Course Description:
This course draws upon a variety of perspectives to examine the social processes that shape how food is produced, prepared, and consumed in the United States. The course begins with a focus on the environmental and political dynamics that characterize U.S. food systems from farm to fork. It then explores concentration in the food system, farm labor, hunger and food security, the politics of nutrition advice, and the rise of alternative food movements. Students will consider how problems in the food system, including environmental degradation, labor injustices, and unequal access to healthy food are social problems that reflect an ongoing tension between the agency of individual eaters and the power of institutions and social structures.
