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

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
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
FST205	Food Science Principles and Practice Through didactic and experiential learning, students explore the physical, biological, and chemical makeup of food and how final products are influenced by food processing. Students identify the changes to food caused by storage and cooking methods and apply food science concepts to risk and prevention of foodborne pathogens.	3
FST215W	Global Foodways Course is focused on the global history and nature of food traditions, cuisines, and cultures, from the Columbian Exchange to globalization, with a depth analysis of one region, country, or time frame. Emphasis on the division of labor, colonialism, conquest, power, and continuity and change in social and economic systems.	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
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
FST490
Restricted Electives (Area 1) Choose Two:
ENG303	Food and American Identity Examines literature in multiple genres (e.g. fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction, graphic novel, film/television, and long-form journalism) through the theoretical lens of food studies to understand how writers use food as a cultural object to point to issues of identity including race, class, gender, sexuality, age, ability, and systems of belief. Pre-requisites Complete any 1 of the following courses: ENG100 Multicultural Literature ENG100 Introduction to Literary Studies Complete any 1 of the following courses: ENG105 First - Year Communication Seminar ENG105 First-Year Writing	3
ENG429	The Literary Cookbook This course examines the contemporary cookbook as a genre of literary nonfiction, influenced by autobiography, memoir, and personal essay. Students will read and write recipe texts through the theoretical lenses of food studies and literary theory to understand how cookbooks function as literature in the popular market and the academy.	3
CST234	Asian Foodways A strategic survey of Japanese, Chinese/Taiwanese, Korean, and South Asian food ways in their originating contexts and the U.S. Emphasis on anthropological understanding of food ways, cultural studies critique of class, gender, and family dynamics articulated via food, and historical transformations of food culture in response to migration and globalization.	3
FST234	Asian Foodways A strategic survey of Japanese, Chinese/Taiwanese, Korean, and South Asian food ways in their originating contexts and the U.S. Emphasis on anthropological understanding of food ways, cultural studies critique of class, gender, and family dynamics articulated via food, and historical transformations of food culture in response to migration and globalization.	3
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Restricted Electives (Area 2) Choose Two:
SUS426	Sustainable Aquaculture This course examines the historical development and cultural importance of aquaculture, as well as practical considerations for managing modern aquaculture systems. Emphasis is on low-impact aquaculture systems and approaches, which minimize adverse environmental impacts, and encourage socially responsible development that enhances both the natural resource base and community livelihoods.	3
ENV451	Soil Science Study of soils as natural bodies, media for plant growth, and ecosystem components. Topics include soil morphology and characteristics, composition, formation, conservation, and soil erosion. Physical, chemical, and biological properties of soils are related to the production of plants, the functioning of hydrologic and nutrient cycles, and the protection of environmental quality. Pre-requisites Complete the following course: CHM107 Chemistry I	3
FST428	Tree Care Tree care skills are integral to sustainable land and food system management. This course provides an introduction to arboriculture, tree climbing and pruning. It will teach proper tree pruning, basics of climbing, and basic equipment safety, applicable to tree work in urban or agricultural settings.	3
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Junior Year Experience (27 credits)
FST302	Nutrition and Community This course focuses on North American community-based nutrition research, programs and policies. Students become familiar with community-based research, programs, and policies where nutrition plays a role. Using public health nutrition and community asset building, it includes an introduction to grant writing, evaluation, and assessment to support community health programs.	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
FST446	Applied Agricultural Experience II This course explores specific modes of agricultural production with a focus on applied and experiential learning. Students focus on farming competencies and developproblem solving skills for practical applications in agricultural and food enterprises.Focus is on greenhouse production, specialty products, livestock care, and early spring planting. Pre-requisites Complete the following course: FST320 Basic Agroecology	3
FST446L	Applied Agricultural Experience II Lab Course focuses on repeated practice and skill development with specific modes of agricultural production. Students focus on farming competencies and developproblem solving skills for practical applications in agricultural and food enterprises. Focus is on greenhouse production, specialty products, livestock care, and early spring planting. 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
FST310
FST417	Safe Practices in Food and Agriculture This course offers professional knowledge about safe practices in agriculture and food production, such as safe food handling, worker safety, best practices for agricultural markets, and overviews of regulatory organizations. Students will follow practicum materials to gain both food safety certification and good agricultural practices standing.	1

+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