Sustainable Food Systems
Coordinator: Carol Kelly
The Sustainable Food Systems minor provides students with the opportunity to explore the intersection of global food
systems and sustainability. Courses address the cultural aspects of food, food policies, nutrition and public health, social justice, sustainability, and opportunities for creating new innovation and change within the food system. Seven courses are required to complete the minor. Two courses must be selected from each of three dimensions: cultural/societal, sustainable development, and innovation and change. A seventh course must be selected from a list of experiential learning courses. Only three courses from a student’s major will count towards the Sustainable Food Systems minor. The minor will prepare students for future careers in food industry management, food entrepreneurship, food policy, public health, and nutrition.
Requirements for the Minor
Dimensions, Courses, and Requirements
Two courses must be taken from each of the following three dimensions, Cultural/Societal, Sustainable Development, and Innovation and Change. One course must be chosen from the Experiential Learning Dimension. Four of the seven courses must be upper division. No more than three courses can come from a student’s major. Courses marked with an asterisk (*) must receive prior approval from the program director. The approval decision will be determined based on the relevance of the course topic, research project, or fellowship. Students should check for any prerequisites before selecting a course to fulfill a requirement for the minor.
Cultural/Societal Dimension (two courses)
ANTH 5 Popular Culture and Bioanthropology
ANTH 50/ENVS 50/POLI 50 World Geography
ANTH 140/ENVS 136 Food, Culture, and the Environment
BIOL 105/PHSC 105 Human Nutrition and Metabolism
BIOL 106/PHSC 124 Health Consequences of a Western Lifestyle
ENVS 79 Environmental Thought
ENVS 185 Garbology
ITAL 101 Italian Food Culture
MGMT 110 Global Microfinance for Entrepreneurial Development
SOCI 12A Cultures & Ideas II: The Human Condition
SOCI 132 Inequality and the American Dream
Sustainable Development Dimension (two courses)
ANTH 133 Human Nutrition and Culture
ANTH 138 The Biology of Poverty
ENVS 132 Agroecology L&L
BUSN 150 Feeding the World
CENG 124/ENVS 124 Water Law and Policy
ECON 135 Gender Issues in the Developing World
ENVS 22 Introduction to Environmental Studies
ENVS 146 Agriculture, Environment, and Development: Latin America
ENVS 147 International Environment and Development
ENVS 149 African Environment and Development
MGMT 110: Global Microfinance for Entrepreneurial Development
PHSC 1 Introduction to Public Health
POLI 123 Global Environmental Politics
Innovation and Change Dimension (two courses)
ANTH 137 Evolutionary Medicine
BIOL 18* Exploring Biotechnology L&L
ECON 101/MGMT 173 Resources, Food and the Environment
ECON 134 African Economic Development
ENGR 161/MGMT 177 Cultures of Innovation
ENVS 155 Environmental and Food Justice
MGMT 40 Foundational Knowledge of Managing for Sustainability
MGMT 42 Managing from the Triple Bottom Line
MGMT 172 Social Entrepreneurship
MGMT 176 Sustainable Food Systems
MKTG 187 Innovation and New Product Marketing
SOCI 60/130 Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship
Experiential Learning Dimension
Students must choose one course from the following list. Additional courses may be approved as satisfying the Experiential Learning Dimension providing 1) the course is a credit-bearing course related to sustainable food systems; and 2) a grade is earned for the course. Some examples include, a food-focused internship or research project, a senior design project, or a food-related study abroad course. Miller Center Fellows, Global Fellows, and students participating in an immersion with a food-emphasis may use these programs/courses to meet the minor’s experiential requirement with prior approval.
BUSN 132* CLASP (Contemplative Leadership and Sustainability Program)
BUSN 151 A&B Food, Hunger, Poverty and Environment Immersion
BUSN 183 A, B, & C LSB Community Fellows Seminar
BUSN 188* Field Studies: NPI Small Business Improvement Project
BUSN 195* A&B The Global Fellow Experience
ELSJ 134/135* Participation in the Miller Center Fellowship
ENVS 95* Sustainability 101
ENVS 191 Urban Agriculture Practicum
ENVS 195* SLURP (Sustainable Living Undergraduate Research Project)