Food Studies

Food Studies: Introduction

Lead Faculty of the Collaborative Specialization

University of Toronto Scarborough

Participating Degree Programs

Anthropology — MA, PhD
East Asian Studies — MA, PhD
Environmental Science — PhD
Geography — MA, MSc, PhD
History — MA, PhD
Information — MI
Medieval Studies — PhD
Museum Studies — MMSt
Nutritional Sciences — MSc, PhD
Public Health Sciences — PhD
Sociology — MA, PhD
Spanish — PhD

Supporting Unit

Culinaria Research Centre

Overview

Food Studies is an interdisciplinary field dedicated to understanding where our food comes from and how it shapes our bodies and identities. The production and consumption of food has gone through tremendous changes in the past few hundred years. Before industrialization, most food was grown in the place where it was eaten. With the rise of global commodity agriculture, it is often hard to find out exactly what our food is and where it comes from. Then, famine was a constant spectre, whereas today, over-eating has become a significant health problem.

Particular attention will be given to the material nature of food, the way it tastes and smells, and the changes it undergoes through natural decomposition and through the human intervention of preservation and cooking. Students will learn the importance of food in religion, society, the family, gender roles, the environment, agriculture, urbanization, immigration, colonialism, and race and ethnicity. Food Studies will leverage the University’s urban location and its proximity to Canada’s agricultural heartland to broaden students’ experience. The study of food provides both theoretical understanding and practical knowledge for professional careers in health care, business, government service, non-governmental organizations, and educational and community programs. This specialization will draw on a variety of disciplinary approaches emphasizing different knowledge and skills.

The collaborative specialization is open to master's and PhD students in the participating graduate programs listed above. Upon successful completion of the degree requirements of the participating home graduate unit and the collaborative specialization, students will receive the notation “Completed Collaborative Specialization in Food Studies” on their transcript.

Contact and Address

Web: www.utsc.utoronto.ca/culinaria
Email: culinaria.utsc@utoronto.ca
Telephone: (416) 208-8175

Collaborative Specialization in Food Studies
University of Toronto Scarborough
1265 Military Trail
Toronto, Ontario M1C 1A4
Canada

Food Studies: Master's Level

Minimum Admission Requirements

  • Applicants must meet the admission requirements of both the home graduate unit and the collaborative specialization.

  • Applicants must apply to and be admitted to both the collaborative specialization and a participating master's degree program.

  • A curriculum vitae (CV).

  • Applicants must demonstrate superior writing and research skills, as well as an interest in the socio-cultural aspects of food. Applicants will submit to the collaborative specialization committee a research paper (maximum 30 pages) that has been submitted to the home graduate unit, or one that is focused on food studies.

  • Letters from two references. The letters of reference should describe the student's academic ability and career aspirations, and comment on the student's potential benefit from the collaborative specialization.

  • Some undergraduate experience in food-related coursework is desired.

Completion Requirements

Master of Arts in Anthropology;
Master of Arts in East Asian Studies (Thesis Option);
Master of Arts in History;
Master of Arts and Master of Science in Geography;
Master of Arts in Sociology (Research Paper Option);
Master of Information (Concentration Plus Thesis Option);
Master of Museum Studies (Thesis Option);
Master of Science in Nutritional Sciences;

  • Students must meet all the degree requirements of the School of Graduate Studies, the participating home program, and the collaborative specialization.

  • Successful completion of the seminar FST1000H Comparative Research Methods in Food Studies.

  • Regular and active participation in SRM3333H Culinaria Seminar Series.

  • The major research paper or thesis in the participating degree program will be on a topic in food studies, approved by the collaborative specialization committee.

  • Collaborative specialization courses may be taken as electives for the purpose of satisfying home program requirements.


Master of Arts in East Asian Studies (Coursework-Only Option);
Master of Arts in Sociology (Coursework-Only Option)

  • Students must meet all the degree requirements of the School of Graduate Studies, the participating home program, and the collaborative specialization.

  • Successful completion of the seminar FST1000H Comparative Research Methods in Food Studies.

  • Successful completion of 1.0 elective FCE related to food studies.

  • Regular and active participation in SRM3333H Culinaria Seminar Series.

  • Collaborative specialization courses may be taken as electives for the purpose of satisfying home program requirements.


Master of Information (Coursework-Only Option)

  • Students must meet all the degree requirements of the School of Graduate Studies, the participating home program, and the collaborative specialization.

  • Successful completion of the seminar FST1000H Comparative Research Methods in Food Studies.

  • Successful completion of the practicum INF2173H Information Professional Practicum I in an area related to food studies.

  • Successful completion of 1.5 elective FCEs related to food studies.

  • Regular and active participation in SRM3333H Culinaria Seminar Series.

  • Collaborative specialization courses may be taken as electives for the purpose of satisfying home program requirements.


Master of Museum Studies (Coursework-Only Option)

  • Students must meet all the degree requirements of the School of Graduate Studies, the participating home program, and the collaborative specialization.

  • Successful completion of the seminar FST1000H Comparative Research Methods in Food Studies.

  • Successful completion of 2.0 FCEs from a combination of:

    • a capstone project MSL4000Y related to food studies;

    • up to 2.0 elective FCEs related to food studies.

  • Regular and active participation in SRM3333H Culinaria Seminar Series.

  • Collaborative specialization courses may be taken as electives for the purpose of satisfying home program requirements.

Mode of Delivery: In person

 

Food Studies: Doctoral Level

Minimum Admission Requirements

  • Applicants must meet the admission requirements of both the home graduate unit and the collaborative specialization.

  • Applicants must apply to and be admitted to both the collaborative specialization and a participating doctoral degree program.

  • Students who complete the collaborative specialization at the master's level will be eligible for the program at the doctoral level, but will be expected to complete an additional topics course (see below).

  • A curriculum vitae (CV).

  • Applicants must demonstrate superior writing and research skills, as well as an interest in the socio-cultural aspects of food. Applicants will submit to the collaborative specialization committee a master's-level research project paper or thesis. Experience in a food-related field (either practical, scholarly, or policy/political/social service) is beneficial.

Completion Requirements

  • Students must meet the degree requirements of the School of Graduate Studies, the participating home program, and the collaborative specialization.

  • Successful completion of the seminar FST1000H Comparative Research Methods in Food Studies, if not already taken at the master's level. Students who have completed the Food Studies collaborative specialization at the master's level are exempted from this requirement.

  • Successful completion of the topics course FST2000H Food, Culture, and Society. The course theme will be decided each year by the collaborative specialization committee.

  • Regular and active participation in SRD4444H Culinaria Seminar Series.

  • The student's dissertation in their home graduate unit must be on a topic in food studies, approved by the specialization committee.

  • Collaborative specialization courses may be taken as electives for the purpose of satisfying home program requirements.

Mode of Delivery: In person

 

Food Studies: Courses

Required Courses

Course CodeCourse Title
Comparative Research Methods in Food Studies
Food, Culture, and Society

Elective Courses

These courses may have prerequisites and enrolment limits. These courses may not be offered every year. Students may take courses not listed below with approval of the collaborative specialization director.

Course CodeCourse Title
Origin and Nature of Food Producing Societies
CHL5652HFoundations of Practice III
History of Food and Drink
JPG1429HPolitical Ecology of Food and Agriculture
LHA1197HThe Pedagogy of Food
Public Health Nutrition
NFS1212HRegulation of Food Composition, Health Claims, and Safety
NFS1216HSelected Topics in Nutrition
NFS1218HRecent Advances in Nutritional Sciences I