Meaty Topics: Getting a Taste for Food Studies
![Students in the 2024 Intro to Food Studies class visit Hill Farm, an urban farm launched by the nonprofit Wildheart to provide fresh food and nutrition education to residents in the Allison Hill neighborhood of Harrisburg, Pa.](/images/food_studies_2024_intro_course.jpg")
Students in the 2024 Intro to Food Studies class visit Hill Farm, an urban farm launched by the nonprofit Wildheart to provide fresh food and nutrition education to residents in the Allison Hill neighborhood of Harrisburg, Pa.
Introductory course includes field trips, interactive exhibit
by MaryAlice Bitts-Jackson
Think about the last thing you ate. Do you know where it came from and how it was procured? How about the ways that ethics, socioeconomics, culture, history, spirituality and science factored into your meal? These were some of the meaty questions raised in this fall’s introductory food studies course. All semester, the students have been visiting food-related sites, hearing from experts, taking part in class discussions and producing videos and blog posts about this wide-ranging subject. Now, they’re presenting what they learned in an interactive exhibit.
The exhibit, "An Interactive Oral Histories of Food," opens in the Waidner-Spahr Library with a reception on Dec. 10 (4:30-6 p.m.) and continues through Dec. 13.
Varied menu
The course, Introduction to Food Studies, is led by Jenn Halpin, director of the College Farm, with contributing lectures by professors from Dickinson’s Africana studies, American studies, chemistry, Middle East studies and psychology departments. Pros from the College Farm, dining hall and Wellness Center also shared their expertise.
The students learned about the psychology behind food choices and the chemistry and biochemistry of food—including the effects of the microbiome, fats, antioxidants and fermented foods on health. They also discussed the business side of food and food’s intersections with sustainability, ethics, religion and culture. And field trips brought it all to life.
Fresh from the field
Lessons about food insecurity and food deserts were augmented by a visit to a nonprofit-run farm in Harrisburg that aims to improve access to fresh foods in the city's Allison Hill neighborhood. To gain insights into sustainable farming, the students traveled to the College Farm.
“We learned about the organic practices they use at the farm and how they convert food waste from the dining hall into compost or biogas,” says Elise Barry ’28, who intends to major in environmental science.
To understand the business of food, students spoke with staff members at the college’s dining hall about what goes into food selection for college students. They connected with Tom Mazias, owner of Carlisle’s longest-running restaurant, the Hamilton, to talk about the secrets to the establishment’s long-running success.
“Visiting Hamilton provided a vivid example of how food studies intersects with themes of identity, community and migration. The restaurant embodies a deep sense of tradition while grappling with the challenges of remaining relevant in an ever-changing culinary landscape,” wrote Helen Van ’26 (anthropology), who described the restaurant’s signature hot dog as a symbol of local identity.
It all added up to an in-depth look at a vital topic—and to more conscious food decisions, says Lannen Lare ’26.
“Learning about the chemistry of food, the ethics behind food production and processing, how complicated food systems are and how centralized conventional agriculture is has made me think a lot about how my food choices are affecting my body and the world around me,” said Lane, a neuroscience major, “and learning about food insecurity and inequity between people living in the United States has also given me more of a passion for food donation and helping people who are in need.”
TAKE THE NEXT STEPS
Published December 6, 2024