Learning Outcomes
- Discuss how food systems shape human societies, and how food systems are shaped and influenced by individuals, movements, institutions and technologies with local, national, transnational and global dimensions.
- Describe the ethical concerns raised about food systems informed by scholarly developments in race theory, sex and gender studies, animal studies, the study of indigenous traditions and by scientific studies of food’s ecological impact. Demonstrate the ability to reason quantitatively about complex processes related to food.
- Assess and demonstrate food’s change-making potential to improve and ultimately transform our local, national and global foodways, agricultural systems, food production systems and the values, worldviews, infrastructures and supply chains that undergird them.
- Course Requirements
- Fall 2025 Courses
The Food Studies Minor
18 units total, including at least 9 upper-division units.
Students are required to take one of the following: | 3 | |
FOOD/PHIL 118 | Philosophy Through Food | |
FOOD/HIST 127 | U.S. History of Food | |
FOOD/LANG 128 | Food Cultures | |
FOOD 133/THRS 233 | Religion and Food | |
Food Studies Capstone | ||
FOOD 495 | Capstone in Food Studies | 3 |
At least 3 units of social science from the following courses: | 3 | |
ECON 308 | Environmental and Natural Resource Economics | |
ETHN 332 | American Indian Health and Spirituality | |
MKTG 420 | Consumer Behavior | |
POLS 346 | Food and Politics | |
POLS 347 | Culture & Environmental Politics | |
POLS 348 | Indigenous Peoples and the Environment | |
POLS 349 | Politics and the Environment | |
SOCI 315 | Health and Society | |
SOCI 473 | Sustainability: Sociological Perspectives | |
At least 3 units of STEM from the following courses: | 3 | |
BIOL 113 | Plants and People | |
BIOL 117 | Integrating Indigenous and Western Science | |
CHEM 102 | Science of Food & Cooking | |
ENGR 110 | The Design of Coffee | |
ENGR 315 | Coffee: Engineering, the Global Industry and Social Justice | |
EOSC 175 | Global Sustainability and Climate Change | |
EOSC 300 | Environmental Issues | |
EOSC 473 | Climatology | |
EOSC 480 | Geology and Human Health | |
At least 3 units of humanities from the following courses: | 3 | |
HIST 370 | U.S. Environmental History | |
KROC 515 | Environmental Peace & Justice | |
PHIL 118 | Philosophy Through Food | |
PHIL 321 | Social Ethics | |
PHIL 338 | Environmental Ethics | |
PHIL 344 | Environmental Justice | |
SPAN 428 | Food and Politics in Spain | |
THRS 232 | Religion and Animals | |
THRS 233 | Religion and Food | |
THRS 311 | Jewish Faith and Practice - Advanced Writing | |
THRS 313 | Jewish Faith and Practice | |
THRS 334 | Christian Social Ethics | |
Elective(s) from the above lists | 3 | |
Total Units | 18 | |
Additional courses may be used to satisfy the elective requirement in the Food Studies minor, if the topic is appropriate. Consult the Program Director for information about these courses.