Sustainable Food Systems Minor
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. Guidance for obtaining
internships for credit will be provided.
Contact Carol Kelly, the coordinator of the Sustainable Food Systems Minor, at ckelly7@scu.edu, to set up a meeting to review the requirements of the minor and fill out the Program Petition Form on the Office of the Registrar Forms page (Section 1 on the form).
The form will be signed and you will receive an email to pick up the form.
Submit the completed and signed form to One Stop, Enrollment Services Center.
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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, which 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.
Click here for an updated course list and prerequisite information.
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
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
PHSC 1 Introduction to Public Health POLI123 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 class from the following list. Additional classes 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.
BUSN132* CLASP (Contemplative Leadership and Sustainability Program)
BUSN 151 A&B Food, Hunger, Poverty, and Environment Immersion
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)
This course is designed to help students meet their social justice-oriented experiential learning requirements while learning about issues related to food production and consumption, hunger, poverty, and the environment. The course blends short lectures, guided discussions and reflections, and a 10- to 12-day immersion in a selected country interacting with local people of diverse backgrounds for experiential active learning. The goal is to increase students' understanding of the role of business in the developing world and to explore the role of business in alleviating poverty through economic development and the pursuit of social justice. (2 units)
In this course, students examine the global system for the production and distribution of food, assess the ability of the system to satisfy the human demand for food, and evaluate the impact of the system on the natural environment. Students will employ tools from statistics, operations, and economics to describe, analyze, and forecast imbalances between food supply and food demand. Through a term project, students use their new skills to examine the food system in a developing nation experiencing chronic hunger. (5 units)
Feeding the World Pathway
The Feeding the World (FTW) pathway focuses on the complex interrelationships among food production, food consumption, hunger, poverty, and the environment. Students in the pathway will explore how the production, consumption, and distribution of food resources are impacted by a variety of factors, including the availability of resources, income levels, and environmental degradation. Classes will also address the production of food in fragile environments and the sustainability of subsistence food systems, including the role of agricultural development in reducing hunger and poverty throughout the world. Undergraduate students can declare the Pathway through ECampus and will then have access to the opportunities available through the Center for Food Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
The Center for Food Innovation and Entrepreneurship runs BUSN 150 and 151, which are considered CFIE classes within the FTW Pathway.
ANTH 50/ENVS 50/ POLI 50: World Geography
ANTH 133: Human Nutrition and Culture
ANTH 140: Food, Culture, and Environment
ANTH 185: Peoples of Latin America
BIOL 131/ ENVS 132: Agroecology
BUSN 150: Feeding the World
BUSN 151: Food, Hunger, Poverty and Environment Immersion
DANC 69/169: Walk Across California
ECON 101: Resources, Food, & Environment
ECON 134: African Economic Development
ECON 160: Econ of Poverty & Inequality
ENGL 159: Indian Literature
ENGL 165: African Literature
ENVS 20: The Water Wars of California
ENVS 21: Introduction to Environmental Studies
ENVS 155: Environmental and Food Justice
ETHN 156: Race, Gender, & Environ Justice
HIST 106: You Are What You Eat: History of Foods, Drugs, & Medicines
PHIL 9: Ethical Issues and the Environment
POLI 40: The Politics of US Economic Policies
SOCI 33: Social Problems in the United States
SOCI 134: Globalization and Inequality
SOCI 165: Human Services
International Environment and Development Semester
SIS-471 900T Int'l Environ. & Develop. Seminar I 4 credits
SIS-472 001T Int'l Environ. & Develop. Seminar II 4 credits
SIS-473 001T Int'l Environ. & Develop. Research* 4 credits
SIS-474 001T Int'l Environ. & Develop. Internship 4 credits
Approved course list subject to change.
Students are encouraged to enhance their coursework with the enrichment programs offered by the Center for Food Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CFIE).
Through the Internship Program, students have the opportunity to apply their classroom education in a professional work environment.
The CFIE's Mentor Program connects students with professionals working in the students’ areas of interest.
The Field Trips and Immersive Study Trips offered through the Center expose students to the rich diversity of the food industry through domestic and international field experiences.
In addition to enrichment programs, students are encouraged to participate in educational and social events offered throughout the year.
The CFIE encourages FHPE pathway students to apply for a research fellowship. The purpose of the fellowship is to promote a greater understanding of the complex connections and relationships among food, hunger, poverty, and the environment. The fellowships are aligned with the University’s commitment to “foster a culture supportive of undergraduate research.” Fellows receive a stipend and are expected to engage in their research project for a full year. The application process for fellows occurs during the spring quarter.