NU Summer Course on Food Issues

The Politics and Culture of Food

ENVR POL 390-0 Sec. 26 

Brian Bouldrey (English), and Garth Fowler (Neurobiology & Physiology)

TuTh 6:30 - 9pm, 6 weeks, EVAN, 6/19 - 7/26    

In this course, we will take a humanities-based view of the challenges of poverty, obesity, and the burgeoning field of food culture. Each week, we will examine the politics and culture of food through lenses of both science and art. We will devote one week to each of economics, psychology/biology, anthropology, religion, public policy and literature. Through lecture, discussion, short and long papers, and student projects and presentations, this interdisciplinary course will provide both a survey and a focus on the challenges and future of food politics.

Readings may include: Apt Russell, Sharman, Hunger: An Unnatural History, Pollan, Michael, The Omnivore's Dilemma, Gopnik, Adam, The Table Comes First, Wansink, Brian, Mindless Eating, Carson, Rachel, Silent Spring, Brox, Jane, Clearing Land: Legacies of the American, Levi-Strauss, Claude, The Raw and the Cooked, Nabhan, Gary Where Our Food Comes From, Ozeki, Ruth, My Year of Meats, Kessler, Brad, Goat Song, Finkelstein, Eric,The Fattening of America, selected public policy papers, and papers on food deserts, and the "soda tax".

This course counts toward the Weinberg College social and behavioral sciences distribution requirement, Area III.

Monday May 21, Speaker Tracie McMillan

Tracie McMillan is the New York Times best-selling author of "An American Way of Eating: Undercover at Walmart, Applebee's, Farm Fields, and the Dinner Table. She will be speaking on Monday, May 21 to the Northwestern University community at Harris Hall, Room 107 at 7:00PM.  


This event is Sponsored by NCDC and Real Food Coalition and Co-Sponsored by NU Sustainable Food Talks.  More information to follow shortly.

Phil Fest 2012

Phil Fest. What a day! What a beautiful day!  Fun with fellow green and sustainable student groups at Northwestern University.  Bluegrass music, hammocks, sun and more sun.

June 16th Potluck: Dirt Day Bash

Our June Potluck will be held Saturday the 16th at The Talking Farm's Howard Street Farm in Evanston, IL.

Tentatively the event is scheduled to run from 3:00PM to Dusk. Work day activities from 3:00PM to 7:00PM.

More details to be announced.

May 8: Kellogg Food & Agribusiness Club

Farm-to-Fork: The Modern Food Chain
12:15PM - 1:15PM
Jacobs Center, G03

How does the modern food chain work? Come learn about the basics of food chain (from farm to fork) as an expert in the field provides a landscape of world agriculture. Speaker: Bert Frost (Senior VP Sales and Market Development, CF Industries)

May 3: nuCuisine Fresh Market

Thursday May 3rd, 11:00AM – 2:00PM

At the Rock, north side of University Hall (rain location Norris ground floor).

Fresh fruit, vegetables, local products & more will be available for purchase.  Look out for more nuCuisine Fresh Markets to come this Spring and Summer at Northwestern University!

Today, May 2 Free Screening of The Apple Pushers

Millions of Americans can't get fresh fruits and vegetables...what if they could? 

Wednesday, May 2nd, 2012 

6:30pm (doors open at 6:00pm)

Harris Hall Room 107 

1881 Sheridan Road Evanston, IL

The Apple Pushers follows the inspiring stories of five immigrant pushcart vendors who have joined a unique urban initiative to increase the availability of fresh fruits and vegetables to New York City's food deserts-neighborhoods where finding a ripe, red apple is a serious challenge and where obesity and diabetes rates are skyrocketing. The film not only addresses the issue of food deserts where low-income residents have little access to fresh fruits and vegetables, but also the issue of immigrants and what they do for our country.

There will be a panel discussion after the film. 

Alice Weinreb (Northwestern University Department of History) Moderator

Jim Bloyd (Cook County Department of Public Health)

Katie Darin (Campus Kitchens at Northwestern University)

Pamela Hung (NU Senior in MMSS, Coordinator of NCDC Food Day 2011)

Sponsored by the Center for Civic Engagement, NU Summer Session and 

The Campus Kitchen at Northwestern University

Co-Sponsored by the Global Engagement Summit, Nortwestern Community Development Corps, Northwestern University Conference on Human Rights and Sustainable Food Talks 

For more information, contact the Center for Civic Engagement

at 847-467-3047 or engage@northwestern.edu.