Master of Arts in Food Studies
Curriculum

The Masters of Arts in Food Studies emphasizes a holistic approach to food systems and food security, from agriculture and food production to cuisines and consumption, providing intellectual and practical experience from field to table. Graduates gain analytical and experiential knowledge of global and local food systems. Academic courses provide a critical framework, emphasizing the ways people relate to food within a cultural and historical context. Analyses of global, environmental, and gender issues are centralized in the study of the food system as a cultural, economic, and geographic entity. The 388-acre Eden Hall Campus, with its organic gardens, apiaries, orchards, kitchen and root cellar, provides a working environment for engagement with the practice and pedagogy of sustainable agriculture and culinary arts.

Food Studies is the interdisciplinary domain that includes agricultural and culinary history as well as sociological, cultural, political, economic, and geographic examinations of food production and consumption. At the heart of the curriculum model are a number of common preparatory, experiential, and core courses, which allow students to develop a shared knowledge base and community-based networks. The common preparatory courses provide all students with disciplinary training in both natural and social sciences, linking real world problems with ethics, theory, history, communication, research skills, and experiential learning. Internships and directed study in community settings are encouraged.

Total Credits to Degree: 40

Degree Requirements

Master of Arts in Food Studies Curriculum

The MAFS consists of 40 credits.

• Core (at least 13 credit hours);
• Applied Electives (at least 10 credit hours);
• Science Electives (at least 3 credit hours);
• and courses from a chosen Concentration (at least 12 credit hours):

Course Offerings 2011-2012

FST505 Food and Representations (3)

Focusing on representations of food and eating in public contexts, from literature to policy, popular culture, marketing, and political rhetoric, but also including scientific, agricultural, and culinary discourses.  Texts include advertising, research reports.  This class examines the varying messages assigned to agriculture, food, and eating.

FST508 Food Systems (3)

Examines philosophical, sociological, economic, and cultural issues related to the production and consumption of food. From Agrarianism to the Green Revolution, explores the transformations of industrialization, technology, and migration. Provides foundation in food systems and commodity chains as concepts and methodological tools for uncovering the relationship between communities, agriculture, markets, and consumers.

FST509 Food Access (3)

If food is a basic human right, how do societies create universal access to food? What is the moral, ethical basis for ensuring food security for all citizens in an age of global inequality? Do societies providing food access need to consider cultural appropriateness, nutrition, sustainability, and justice? To what end?

FST510 Food, Culture and History (3)

Provides an overview of food and diet in transnational history, emphasizing cultural impact of modernity on food gathering, farming, plant biology, the body and consumption, health, taste, and cuisine. Topics include the development of agriculture, the causes of famine, the disruptions of colonialism, global exchange, industrialization, migration, and commercial economic dominance of the food system.

FST511 Research Methods: Food (3)

Introduction to research methods for social science applicable to the study of food and culture. Practicum includes ethnography, interviews, focus groups, survey research, oral history, textual analysis, cultural mapping, and visual methods. Applied approach to research: students will produce data for practical use in existing community projects or thesis preparation.

FST512 Practical Nutrition (3)

Course provides an overview of nutrition as an evidence-based research field, focusing on groups and communities where research is conducted and then applied.  Topics include science and politics of food categories; supplements and functional foods; eating disorders/weight, commercial, local, organic, and conventional foods; cuisine, culture, and diet.

FST515 Writing About Food (3)

Students will develop techniques and skills for writing about food and culture by studying ethics; journalism, advertising, multimodal and new technology venues; recipe writing; food criticism; writing about food in a variety of genres from history to fiction, magazines and websites.  Course emphasizes both print and online media.

FST518 Business of Food and Agriculture (3)

Course covers both history and current practices related to food and agriculture as economic enterprises in the United States and the world. Skills include ability to understand strategic management principles including identifying target markets, niche marketing. Students will develop an agricultural project or food business plan through which they will understand: barriers of entry, compiling demographic data, developing feasibility studies, long- and short-term business goals, defining and calculating a breakeven point, and budget formulation.

PREREQUISITES: FST520 AND FST520L

FST520 Growing Sustainably (3)

Using Chatham’s Eden Hall Campus gardens as well as neighboring farms as a case study, students will integrate best practices for sustainable agriculture with theory and research analysis in the classroom. Topics will include basic principles of soil fertility, biodiversity, agriculture history, effects of both conventional and organic agriculture, and the politics surrounding the issues. FST520L REQUIRED SIMULTANEOUSLY; CAN BE TAKEN TWICE FOR CREDIT

FST520L Growing Sustainably Lab (1)

Through working on Chatham’s Eden Hall Farm as well as neighboring farms, students will integrate best practices for sustainable agriculture in ongoing projects. Lab component will include work with the western regional office of Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture, farm-to-table initiatives, ongoing regional vermiculture and composting, and garden market development and maintenance for a variety of community partners.  PRE- OR CO-REQUISITE: FST 520; CAN BE TAKEN UP TO 3 TIMES FOR CREDIT

FST522 GIS: Food and Agriculture (3)

This course will provide students with a solid foundation of the principles and applications of geographic information systems - GIS, an introduction to the desktop software ArcGIS, and will demonstrate its use in the public sectors. Skills learned in other courses can be brought to this course and built upon. Students will focus on their particular interests and projects.

FST525 Weeds and Insects (3)

Pest management is often considered the greatest challenge of agriculture.  In this course, we will learn basic biology of weeds and insects, ecology of how weeds and insects affect cropping systems, and a collection of organic methods for managing these threats

FST530 Sustainable Culinary: Basics (3)

Covers the fundamental concepts and skills of classical cookery focusing on local and sustainable practices. Topics include sourcing local ingredients, flavor profiles, cooking theories. Includes basics and terminology in stocks, soups, sauces, vegetables, starches, meat, and poultry from Eden Hall and field trips to local farms. Techniques include sautéing, roasting, poaching, braising and frying. Class runs 7 weeks and is offered twice.

FST531 Sustainable Culinary: Fermentation (3)

Through hands-on production, tastings and lectures this course is designed to provide students with an understanding of the principles and practices of winemaking including a history of viticulture, wine production regions, wine types/styles, methods of winemaking, basics of fermentation, wine chemistry and winery operations. Active experience in the principles of sensory evaluation will be gained through weekly tastings.  Students will produce root beer, beer, sake, local mead and vinegar to gain an understanding of various fermentation methods.  An emphasis will be placed on sustainable viniculture practices and the globalization of wines.

FST532 Sustainable Culinary: Meat Production (3)

As part of sustainable agriculture and culinary knowledge, understanding meat production outside the conventional large scale processing facilities is critical for students who will work with restaurants, farm markets, and other distribution venues. Students will learn butchering, packaging, and cooking techniques at a grass-fed livestock farm and production facility. Fall 2011 will take place at Jamison’s Farm in Latrobe, PA.

FST533 Sustainable Culinary: Grains (2 credits, 7 weeks)

Focus on sustainable grain production through experiential learning and hands on production. Whole grains (wheat, corn, barley, millet, oats, rice, rye, spelt, teff, amaranth and quinoa) will be explored from a global perspective. Culinary components include wheat berries in salad, bread making, pasta production, malting barley for beer, and exploring global variations on the dumpling. 

FST602 Global Agriculture (3)

Examines how contemporary agricultural era is characterized by the simultaneous existence of radically different farming systems within the same region. Course explores prior examples historically and regionally. Focus is then on what makes the contemporary agricultural age different, including respect for ‘traditional’ approaches as viable ‘alternatives’; social and scientific research supporting alternatives; farmers/practitioner awareness of options; and consumer-citizens driven awareness and advocacy.

FST603 Food Journeys (3)

From the Columbian Exchange to Eco-tourism, food travels the world and the traveler journeys through food.  This course examines historical and contemporary writing on food and geographic movement.  Topics include culinary adventuring, anti-colonialist eating, and the migrant food voice.  Analysis of memoirs, cookbooks, and travelogues culminates in publishable food journeys.

FST604 Food, Social Change & Health (3)

This course examines the impact of industrialized food systems on public health and the role of medicine, media, and government in framing public health issues.  Taking a food justice perspective, we examine how social movements and food activism challenge the status quo and help improve public health while promoting alternative ways of thinking about nutrition, individual and community health.

FST605 Food and Climate Change (3)

This course covers the basics of the relationship between climate change and food systems. Using case studies and research projects, coursework covers a comprehensive understanding of agriculture, food production and consumption in relation to environmental change, with close attention to the different ways that communities experience such change.

FST606 The Politics of Grains (2 credits, 7 weeks)

This course uses grains including wheat, oats, rice, and corn as a lens to explore how a wide range of factors - history, land use, crop development, human nutrition, food processing, sensory evaluation, and socio-economics  - shape how grains are grown, harvested and ultimately transformed into bread and other consumables.

FST607 Sustainable Consumption (3)

A sustainable food system supports both environmental and human health.  In this course, students will explore the applied aspects and shared responsibilities of creating and procuring a regionally based diet that fulfills the food and nutrition needs of all eaters, regardless of income and resources. Includes nutritional and policy analysis.

FST610 Culture and Politics of Meat (3 credits, 7 weeks)

Meat is one of the most prized and problematic aspects of our food system. It is one of the key issues in environmental degradation through agriculture, but it is also the most celebrated component of new sustainable food initiatives.  This course examines both sides of debates regarding the historical and contemporary use of animals for food. It covers the culture, politics, history about animal production and consumption

FST611 Religion, Community and Food (3)

This course explores the ways in which sustainability and communal religious life have intersected in the U.S. from the 17^th century to the present. Using lecture, readings, film, and independent research, we will study ethical farming practices, food sustainability, and moral food choices through the lens of American religious communities.

FST620 Research in Sustainable Agriculture (2)

This course assists students developing a research, educational, public policy, or advocacy project in sustainable farming.  Participants study a practical and current sustainable food and/or farming problem, review the literature related to the problem, develop management tactics and strategies to address the problem, and communicate their conclusions.  The goal is to develop a research plan and project outcomes for a Masters thesis or project.

FST683 Special Topics: Pittsburgh Food Landscape (3)

Using theories of collective memory, methods of culinary and oral history, and techniques from cultural geography, this course examines components of the food universe of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County, focusing on the way the region’s distinctive ethnic and class history resulted in specific traditions, culinary creations, and entrepreneurial endeavors related to selling and consuming food.  PREREQUISITES: FST 509 AND FST 508

FST691 and 692 Internship (1) (2)

Internship placement will focus on local nonprofits, advocacy groups, community projects, food companies, farms, co-ops, food producers, and policy agencies. Directed experience can include developing products, community knowledge, food system data, or promotional materials. (Course requires instructor signature.)

FST693  Field Work Practicum (3)

Students in 3 credit internships will have regular meetings as a group and individually with the supervising academic professor in order to address ethical, logistical, and intellectual issues related to community-based work in Food Studies. Students must have internship placement secured prior to start date. Course requires instructor signature.

FST698 Thesis/Project Work (3)

Course provides supervision and research guidance for Masters thesis or projects in Food Studies. Students will have instruction in data analysis, writing for public presentation and publication, professional development workshops, and community development issues.