Food Systems

University of California, Berkeley

About the Program

The food systems minor, hosted by the Department of Environmental Science, Policy & Management (ESPM) in the Rausser College of Natural Resources, is an interdisciplinary program of study that explores the role of food within the environment and society. Drawing from diverse fields as far-ranging as ecology, sociology, the humanities, nutrition, history, and economics, the food systems minor critically examines issues of contemporary food and agriculture from a whole-systems perspective.

Students take five courses, one of which can be lower division and one of which can overlap with their major. A required community engagement project during the final senior spring semester allows students to bring together what they have learned in a real-world setting.

Students who complete the minor will gain a broad and interdisciplinary understanding of critical themes and concepts related to the social, political, economic, environmental, cultural, nutritional, and public health issues of contemporary food and agriculture systems both domestically and internationally.

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Minor Requirements

General Guidelines

Courses must be taken for a letter grade unless the course is only offered on a Pass/No Pass basis. The student must achieve at least a C (2.0) average in the courses taken in satisfaction of a minor program. Students may take one lower division course to count toward the major requirements and may overlap one course, lower or upper division, with their major requirements. The five courses taken for the major, two core courses, two elective courses, and the experiential learning course must total at least 15 units.

All minors must be declared no later than one semester before a student's Expected Graduation Term (EGT). If the semester before EGT is fall or spring, the deadline is the last day of RRR week. If the semester before EGT is summer, the deadline is the final Friday of Summer Sessions. To declare a minor, contact the minor advisor for information on requirements, and the declaration process. 

The requirements of the minor include:

1. Two Core Courses

Choose two courses, from two different categories listed below.

Natural Sciences
Agricultural Ecology [4]
Science of Soils [3]
Sustainable Water and Food Security [4]
Environmental Plant Biology [2]
Social Sciences
Treaty Rights and Food Fights: The Native American Food Sovereignty Movement [4]
Sociology and Political Ecology of Agro-Food Systems [4]
Food and the Environment [4]
Selected Topics in Social Inequality: Social Problems of the Food Industry [3] (topic must be: Social Problems of the Food Industry)
Cultural Perspectives of Food [3]
Food and Community Health
Treaty Rights and Food Fights: The Native American Food Sovereignty Movement [4]
Introduction to Human Nutrition [3] (*)
Special Topics in Public Health [1-4] (Topic must be Global Nutrition***)

2. Two Elective Courses

Choose two courses from the categories below. A minimum of one elective must be from the category not chosen for a core course. Core course options not taken to fulfill the core course requirement can be counted toward the elective requirement.*

Natural Sciences
Insect Ecology [3]
Urban Garden Ecosystems [4]
Agricultural Ecology [4] **
Science of Soils [3] **
Soil Microbiology and Biogeochemistry [3]
Pesticide Chemistry and Toxicology [3]
Special Topics in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management [2-4] (Topic Green Water, Brown Ground and Global Food Security***)
Biodiversity Conservation in Working Landscapes [4]
Sustainable Water and Food Security [4]
Grassland and Woodland Management and Conservation [4]
The (Secret) Life of Plants [3]
Physiology and Biochemistry of Plants [3]
Modern Applications of Plant Biotechnology [2]
Environmental Plant Biology [2] **
Social Sciences
History 2 Foodways: A Global History***
The Anthropology of Food [4]
Planning for Sustainability [4]
Economics of Race, Agriculture, and the Environment [3]
Industrial Organization with Applications to Agriculture and Natural Resources [4]
Economics of Poverty and Technology [3]
Economics of Water Resources [3]
FROM FARM TO TABLE: FOOD SYSTEMS IN A CHANGING WORLD [4]
Sociology and Political Ecology of Agro-Food Systems [4]
Environmental Justice: Race, Class, Equity, and the Environment [4]
International Rural Development Policy [4]
Political Ecology [4]
Food and the Environment [4] **
Special Topics in Geography [3] (Topic must be The Political Ecology of Land Grabs: Food, Resources, Environment and Development)
Perspectives For Sustainable Rural Development [4]
Comparative World History [4] (Topic must be Foodways: A Global History to count towards minor) **
Advanced Studies in International and Area Studies [4] (***Topic must be: Climate Change and Agriculture in Latin America)
Topics in Responsible Business [1-4] (Edible Education)
Food, Culture, and the Environment [2] (Or NUSCTX W104 [3])
Selected Topics in Social Inequality: Social Problems of the Food Industry [3] (Topic Social Problems of the Food Industry***)
Cultural Perspectives of Food [3]
Global Sociology [3]
Food and Community Health
ESPM/NUSCTX C159
Course Not Available [4]
Environmental Health and Development [4]
Introduction to Human Nutrition [3] **
Nutrient Function and Metabolism [3]
Food, Culture, and the Environment [2]
Introduction and Application of Food Science
and Application of Food Science Laboratory
Food Systems Organization and Management [4]
Pesticide Chemistry and Toxicology [3]
Metabolic Bases of Human Health and Diseases [4]
Nutrition in the Community [3]
Global Health: A Multidisciplinary Examination [4]
Drinking Water and Health [3]
Special Topics in Public Health [4] (Topic Global Nutrition only*** )
*Only one lower division class OR up to two units of relevant upper division DeCal credit can count toward the minor. DeCal classes must be approved by the minor adviser and are considered outside the three elective categories: therefore they do not satisfy the requirement of a minimum of one elective taken from the category not chosen for a core course. Students can petition to include other relevant classes, including graduate or study abroad classes.
**Course is also a core course
***Only this course topic is eligible for the minor
Only one overlapping course (upper or lower division) between this minor and a major

3. Community Engagement Project

Students will complete three (3) units of experiential learning through ESPM 197, consisting of two hours/week of in-class time with approximately 7 hours per week spent on-the-ground with a partner organization. This course is only offered in spring terms and should be scheduled in the students' final spring semester. 

Experiential Learning through Engagement in Food Systems

Central to the goal of the minor is an experiential learning internship, to be taken during the student’s junior or senior year. During an entire semester (or longer if they choose), students will work with an organization focused on some aspect of food system change. Students will work with the Community Engagement Faculty Coordinator to identify a community engagement partner organization that fits best with the student's interest. Students will receive credit for community engagement through enrollment in ESPM 197. 

 Learn About Experiential Learning through Engagement in Food Systems

Contact Information

Food Systems Minor, Department of Environmental Science, Policy & Management

College of Natural Resources

Phone: 510-642-0542

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Co-Faculty Advisor

Kathryn De Master, PhD

kathryn.demaster@berkeley.edu

Co-Faculty Advisor

Alastair Iles, PhD

iles@berkeley.edu

Undergraduate Advisor

Katie Owensby

260 Mulford Hall

foodsystems.minor@berkeley.edu

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