Food, Agriculture, and Society Minor

Courses on food and agriculture have long been taught at Virginia Tech, and this revised minor seeks to better integrate their full range, thus better serving the diverse interests of students and faculty exploring the interface of food, land, and society. The Food, Agriculture, & Society minor integrates methods and content across the social sciences, life sciences, and to explore the centrality of food and agricultural practices to social life and human experience.

Why do it?

Rooted in the social sciences and emphasizing the everyday experiences of struggle and resistance that intersect with the complexity of our food system politics, this course includes both classroom experiences and experiential learning opportunities with community partners. This minor encourages students to investigate how food and food discourses reflect and influence human experiences, extending this critical inquiry to other meaning-making systems such as politics, business, consumption, education, and scientific research. We offer a range of mid-level experiences that can match the particular interests and directions of individual students. In these courses, we draw on the many diverse and relevant classes taught across the university. If you’re eager to explore the intricate ways food is embedded in our daily lives and broader systems, this minor offers a comprehensive and engaging approach.

Requirements

There are two foundational courses required of all students:
ALS 2204: Sustainable Food Systems
HIST/PSCI/RLCL/SOC 1084: Intro to Food Studies

These complementary courses map out the range of approaches and considerations that students will experience in the minor, providing intellectual and practical foundations.

The first course is grounded in the sociology and politics of agricultural production, with a critical and interdisciplinary focus on how diverse communities engage with production and the systems within which food is embedded. Rooted in the social sciences and emphasizing the everyday experiences of struggle and resistance that intersect with the complexity of our food system politics, this course includes both classroom experiences and experiential learning opportunities with community partners.

The second course, which focuses more on humanities approaches, engages with food as a broadly interdisciplinary phenomenon to explore how the simple daily act of eating is linked to nearly every topic of human inquiry.

For a full overview of this minor's required courses and a list of elective options, consult the Academic Catalog.

Who is it for?

This minor serves a range of students across the life sciences, social sciences, and humanities who want sustained training in the study of food, agriculture, and society, to prepare for future careers in agricultural, food production, policy and advocacy, or writing and cultural production. 

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This minor is hosted by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in collaboration with the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia Tech.