apply course content beyond the classroom. Sophomore standing required.

FOOD 228. Salt Fat Acid Heat. 1 Unit.

In this course, we will use chef Samin Nosrat’s popular text, Salt Fat Acid Heat, and corresponding documentary series, as a framework for engaging in both hands-on food education and the academic field of food studies. The course is split into four units, each aligning with one of Nosrat’s “elements of good cooking.” Within each unit, the structure of class meetings will vary, but will include in-class discussion, cooking and sharing food together, and in-class work time for creative projects.

FOOD 230P. Growing Food in Cities. 1 Unit.

This course approaches food production holistically, and includes content such as basic soil science for food production, irrigation and water management techniques, holistic pest control, and innovative solutions for small spaces such as vertical gardens, hydroponics/aquaponics, and gardens in small lots. Prerequisite: FOOD 101S.

FOOD 285. Independent Study. 0.5 or 1 Units.

This course is initiated by student interest and contingent upon the expertise of current departmental faculty. Students may take more than one FOOD 285, FOOD 385, or FOOD 485 course with different titles and content.

FOOD 290. Special Topics in Sustainable Food Systems. 1 Unit.

FOOD 310V. Eating on a Shrinking Planet. 1 Unit.

This course uses food as a lens through which we can understand globalization. Though we are more connected through trade, travel, media, and politics than ever before, we also strive to maintain our identities and sense of place in the face of rapid change. Our foodways reflect this global push and pull as well. While fast food and transnational supermarket chains connect consumers to the vast and complex web of our modern food system, we see simultaneous challenges to globalization such as Slow Food International. In this course we will explore how food trends illustrate various tenets of globalization such as speed, standardization, mobility, mixing, as well as responses to globalization.

FOOD 318V. Seeds of Equity. 1 Unit.

This course focuses on Stetson's Social Justice Value. This course explores historical and current issues of race, class, and gender in food and agriculture. It will primarily focus on the unique food and agriculture context of the United States. Issues of access, power, privilege, and equity will be addressed within the realms of agricultural production, food preparation and consumption. Students will critically reflect on their own backgrounds, identities, roles, and responsibilities as participants in the agri-food system. Generally offered at least once every three years. Prerequisite: FOOD 101.

FOOD 385. Independent Study. 0.5 or 1 Units.

FOOD 390. Special Topics in Sustainable Food Systems. 1 Unit.

FOOD 395. Teaching Apprenticeship. 0.5 Units.

Pass/Fail only. A teaching apprenticeship provides an opportunity for a student with especially strong interest and ability in a given subject area to achieve an even deeper understanding by facilitating implementation of a course. Students may be involved in, but not limited to, class observations, goals and strategies discussions with the instructor, and some teaching responsibilities in and out of the classroom. The student also acts as a resource for students for reinforcement of key concepts. The apprenticeship is arranged by mutual agreement between the faculty member and the student. Such an experience is especially beneficial for students interested in teaching and academia. Prerequisite: permission of instructor. May be repeated once.

FOOD 397. Internship. 0.5 or 1 Units.

This course allows the student to complete an internship in an area related to food studies. The setting, structure, requirements, and outcomes are negotiated with the instructor, but generally include relevant readings, 70 (0.5 unit) or 140 (1 unit) hours of work in an approved community setting, and creative or critical analyses (e.g., journals, a portfolio, and/or research paper) that apply and integrate theoretical and experiential insights from interdisciplinary in ways that are consistent with Sustainable Food Systems program criteria, goals, and coursework. May be repeated for credit with a different topic. Offered fall, spring and summer semesters. Enrollment in an internship course requires students to attend an orientation prior to beginning work at their internship site. For more information regarding internship orientations, please contact Career & Professional Development at career@stetson.edu or 386-822-7315.

FOOD 485. Independent Study. 0.5 or 1 Units.

FOOD 490. Special Topics in Sustainable Food Systems. 1 Unit.