Food and Climate Change

Michael Finewood

Summary

This course considers the reciprocal relationship between Earth's changing climate and the human production and consumption of food. With attention to current theories and case studies, students will develop a comprehensive understanding of food systems in relation to global environmental change, with a specific focus on livelihoods, adaptation, sustainability, and justice.

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Learning Goals

Student Learning Outcomes:

Be able to understand and clearly explain climate processes and food systems, and their reciprocal relationship
Develop a set of tools for researching, analyzing, presenting, and writing about these issues
Be able to strategize for, and evaluate the outcomes of, policy
Develop an original project related to topical research.

Description and Teaching Materials

The articles and texts for this course are available online or through university libraries.

Download pdf >> FCC_Fall2011_Syllabus_Chatham_Finewood.pdf (site may be offline)

Teaching Notes and Tips

This course is designed as a discussion seminar. Weekly readings are best discussed in a roundtable format so that participants can work through the specific meanings of concepts (e.g. adaptive capacity, vulnerability) and how they are used in particular cases. Many sections include articles that present a wide range of viewpoints. A useful approach is to have students lead at least one class throughout the semester by contributing additional research/reading and asking open-ended questions to motivate discussion.