Courses

Food, Culture & Globalization: Accra

This course is designed to put in perspective the interactions between culture, food systems, migration, and globalization, and how the interactions are impacting on the food security and nutrition of the people. The course will detail the culture and traditions (including changes over the years), food ways, the current food environment in Accra, and the drivers of the nutrition transition. This course will also help students to understand the importance of nutrition sensitive agriculture in
food systems, the impacts of urbanization / migration on these, and the
influence of government policies on the dynamics. The course also has a
field component which includes visits to a traditional ruler (to learn
about food culture and festivals), markets (traditional and modern), and
fast-food outlets/restaurants.

Food, Culture & Globalization: Sydney

This course will explore current transformations in the food systems and
cultures of Sydney under conditions of globalization. Through lectures,
readings and various activities, students will master established facts and
concepts about contemporary urban food cultures and produce new knowledge
about them. We will ask how produce, people and animals have interacted to
make life possible in Sydney and its surrounding suburbs broadly. We
question how those interactions have changed over time and the impact of
changing modes of food production, distribution, and preparation on human
health, knowledge systems, livelihoods, social relations, and the natural
environment. We also consider the built environment and the kinds of
systems that have been built to provide energy, portable water, provide
clean air and process waste.

Students taking this course are likely to be committed to an integration
between theory and practice. This could include: how you translate your
learning from the course into your everyday food practices; how your own
choices can improve the food chain; practical tips in cultivation;
campaigning through social movements and advocacy; setting up your own
projects, impacting policy and government programs and many more.

Food, Culture & Globalization: Tel Aviv

This course investigates current transformations in the food systems and
cultures of Tel Aviv under conditions of globalization and urbanization.
How have produce, people and animals interacted to make life possible in
modern cities and how have those interactions changed over time in Tel
Aviv's history? What kinds of systems have been built to provide energy,
bring potable water into cities, take sewage out, and provide clean air?

As a course in new sensory urbanism this curriculum seeks to expand the
traditional scope and range of the studied senses from sight (e.g. art,
architecture [Bauhaus in Tel Aviv, *The International Style; The White City*)
and sound (music), to smell, taste (the growing sense of new Israeli
cuisine and its export to the world) and touch, so as to rethink what it
means to be a modern urban subject engaged in the pleasures and powers of
consumption. Through lectures, readings and field trips students will
master established theories and concepts about contemporary urban food
cultures and produce new knowledge of the same.

Food- Culture- & Globalization: Florence

This course investigates current transformations in the food systems and cultures of Florence under conditions of globalization. A people’s diet is dependent on their geography, although no people on earth eat everything edible in their environment, and they seek distant stimulants that their locales cannot support. Through lectures, readings, field trips students will master established facts and concepts about contemporary urban food cultures and produce new
knowledge of the same.

From Polenta to Marinara: History of Italian Food

In this course we will cover the varieties of Italian food in their past and present forms. First, we will explore the history of food from past civilizations, leading up to World War I, just after the great immigration to the New World. Time periods examined will be ancient Rome, Medieval, Renaissance, Risorgimento, leading to the modern era. This course includes topics ranging from Pellegrino Artusi’s famous cookbook in the contest of Italian unification to the relationship between Italian Futurism and food. The second part of the course will introduce students to the regional diversity of Italian food using mediums such as TV, art, and film. We will examine the ways in which food shapes contemporary Italian society, from the more intimate family kitchen to the most elegant Italian restaurant in New York City.

Independent Study

It should be noted that It should be noted that independent study requires a minimum of 45 hours of work per point. Independent study cannot be applied to the established professional education sequence in teaching curricula. Each departmental program has established its own maximum credit allowance for independent study. This information may be obtained from a student?s department. Prior to registering for independent study, each student should obtain an Independent Study Approval Form from the adviser.

Internship in Food Studies and Food Management

Practical work experience in food studies and food management supported by class work, discussion and projects. The objectives of the course are to apply classroom content to work experience; identify career options through professional seminars; work experience, and class discussions; develop professional skills through personal observations, work experience and class assignments and identify resources and professional networks that support employment opportunities in the field of interest.

Introduction to Food History

Examination of food from historical and transnational perspectives. Topics considered are: the origins of agriculture, the phenomenon of famine, the co-evolution of world cuisines and civilizations, the international exchange and spread of foods and food technologies following 1492, issues of hunger and thirst, and the effects of the emergent global economy on food production, diets, and health.

Liberal Arts Core/MAP Equivalent - satisfies the requirement for Cultures and Contexts

Introduction to Urban Agriculture

This course provides a practical introduction to urban agriculture. Students will learn horticultural skills while performing tasks at the NYU Urban Farm Lab. They will also learn about the biological processes that these tasks manage and how they fit together in a system. Through visits to other sites around the city, students will be exposed to a wide variety of strategies for practicing horticulture in the urban environment.

Research in Food Studies

Examines both theoretical and applied aspects of research design, data analysis, and interpretation. Through readings, class discussion, guest lectures and written assignments, student will gain a thorough understanding of and practice in the components of good food-focused research. Topics include: articulating a research question, locating and using primary and secondary source information, conducting original research, and structuring and executing a research project.

Sustainability and Health

The concept of sustainability is important in our current moment, yet we use the term in a variety of ways and via different frameworks of understanding. This course explores how we talk about and understand the concept of sustainability, including as environment and climate change, food production and consumption, and individual and community health. Students will examine the concept of sustainability through these different lenses, exploring the connections among them.

Techniques of Regional Cuisine

Introduction to foods from various nationality groups through lectures, demonstrations, hands-on food preparation, and field trips.