History of US Food Politics In this course we will use U.S. food politics as a lens for understanding developments in political economy, changes in the role of the state, and evolving attitudes toward gender, race, labor, childhood, citizenship, health, and the body during the twentieth century. How have government, corporations, and scientists shaped U.S. foodways? How have people been affected by broad trends in food politics, and how have they resisted, as consumers, citizens, and activists? To answer these questions, we will use methods of social and cultural history to explore food politics from the top down and the bottom up.

Food in East Asian Religions One might think that food and eating have nothing to do with the lofty concerns of religious traditions. In fact, many religions bring their fundamental principles to bear on the questions of what, how, and with whom to eat; many also revolve around “feeding” gods and other spiritual beings. In this course, we will examine East Asian religions through the lens of eating practices. We will study Confucian feasting and fasting, various Chinese, Korean, and Japanese rituals offering food to ancestors and gods, Buddhist vegetarianism and its critics, unusual Taoist eating regimens, and the ancient cosmological ideas underlying traditional Chinese medical ideas of healthy eating.

Food Security in Lebanon In this course we will begin with a short history of Lebanon’s agrarian to urban transition to look at its contemporary food system, asking such questions as: Who profits from the food system? How viable is agriculture in Lebanon? Does this system provide food security? This course will provide students with an understanding of how global and local political/financial systems have extracted wealth from farmers, and have left the Lebanese in a state of fluctuating food insecurity. We will look at commodity chains, crop selection, markets, farmer to farmer relations, and the role of Syrian crops entering the country. We will draw on the work of NGOs, UNEP reports, media, policy papers, and the academic literature.

Middlebury's Foodprint:  Introduction to Food Systems Issues Food systems encompass all activities, people and institutions determining movement of food from input supply and production (on land and water) through waste management. The dominant U.S. food system is responsible at least in part for some of the nation’s most troubling environmental and health challenges. What do we eat at Middlebury? What difference does it make? How do we know?  We will examine impacts of how Middlebury sources and consumes its food, and disposes of food waste, as a lens to understand sustainable food systems and how they can be achieved.

Food Power & Justice Students in this course will learn to analyze power and justice in relation to the food system. We will explore cases in which groups of people are experiencing injustice in opportunities to make a living through food production or other food system activities, inequitable access to food and resources, inequitable health outcomes related to diet (e.g., diabetes, obesity), and silencing or lack of political participation. Students will investigate organizations of their choice that are working to remedy inequitable power relations in the food system, and will present their findings to the rest of the class.

Agroecology In this course students will learn about agroecology as a set of practices, a philosophy, and a social movement. Agroecology takes advantage of natural processes to the greatest extent possible, using biological inputs rather than purchased pesticides and fertilizers. In addition to having major benefits for poor farmers in developing countries, it is attracting increased attention as an alternative to industrialized agriculture in wealthy countries. The course will include field trips to farms, films, and discussion of readings. We will leave between noon and 12:30 for some of the field trips, so don’t register for a class immediately before.

Food Policy Food policy is about how decisions are made in the food system, affecting who eats what, who grows food and how.  In this course, we will investigate important current topics in food policy, such as issues under consideration by the U.S. Congress (e,g., the Farm Bill, Child Nutrition Reauthorization); the United Nations; or other organizations.   Using a range of readings and academic background sources on food policy, students will debate contentious issues affected by policy (antibiotic resistance due to livestock feeding practices, incentives for healthy eating, limits on concentration in agribusiness, food safety rules, etc.).

The Anthropology of Food Food not only sustains bodies, but also reflects and shapes cultures, social identities, and systems of power.  In this course we examine the relationship between food and culture.  Beginning with an examination of the origins of cooking, we will go on to analyze a variety of approaches to understanding the food/culture/society relationship.  These include the symbolic meanings of food, the role of food in constructing social and cultural identities, and the relationship between food and political and economic systems.   Our examples will be cross-cultural (Africa, South and East Asia, Europe, and the Americas).

Hunger, Food Security & Food Sovereignty Why have no countries—including the U.S.—been able to ensure universal food security, even though more than enough food is produced for everyone? To examine this question, we will analyze historical famines, the "food price crisis" of 2008, and debates about how to address hunger and food insecurity including calls for food sovereignty.  We will read Julian Cribb's The Coming Famine as well as other sources. Students will select international or domestic food security as their emphasis, and examine an organization trying to tackle hunger and food insecurity.  This course is open to juniors and seniors.

Grassroots Perspectives on Sustainable Development Whose sustainability is threatened now, and why does it matter? How do the Sustainable Development Goals adopted in 2015 perpetuate existing power asymmetries that hurt marginalized people and block systemic transformation? We will critique the rise of “sustainable development" and explore the emphases of sustainability science to assess whether it is addressing the needs of marginalized people. Then we will turn to the articulation of alternatives to neoliberalism from social movements and post-development advocates. Are alternatives arising that offer radically different and more sustainable patterns of production and consumption to meet life needs? The course involves critique of original scientific literature and reports and interactive discussion.

Animals in Middle Eastern History In this course we will examine attitudes towards animals in Middle Eastern history, with an emphasis on Muslim settings. We will survey the law and ethics of human-animal relations in religious sources and engage with issues such as how humans differ from non-human “animals,” how they should treat animals, and the overall place and roles of animals in divine creation as reflected within different historical periods. We will also consider the impact of the modern animal liberation movement in the Middle East and examine a variety of religious and secular positions formulated by Muslims that have recently prioritized animal welfare and promoted environmental consciousness. (Counts for HSMT credit) Pre-1800.

Time Around the Table: A Culinary History of Italy In this course food will be our guide in the exploration of Italian history and culture. The choices that a nation, in our case Italy, made and makes about issues surrounding food tell us about identity, be it social, national, regional, ethnic, or religious. We will examine a number of questions: What do we mean when we talk about Italian food? What did one eat in Ancient Rome or during the Renaissance? And what about today? What are the historical events that have shaped what we have in mind when we say “Italian food”? And what about “Italian-American” food?  (Not open to students who have taken FYSE 1344).

Natural Fermentation: Engaging the Wild Microorganisms that Surround Us This course will immerse students in the scientific, historical, and practical pursuit of food fermenation. Fermentation is the earth's first biotechnology and method of preserving energy. This course will explore natural fermentation techniques, parameters for safety and troubleshooting in a hands on lab while also contextualizing fermentation in terms of biological and cultural evolution and health and nutrition. This traditional approach takes advantage of natural processes to the greatest extent possible, using biological rather than purchased inputs. In this course we will engage wild, tamed, and unaccounted-for microorganisms as we naturally pickle, culture, bake and sour vegetables, wheat and milk to create favorites such as pickles, sourdough, kombucha, kefir, yogurt and cheese.

Anthropology of Meat: Why Humans Consume Other Animals Why are some animals taboo to eat? Can it be ethical to eat meat (and how is “ethical” defined)? In this course, we will explore meat eating practices around the world, focusing on issues like sustainability, race, and gender. Key texts include Nadasdy's 2007 article "The Gift in the Animal," Boisseron's Afro-Dog (2018), Adams' The Sexual Politics of Meat (1990), and Ko's Racism as Zoological Witchcraft (2019). Through a variety of texts, films, and guest speakers--including food discrimination lawyer Thulasi Raj and Vermont slaughterer Mary Lake--we will explore our own relationships to meat eating, while questioning what it means to be human. This course does not seek to persuade you towards or away from vegetarianism; all experiences are welcome.  Amanda Kaminsky is a PhD Candidate in Sociocultural Anthropology at the University of Michigan and an alumna of Middlebury College (Class of 2013, B.A. Chinese)./

Vermont's Farms, Food & Future What crops make sense to grow in Vermont? Where is the best land to farm? Who owns land and capital, and who grows the food? What systems and interests shape the answers to these questions? In this course we will examine Vermont agriculture through lenses of climate change, racial equity, and socioeconomic viability. Through reading, discussion, and meeting with food system practitioners, students will understand intersecting and conflicting perspectives related to agriculture and land use. The final project will be a proposed policy, program or enterprise that would contribute to the agricultural future each student believes in for Vermont.  Jeannie Bartlett ‘15 grows fruit trees in Plainfield, Vermont. From 2016 through 2021 she managed the Franklin County Conservation District, where she developed and implemented programs to assist farmers with stewardship of soil and water in northwest Vermont. She serves on the board of Rural Vermont and is an active member of the VT Young Farmers Coalition. She studied Conservation Biology at Middlebury./

Garden as Metaphor and Sustenance: Memory and Broadcasting the Future Gardens are embodied scripts sown in anticipation of the future. Who decides what grows, how, and why? In an era of real and  perceived crisis, how do we distinguish and make material our contributions to what Timothy Morton names as “hyperobjects” such  as climate change and racism? What kind of futures might we craft, for whom, and with which seeds? We will explore and apply  critical analyses to the Knoll’s planting plans for 2023 and 2024, framed by perspectives of political economy, the formation of institutions, ideas of sovereignty, and rooted in the materiality of the Knoll, our physical forms, and our interdependent communities. Potential texts include seed catalogs as primary sources, Kloppenburg, Twitty, Shiva, Penniman, Fukuoka, and  Baszile. 3 hrs seminar.

Regenerative food systems: a local dialogue with the global scale and cases in Chile This course departs from the definition of food systems and their cultural, gender, social and economic elements from a local to a global scale. After defining the major problems of the global food systems expressed in local diets and foodscapes homogenization, the course will look at the key elements to study and support the regeneration of local food systems. Finally, it will provide tools to understand and reflect on local food systems based on practical exercises and case studies in the south of Chile.

Amanda Kaminsky

Constanza Monterrubio

Elise Singer

Elizabeth Morrison

Ellen Oxfeld

Febe Armanios

Ilaria Brancoli Busdraghi

Jeanne Bartlett

Lana Povitz

Molly Anderson

Robert Greeley

Sandra Carletti

Read 11 reviews for Food Studies courses at Middlebury College. Find the best Food Studies professors and courses.  Discover your new major today!

Loved this class - was scared by the reviews and expecting a lot of homework but homework was incredibly manageable - literally just skimmed readings and was ready for every class, farm visits were incredibly cool. Also a very good grading system, essentially if you meet all of the requirements on any homework or project you automatically get an A. 

Readings were always short and the reading were the source of frequent quizzes. The quizzes, however, were very easy if you did the readings. 2 presentations and 2 papers throughout the semester and Greeley was enthusiastic and very funny.

The class was really interesting and it did a great job in putting food politics into perspective. I had never thought about the subject before but I'm glad I took this class and am now more educated about history. It also helped me be more conscious of the social aspects of food.