NUTR 120 - Food, Culture, and Society

    Recent Professors
    Brenda O'Day, Halle Elbling
    Recent Semesters
    Spring 2027, Fall 2026, Summer 2026, Spring 2026, Fall 2025
    Class Size
    25–42 students
    Credits
    3
    Spring 2027 Sections
    View Spring 2027 sections of NUTR 120
    Transfers To
    CSUCSU GE Area E
    Description
    This course explores the role of food in shaping human behavior, identity, and social organization through the lens of cultural diversity. Students examine how traditional food practices reflect and influence geographic, historical, religious, economic, and social factors. Using theories and methods from the social and behavioral sciences, the course emphasizes how variables such as class, ethnicity, gender, religion, age, and globalization impact food choices, health outcomes, and food systems. Students engage in empirical research methods, including observation, hypothesis development, and survey design, to investigate how food practices are embedded within broader cultural and societal contexts.