AP/SOSC 4148 3.00

Food And Health

This course is an interdisciplinary exploration of the connections between food, health and society. Food is critical to our very survival. But beyond simply preventing starvation, how much we eat and which kinds of food we eat are key factors in determining a whole range of both immediate and long-term health outcomes. Because of this, food plays a key role in the production and re-production of certain social relationships structured around categories such as race, ethnicity, gender, age and class. This critical health studies course seeks to unpack some of the complex relationships by exploring the ways in which human health continues to be connected to the politics, culture and science of food. The course will draw from a wide range of contemporary approaches to the study of food and health including critical nutrition studies, science and technology studies, and food studies. The course is divided into three broad thematic areas: food, health and bodies; food as a determinant of health; and food, health and globalization. The course will pay particular attention to how historical, social, political and economic forces shape interactions between food and health. Diverse academic and multimedia sources as well as an Experiential Education component in the local community will be used to facilitate learning. This will consist of two field trips to a community-based organization to learn about community efforts to promote food justice. Students will tour the organization and examine case-based problem scenarios related to food and health drawn from the organization’s work.