Academic Food Program

IMPORTANT NOTICE ABOUT THE ACADEMIC FOOD PROGRAM:
While the Academic Food Program was a fun and exciting endeavor, time and work constraints have prevented it from blossoming to its full potential. Unfortunately, the program will not be developing this year by way of the currently listed signers. If anyone is interested in taking on the project please feel free to contact Dana (deo07@hampshire.edu) with questions, comments, concerns, etc. about how it was developing within the last couple of years. This would be a great program, and we would love for it to become a reality at some point in time.

FOOD STUDIES AT HAMPSHIRE COLLEGE!
(Overview)

Efforts to develop a program or organized group dedicated to food studies have come and gone over the years. While not all of these past efforts have been permanent, there is certainly a strong interest in food and the study of food within the Hampshire community. With a number of food groups already established on campus, and with many more exciting ideas emerging and taking shape, the "Academic Food Program" is one that hopes to generate even more ideas and take on yet another approach to studying food. The exact intent of the food program is still taking shape, but hopefully it will evolve into a true asset to the Hampshire community at large.

(Outlook) Both professors and students are excited to further the development of the food studies program at Hampshire. All who are interested in contributing time, ideas, or anything else to this effort are more than welcome to pitch in.

Keep an eye out for more information about the program! You can join the mailing list to receive regular updates by following this link:

mailing list

 (2010 News)

Those interested in the "Academic Food Program" met on a regular basis throughout the Spring 2010 semester. Weekly meetings took place on Thursday evenings at the Bridge around 6:30 or whenever people were available to meet. Some of the ideas that were discussed at these meetings are listed in the "Ideas/Suggestions" section of this page. Look for updates on upcoming meetings in the "events" section, and please feel free to add your own comments and suggestions in the appropriate section. For more information email (deo07@hampshire.edu, ajd09@hampshire.edu).

(News for Fall 2010 semester) ''We will be screening King Corn in the West Lecture hall at 7:00 on November 12. There will be an opportunity for discussion of the film before and after the screening. Please bring food or drinks to share and tell your friends to come too!''

(2009 Beginnings) During the spring 2009 semester, a group of students studying food related issues started meeting regularly to talk about their personal food studies as well as creating an academic program based around food studies. Starting a program of this sort has been a discussion point for a number of years, generating considerable interest from faculty, staff, and students alike. However, nothing has been effectively sustained. Our goal now is to create a program that will grow and become a known resource within the Hampshire community.

Student Contacts: Dana Ouellette (deo07), Amy Hambidge (aah09)

CURRENT and UPCOMING EVENTS:
(November 2010):


 * November 12: Film screening of King Corn and discussion in WLH at 7:00

(January/Spring 2010):


 * April 16: Second film screening. We would like to show "FRESH", which is about local food activism.  Look out for emails!
 * March 10: Bridge Cafe, 7:00


 * February 26 (6:30, Dakin Living Room): In which we kick off the Academic Food Program!

Attend for a: presentation of our ideas and goals

                                    showing of the film "The Garden"

                                    food and a general question and answer session about the Academic Food Program


 * February 18, 6:00 PM - Bridge Cafe
 * February 4, 6:30 PM - Bridge Cafe
 * January 28, 6:30 PM - Bridge Cafe
 * January 15, 5:00 PM, Bridge - First meeting of those interested in working on the food program

''This section is in progress. More names, classes, and information will be added with time.''

FACULTY AND STAFF COLLABORATORS
(Faculty/Staff)                            (Interests/Classes Teaching)


 * Steve Weisler                       is interested in cooking, molecular cuisine, and

cookbooks


 * Bob Rakoff                           The Contested American Countryside (S'10)
 * Elizabeth Conlisk                 Agriculture, Food, and Health
 * Nancy Hanson                     Agriculture, Food, and Health
 * Pam Stone                           Bodies, Guts, and Bones
 * Charlene D'Avanzo              Environmental History of New England
 * Jason Tor                             Kitchen Ecology, Food Microbiology (200-level)
 * Chris Jarvis                          Kitchen Ecology, Zymurgy (300-level), works with student fermentation group, head of                                               the farm committee
 * Richard Aronson
 * Alan Goodman                     Nutritional Anthropology
 * Nancy Lowry                        Chemistry of Food, Plants and Human Health
 * Jennifer Hamilton               Food, Health and Law
 * Brian Schultz                        Agriculture, Ecology, and Society (Fall NS150), Sustainable Agriculture and Organic Farming (Spring

NS294), Sustainable Agriculture Seminar (every once in a while, NS396), and "various various Independent

studies (on insect studies, apiculture, permaculture, ...)

COURSE LINKS


 * For now, please visit the Hub and explore the course listings. We are trying to work out how to link those descriptions to this page.

IDEAS and SUGGESTIONS
We would like to start having events, speakers, panels, etc. that have a food studies focus. If you have any suggestions for who to bring in as a speaker or what sort of demonstartions or panels to have, email deo07@hampshire.edu, or add them here. The following is a list of current ideas and proposals:

Activities/Events

 * "molecular cuisine" demonstration


 * cooking lessons for students (maybe hosted by guests or other students)
 * dinner and a movie

- screen a movie about cooking and prepare a related dish before/during the film


 * hold baking and cooking contests
 * having a member of the Food Bank of Western Mass. come to speak and holding a food drive after the talk
 * a fun movie night

- Ideas include: Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, Babbette's Feast, No Reservations, Chocolat, etc.


 * talk by the creators of King Corn on November 12, 2010

- screening King Corn before the talk, as well as Big River (a follow-up film to King Corn)

Trips/Community Service

 * local farms and other places that utilize fermentation processes

(local pickles, cheeses, beer, cider, mead, miso, yogurt, etc)


 * traveling to local schools to help with nutrition, cooking, snack, ect. lessons/activities
 * helping with local food events
 * working on the Hampshire farm or in other CSA organizations
 * explore the potential for a summer food/farm program
 * volunteering at local soup kitchens and food pantries

Films

 * The Future of Food
 * Food Fight
 * King Corn
 * Babette's Feast
 * No Reservations
 * Chocolat
 * Julie&amp;Julia

Speakers

 * Sandor Katz
 * James Tillotson
 * member(s) of the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts
 * 5 college faculty/staff members
 * former Division III students
 * Aaron Woolf (director of King Corn)

Other

 * cafe service with much more variety and nutrition for vegan diets (there is a local foods internship program with SAGA that could help with this)

(2010 events)

 * Film Screening: Fresh (7:00, FPH 101)

- this drew a good crowd of students and members of the community

- we had lively discussion about local foods, organics, and sustainability before and after the film


 * Film Screening: The Garden (6:30, Dakin Living Room)

 (2009 events)  Come see students present their Div IIIs on food related studies

5:00pm FPH Faculty Lounge; Monday, May 4

Highlights:

Emma Brewster's Creating a Community Cookbook: Redefining Healthy

Justin Mest's Eating in New England: an Experiential Analysis of a Local Diet

Anna Kitchin's Building a Healthy Future: How Schools can Address Obesity in American Indian Communities

Links : mailing list
Future of Food site

Also a part of the food studies group:
Former Division III students:


 * Sam Breslaw,
 * Leah Mawhinney
 * Jeffrey Garber

Current Students


 * Dana Ouellette
 * Andrea Delillus
 * Amy Hambidge
 * Heather Patrick
 * Brittany Alperin