Food, Sustainability, and Culture

There are few issues more important for human life than those concerned with sustainability. Current global trends, such as climate change, biodiversity loss, rising inequality, and increasing urbanization, raise critical questions about future environmental and social sustainability. Changes are necessary for the survival of our species, especially around how and what we eat. But how can we bring about the changes needed? In this course, we explore the historical and cultural diversity of human-environment interaction as it pertains to food and agriculture, and analyze sustainability in a variety of contexts: from the local to the global, in the past and present, in the U.S. and among small-scale societies. We'll look at development through the lens of food, and discuss sustainability in the context of globalization: whether social movements around food justice or the new world of lab-based meats. From behavioral psychology and how it contributes to environmental action, to the individual choices we make every day, this course will help you reflect on the world, your own behaviors and assumptions, and how to act in greater accordance with the Earth's limits.