Instructors
Michael Pollan
For the past twenty-five years, Michael Pollan has written about the places where nature and culture intersect: on our plates, in our farms and gardens, and in the built environment. He is the author of four New York Times bestsellers, including The Omnivore's Dilemma, and co-producer of the award winning film, Food Inc.
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Vicki Gerberich
My interest in food and its relationship to our personal and planetary health has guided my work and personal lifestyle habits. With a background in Environmental Geography, I studied land use patterns as they related to rural economies and suburban development...which made me question the following: Where are we going to grow our food and what are the health implications of all the chemicals and artificial ingredients to our communities, our land and our physical and mental health?
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Joel Salatin
Joel Salatin (of Polyface Farms) is a full-time farmer in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. A third generation alternative farmer, he returned to the farm full-time in 1982 and continued refining and adding to his parents’ ideas.
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If we are what we eat, understanding the complexities of how our food gets on our tables is vital to our health and environment. This course is an overview of worldwide sustainability issues surrounding food production and consumption. A key issue addressed is the importance of local food production, particularly in urban areas, and the assessment of how locally produced food impacts the long-term sustainability of global food production. Students leave the course with the ability to compare chemical-intensive versus organic agriculture in terms of the ecological and economic impacts of both systems; understand the advantages and challenges of local food production, the "permaculture" movement, and their relation to environmental and economic sustainability; and evaluate the capabilities of urban agriculture for improving and sustaining of economically-distressed communities. Service learning component may include special projects at a local urban farm.
