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Description
Introduction to Food Studies: We Are What We Eat
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General Information
Term: Fall 2025
Credits: 3
Class time: Wednesday – 5:45 – 8:15 PM
Classroom: EV 1.615 SGW
Office Hours: Wednesday – 4:15 – 5:30 PM (by request)
Territorial Acknowledgement
I acknowledge that Concordia University is located on unceded Indigenous lands. The Kanien’kehá:ka Nation is recognized as the custodians of the lands and waters on which we gather today. Tiohtiá:ke/Montreal is historically known as a gathering place for many First Nations. Today, it is home to a diverse population of Indigenous and other peoples. We respect the continued connections with the past, present and future in our ongoing relationships with Indigenous and other peoples within the Montreal community. (Indigenous Directions Leadership Group, Feb. 16, 2017) This course focuses on food and culture from decolonial, social justice perspectives. Students are encouraged to read the Red Paper on Land Back and/or take the short course on Land Back from the Yellowhead Institute.
Course Description from Concordia Calendar
This course is an interdisciplinary introduction to the cultural and social processes of food creation and consumption. Students make connections between various aspects of the food world and their own roles and responsibilities within the food system. Through an exploration, not only of things eaten, but also of food spaces and food‑related activities — including design, studio arts, and architecture — students discover that interactions with food are not as matter‑of‑fact as often assumed.
Learning Outcomes
- Critically analyze food systems by examining the intersections of food, culture, and power structures in shaping food production, distribution, and consumption.
- Explore the cultural significance of food in rituals, community building, and identity formation, highlighting its symbolic and social meanings.
- Assess the impact of food movements by analyzing global initiatives like food sovereignty and community food security in response to industrial food systems.
- Engage in experiential learning through hands-on activities in food production, transformation, and waste management to connect theory with practice.
- Investigate food sovereignty and justice by exploring how local communities resist corporate food systems and build equitable, (strong) sustainable food practices.
- Connect global and local food issues by analyzing multinational food systems and local efforts to create sustainable and just food systems.
- Develop action research and art skills by engaging in projects that address local food justice issues and collaborate with community organizations for practical solutions.
- Critically reflect on personal food practices and their broader social, cultural, and political contexts through written and spoken assignments.
- Recognize viable alternatives to industrial food systems by exploring agroecology, CSA programs, and participatory food systems that challenge industrial food practices.
- Articulate critiques of global food systems by examining the impacts of monocultures, food deserts, and environmental degradation.
- Identify causes and consequences of food-related social and ecological problems and propose solutions such as local food initiatives and food sovereignty.
- Understand a plurality of food system approaches and their ability to address environmental degradation, food injustice, and social impact.
- Communicate the history and philosophies of food movements by linking past and present food movements to struggles for food sovereignty and environmental justice.
- Use diverse food system tools and language to critically analyze contemporary issues like food waste, hunger, and corporatization.
- Apply diverse food system approaches to create ethical food practices that promote sustainability, health, and justice.
- Move towards transformative food practices by exploring food sovereignty, local systems, and decolonizing food systems.
- Incorporate social justice and decolonial perspectives in understanding food systems, including indigenous food sovereignty and dismantling inequalities.
- Perform art-based actions to explore food sovereignty and system transformations from cultural and ecological perspectives.
- Re-embed food systems into society and the biosphere by exploring models like permaculture and regenerative agriculture that reconnect food systems with the land and communities.
- Identify planetary boundaries and ecological crisesin food production and consumption, ensuring ecological sustainability in food systems.
- Comprehend degrowth perspectives in food systems, questioning the need for continuous growth and advocating for reduced food waste and overconsumption.
- Identify multiple forms of value in food systems and compare conflicting values such as nutritional, cultural, ecological, and economic factors in food production and consumption.
- Create artistic expressions of food sovereignty by producing visual, auditory, or multisensory projects that translate theoretical insights into accessible and inspiring public works.
- Experiment with art as research by using creative practices (e.g., visual art, performance, storytelling, or multimedia) as methods to critically investigate food systems and communicate findings.
- Collaborate artistically with food groups and communities to foster shared ownership of food justice struggles and amplify grassroots perspectives through collective creations.
- Translate complex food justice concepts into artistic forms that engage broader audiences beyond academia, inspiring dialogue and action.
- Use art to reimagine food futures by envisioning alternative food systems through speculative, symbolic, and creative practices.
- Integrate embodied and sensory learning (taste, smell, touch, performance) into the study of food, linking cultural analysis with lived, multisensory experience.
- Document and showcase food movements through art as a means of archiving struggles, victories, and visions of transformation in accessible formats.
- Reflect on the role of creativity in activism by analyzing how cultural production (murals, zines, theatre, song, etc.) supports movements for food sovereignty and justice.
Instructional Method
This course is conducted in person, fostering a collaborative and interactive learning environment. Each class will begin with a brief introduction to the weekly theme, highlighting connections between the assigned readings, real-world examples, and critical perspectives that extend beyond the texts.
Students are expected to complete the readings before class and actively contribute to discussions, workshops, and hands-on food activities. Instructional methods integrate lectures, group dialogue, experiential exercises, and community-based learning.
Through course assignments and classroom activities, students will:
- Critically analyze intersections of food, culture, society, and art.
- Engage in experiential learning through food experiments and practices such as sourdough, seed saving, preservation, and food art projects, alongside farm visits and collective meals.
- Co-create pathways for campus–community food sovereignty and food justice through art, research and collaborative projects.
By combining theoretical insights with embodied practices, the course invites students to examine food systems critically, connect scholarship with practice, and imagine transformative possibilities for food futures in their communities.
Required Course Materials
Students must complete the weekly readings before class. All required texts are available through the Concordia Library, with links provided in the syllabus for easy access.
Course Schedule, Themes, Topics, Activities and Readings
Date | Food Theme | Topics & Activities | Readings Due |
Sept 3 | Seeds | Introduction to Course. | No readings |
Sept 10 | Food Production | Loyola Farm Tour. | Koç, Sumner & Winson (2022). Critical Perspectives in Food Studies (3rd ed.). Ch. 1 – Finding Food Studies Ch. 2 – You Are What You Eat |
Sept 17 | Soil | Critically Analyzing Food Systems. | Ch. 1 – How Our Capitalist Food System Came to Be Ch. 2 – Food, A Special Commodity |
Sept 24 | Sourdough | Political Economy of Food. | Ch. 3 – Land & Property Ch. 4 – Capitalism, Food & Agriculture |
Oct 1 | Bread | Food, Identity & Culture. | Counihan, C., Van Esterik, P., & Julier, A. P. (2019). Food and culture : a reader. Introduction: The Continuing Salience of Food and Culture |
Oct 8 | Cooking | Food, Festivals & Community. Potluck! | Ch. 5 – Power & Privilege in the Food System Ch. 6 – Food, Capitalism, Crises & Solutions |
Oct 22 | Preservation | Individual and Community Health Discourses. | Koç, Sumner & Winson (2022). Critical Perspectives in Food Studies (3rd ed.). Ch. 3 – Constructing “Healthy Eating” Ch. 4 – Evolving Understandings of Traditional Foods |
Oct 29 | Co-ops & Food Hubs | Food System Alternatives. | Chevrier (forthcoming). Cultivating Food Sovereign Campuses. Hungry for Change.
Conclusion – Changing Everything |
Nov 5 | Seed Saving | Food Sovereignty Movements. | Koç, Sumner & Winson (2022). Critical Perspectives in Food Studies (3rd ed.). Ch. 24 – Alternative Food Initiatives Ch. 25 – Building Food Sovereignty |
Nov 12 | Food Art | Food, Art & Community Activism. | Levkoe, Anderson & Brady (2016). Conversations in Food Studies. Ch. 1 – Visual Methods |
Nov 19 | Food and Performance | Performativity of Food. | Levkoe, Anderson & Brady (2016). Conversations in Food Studies. Ch. 2 – Stirring the Pot |
Nov 26 | Cooking and Expression | Farewell Feast. | No readings |
Course Assignments
The course assignments guide students through a hands-on, scaffolded journey of learning, reflection, and creative action. Starting with active participation, students build the skills and insights needed to engage critically with course readings and discussions. Through reflective writing, art-based food projects, and a culminating public exposition, students connect theory with practice, experiment with new ways of engaging with food systems, and contribute to inspiring the campus and community food movement at Concordia and beyond.
Participation (ongoing, 20%)
The participation grade is based on attendance, engagement in class discussions, and active involvement in hands-on food activities and supplemental tasks. Students are expected to attend class regularly, contribute thoughtfully to discussions, and demonstrate familiarity with the assigned readings. Participation reflects students’ ability to engage critically and collaboratively with course materials, peers, and experiential activities.
Critical Food Reflection (Report, 500–750 words, 25%)
This assignment asks students to critically reflect on an area of food from a personal, collective, or other perspective, drawing connections to the course readings. Students must:
Reference at least four chapters from the assigned readings.
Engage critically with the texts, analyzing concepts rather than summarizing.
Write in a report or autoethnographic style, ensuring insights are grounded in course material and not conjecture.
Demonstrate how course concepts illuminate understanding of food systems, culture, or personal experience.
Purpose: This assignment encourages students to deepen their critical engagement with readings and begin connecting theory to practice.
Critical Food Creation (Report + Art Piece, 500–750 words, 25%)
Students will create an original art piece related to food, which can be visual, auditory, sensory, or taste-based. Artworks should be inspired by and reflect themes from the course readings. Students are encouraged to use their creative work to foster conditions of campus and community food sovereignty by engaging with food groups, and to help advance the National Campus Food Coalition as instigated by the Communal Lunch Program.
Students must also submit a short report explaining:
How the art piece engages with or is informed by specific readings.
How it contributes to fostering conditions of campus and community food sovereignty through engagement with food groups.
How it supports the goals of the National Campus Food Coalition.
Reflection on the creative process and insights gained through the work.
Purpose: This assignment allows students to apply theory in a creative context, linking critical analysis with tangible, experiential outputs that engage both classroom and community initiatives, supporting local food projects and broader campus food coalitions.
Critical Food Exposition (Group Project + Autoethnography, 500–750 words, 30%)
For the culminating assignment, students will collaborate to organize a food-focused event showcasing their creative work and inviting campus-community food groups to participate. Students must:
Contribute to planning and organizing the event in partnership with campus-community food initiatives and the Concordia Food Coalition.
Write an autoethnography reflecting on their individual contributions to the event’s development and execution.
Connect their reflections to course readings and classroom learning.
Demonstrate critical awareness of collaborative processes, community engagement, and the public presentation of food-based projects.
Purpose: This assignment synthesizes learning from the course, combining creative practice, critical reflection, and community engagement in a public-facing project.
Evaluation
Name of Assignment | Due Date | % of final grade |
Participation | Ongoing | 20 |
Critical Food Reflection | October 10 | 25 |
Critical Food Creation | November 19 | 25 |
Critical Food Exposition | December 10 | 30 |
Grading System
A+ | 95 – 100 | B+ | 80 – 84.9 | C+ | 67 – 69.9 | D+ | 57 – 59.9 | F | 0 – 49 |
A | 90 – 94.9 | B | 75 – 79.9 | C | 63 – 66.9 | D | 53 – 56.9 | NR | No report |
A- | 85 – 89.9 | B- | 70 – 74.9 | C- | 60 – 62.9 | D- | 50 – 52.9 |
Extraordinary Circumstances
In the event of extraordinary circumstances and pursuant to the Academic Regulations, the University may modify the delivery, content, structure, forum, location and/or evaluation scheme. In the event of such extraordinary circumstances, students will be informed of the changes.
Class Cancellation
Classes are officially considered cancelled if an instructor is 15 minutes late for a 50-minute class, 20 minutes late for a 75-minute class, or 30 minutes late for longer classes.
Intellectual Property
Content belonging to instructors shared in online courses, including, but not limited to, online lectures, course notes, and video recordings of classes remain the intellectual property of the faculty member. It may not be distributed, published or broadcast, in whole or in part, without the express permission of the faculty member. Students are also forbidden to use their own means of recording any elements of an online class or lecture without express permission of the instructor. Any unauthorized sharing of course content may constitute a breach of the Academic Code of Conduct and/or the Code of Rights and Responsibilities. As specified in the Policy on Intellectual Property, the University does not claim any ownership of or interest in any student IP. All university members retain copyright over their work.
Behaviour
All individuals participating in courses are expected to be professional and constructive throughout the course, including in their communications.
Concordia students are subject to the Code of Rights and Responsibilities which applies both when students are physically and virtually engaged in any University activity, including classes, seminars, meetings, etc. Students engaged in University activities must respect this Code when engaging with any members of the Concordia community, including faculty, staff, and students, whether such interactions are verbal or in writing, face to face or online/virtual. Failing to comply with the Code may result in charges and sanctions, as outlined in the Code.
Late Assignment and Submission Policy
Unless you are given permission in advance, late assignments will not be accepted without adequate documentation of medical or personal emergencies. All assignments must be submitted in hard copy on the due date. Assignments that are received electronically will have 30% deducted from the grade of the assignment.
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity means that every student must be honest and accurate in their work. The Academic Code of Conduct includes rules and regulations students must follow. Unacceptable practices include the following
- Copy from ANYWHERE without saying from where it came.
- Omit quotation marks for direct quotations.
- Let another student copy your work and then submit it as his/her own.
- Hand in the same assignment in more than one class without permission.
- Have unauthorized material in an exam, such as cheat sheets, or crib notes. YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE CAUGHT USING THEM – JUST HAVING THEM WILL GET YOU INTO TROUBLE!
- Copy from someone else’s exam.
- Communicate with another student during an exam by talking or using some form of signals.
- Add or remove pages from an examination booklet or take the booklet out of an exam room.
- Get hold of or steal an exam or assignment answers or questions.
- Write a test or exam for someone else or have someone write it for you.
- Hand in false documents such as medical notes, transcript or record.
- Falsify data or research results.
PLAGIARISM: The most common offense under the Academic Code of Conduct (see link below) is plagiarism, which the Code defines as “the presentation of the work of another person as one’s own or without proper acknowledgement.”
This could be material copied word for word from books, journals, internet sites, professor’s course notes, etc. It could be material that is paraphrased but closely resembles the original source. It could be the work of a fellow student, such as an answer on a quiz, data for a lab report, or a paper or assignment completed by another student. It could be a paper purchased through one of the many available sources. Plagiarism does not refer to words alone. It can also refer to copying images, graphs, tables, and ideas. Plagiarism is not limited to written work. It also applies to oral presentations, computer assignments and artistic works. Finally, if you translate the work of another person into French or English and do not cite the source, this is also plagiarism. In simple words: DO NOT COPY, PARAPHRASE OR TRANSLATE ANYTHING FROM ANYWHERE WITHOUT SAYING FROM WHERE YOU OBTAINED IT!
Take care to inform yourself of the rules, regulations and expectations for academic integrity.