Learning Outcomes

The Bachelor of Arts in Food Studies program curriculum emphasizes and instills interdisciplinary breadth, experiential learning, community building, communicative competence, and critical thinking capabilities for its students. Learning outcomes of the program include:

1. Students will employ skills from different fields to demonstrate and document contemporary and historic states of food and agriculture.
2. Students will gain basic experience in growing, producing, and cooking food and grasp the specific material competencies related to agriculture and cooking.
3. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the broad range of food studies disciplines and their contribution to our understanding of issues in food and agriculture.
4. Students will be able to use task negotiation, network development, social interaction, and cultural acumen as well as project management in working with collaborators in multiple types of community settings, from business to nonprofit to university members to grassroots groups.
5. Students will employ communication theories, concepts, applied skills, and problem-solving to multiple audiences in a variety of written, oral, and demonstration-focused formats.
6. Students will apply evidence-based theory, concepts, and processes to propose creative, sustainable, and productive solutions to issues in food and agriculture.
7. Students will use analytical approaches and applied skills to food and agricultural tasks.

Curriculum

+Major

39 Courses including the following required courses and 2 electives

FST150	Food, Farm & Field This course explores food, farm, and environment through readings, films, lectures, demonstrations, field trips, and on-farm and kitchen experiences in research and production problems. Activities include presentations on specific topics, group discussions, hands-on lab and field activities, individual and group presentations, field trips, and reflection through writing, video, and photography.	3
FST250	International Cuisine This course explores international cuisine and culture through an interdisciplinary lens. Focusing on culinary history, the course emphasizes knowledge of global culture and cuisine. One of the featured regions of study will align with Chatham's "Global Focus" for the academic year.	3
FST315	Food Access and Policy If food is a basic human right, how do societies create universal access to food? This course explores the ethical basis for making citizens food secure despite global inequality. Major topics include private vs. public solutions and the relationship between food access, gender, cultural appropriateness, nutrition, sustainability, and justice.	3
FST307W	Community and Food Through experiential learning and field work, this course explores the intersections between food and community. Global and regional food systems are "felt" at the level of community and communities often create the organization of agriculture and food. Students will practice applied work with community, government, nonprofit, activist, and business groups.	3
FST345	Applied Agricultural Experience 1 Course explores specific modes of agricultural production with a focus on applied and experiential learning. Students focus on farming competencies and develop problem solving skills for practical applications in agricultural and food enterprises. Focus is on basic crop production, animal care, pasture management, and woody plants. Pre-requisites Complete the following course: FST320 Basic Agroecology	3
FST345L	Applied Agricultural Experience Lab 1 Course focuses on repeated practice and skill development with specific modes of agricultural production, as complement FST345. Students focus on farming competencies and develop problem solving skills for practical applications in agricultural and food enterprises. Focus is on basic crop production, animal care, pasture management, and woody plants. Pre-requisites Complete the following course: FST320 Basic Agroecology	2
FST370	Applied Culinary Experience 1 This course focuses on applied kitchen-based research that confronts real-world food systems problems in the areas of recipe and product development, purchasing and cost controls, and menu management. Culinary techniques and philosophies such as preserving the harvest, fermentation, and reduced-waste cooking will be practiced. Pre-requisites Complete the following course: FST205 Food Science Principles and Practice	3
FST370L	Applied Culinary Experience Lab 1 Throughout this lab course students receive course work and hands-on experience that is culinary, and hospitality focused using experiential based learning as we investigate how to navigate a more equitable and sustainable food system. The themes of food preservation, dairy skills, and grains will be a focus. Pre-requisites Complete the following course: FST205 Food Science Principles and Practice	2
FST471	Applied Culinary Experience 2 This course focuses on kitchen-based research that confronts real-world food systems problems in the areas of product development, purchasing and cost controls, and menu management. Hands-on culinary and hospitality focused experiences using experiential based learning aid in investigating how to navigate a more equitable and sustainable food system. Pre-requisites Complete the following course: FST205 Food Science Principles and Practice	3
FST471L	Applied Culinary Experience Lab 2 Throughout this lab course students receive course work and hands-on experience that is culinary, and hospitality focused using experiential based learning as we investigate how to navigate a more equitable and sustainable food system. Both hyper-local foods and global commodities (such as chocolate, coffee and tea) will be explored. Pre-requisites Complete the following course: FST205 Food Science Principles and Practice	2
BUS105	Foundations of Business This course introduces the theory and practice of business and fosters analytical thinking. Students build a foundation for learning by gaining an understanding of business organizations, their structure and functions, the increasingly dynamic and complex global setting in which they compete, and the fundamentals of sustainable business practices.	3
BUS217	Introduction to Project Management This course covers concepts and techniques of Project Management (PM), given the triple constraint of limited cost, time, and project scope. Students acquire knowledge of generally accepted tools and become familiar with techniques for achieving project success. The coursework prepares the student for the Certified Associated Project Manager (CAPM) examination.	2

+Minor

16 credits

FST150	Food, Farm & Field This course explores food, farm, and environment through readings, films, lectures, demonstrations, field trips, and on-farm and kitchen experiences in research and production problems. Activities include presentations on specific topics, group discussions, hands-on lab and field activities, individual and group presentations, field trips, and reflection through writing, video, and photography.	3
FST250	International Cuisine This course explores international cuisine and culture through an interdisciplinary lens. Focusing on culinary history, the course emphasizes knowledge of global culture and cuisine. One of the featured regions of study will align with Chatham's "Global Focus" for the academic year.	3
FST315	Food Access and Policy If food is a basic human right, how do societies create universal access to food? This course explores the ethical basis for making citizens food secure despite global inequality. Major topics include private vs. public solutions and the relationship between food access, gender, cultural appropriateness, nutrition, sustainability, and justice.	3
FST320	Basic Agroecology Through working on Chatham's Eden Hall Farm as well as neighboring farms, students will integrate best practices for sustainable agriculture with theory encountered in class. Topics will include basic principles of soil fertility, biodiversity, agriculture history, effects of both conventional and organic agriculture, and the politics surrounding the issues.	3
FST320L	Growing Sustainably Lab Through working with Chatham's Eden Hall Farm as well as visiting neighboring farms, students will integrate best practices for sustainable agriculture with theory encountered in classes. Topics will include basic principles of soil fertility, biodiversity, greenhouse production, agriculture history, effects of both conventional and organic agriculture, and the politics surrounding the issues.	1
FST342	Sustainable Production Course explores specific modes of production, agricultural and culinary, with a focus on applied and experiential learning through practical application in a group project. Students focus on farm to kitchen and develop problem solving skills for practical applications, including plant and crop production and culinary product development.	3