Jul 08, 2024
OHIO University Undergraduate Catalog 2023-2024

T3 4414 - The True Value of Food


This course explores the true value of food in terms of the costs of production and the effects of consumption in order to understand, and re-evaluate where our food comes from and how this impacts what people buy and eat. The experiential component of this course includes field trips to local farms and food processing facilities, and other food focused activities. The Athens based iteration of this course examines the southeastern Ohio food system. Study away iterations of the course explore the food systems of the regions where the program is based.

Requisites: Sr only and 3 credits ANTH, ECON, GEOG, NUTR, BIOS, PBIO, POLS, or SOC
Credit Hours: 3
OHIO BRICKS Bridge: Learning and Doing
General Education Code (students who entered prior to Fall 2021-22): 3
Repeat/Retake Information: May be retaken two times excluding withdrawals, but only last course taken counts.
Lecture/Lab Hours: 3.0 lecture
Grades: Eligible Grades: A-F,WP,WF,WN,FN,AU,I
Learning Outcomes:
  • Students will be able to analyze laws and policies that impact the economics of food production and consumption.
  • Students will be able to analyze the impact of major agricultural technologies on the cost of food.
  • Students will be able to navigate sources of food information in order to be informed in their consumption choices.
  • Students will be able to describe and synthesize the evolution of food production from the historical to conventional practices.
  • Students will be able to describe and identify their participation in the food system stages: production, distribution, consumption, and food waste.
  • Students will be able to enumerate the challenges of food security and access at the community and national level.
  • Students will be able to compare and contrast the complexity of food choices and consumption in individual terms and in the larger socio-cultural context.
  • Students will be able to connect different perspectives across multiple disciplines in order to understand how the national and local food systems work and the factors that determine what our food choices.
  • Students will be able to connect their food experiences to theoretical perspectives in food studies in order to understand how food systems are built and vary from region to region.
  • Students will be able to reflect on and assess their performance in various food-based experiences and develop a sense of self as a learner from their ability to understand their own eating practices.
  • Students will be able to communicate their research findings and experiences about food systems through multiple presentation modes: written, spoken and audio-visual and the use of artefacts.
  • Students will be able to transfer and adapt the methodological approach to understanding food systems in other regions in this country and abroad.


Add to Portfolio (opens a new window)