Course Descriptions and Faculty Bios

The goal of this course is to analyze the consumer side of food markers & related policy using tools of microeconomic analysis. In the first half of the course theoretical tools are developed, starting from individual choice & moving up to market demand. In the second part of the course, the focus shifts to applications of consumer economic theory in the food system, & how policies can alter consumer behavior.

The course in "Food Policy" provides students with an overview of the policy making process, particularly as it concerns food and nutrition policy in the United States.  Intended for master's-level students in nutrition, food studies, and related fields, the course will consider the role and organization of government in the realm of food and nutrition policy and cover all stages of the policy cycle, including agenda setting, policy formulation, implementation, and evaluation.  Topics to be covered include the role of government in regard to agriculture, global food trade, food safety, retail and restaurants, and nutritional support.

Digital Skills in Food Media is a hands-on communications course for graduate Food Studies students.  Over the course of the semester, students will learn how to use social media, write for the web, analyze photography and video, and build and develop a website for an idea -- whether it be business, personal, or professional.

Sara Snyder is a wildly creative and award-winning multimedia director, producer, shooter and editor taking on life’s grand adventures. Whether Sara is challenging her yoga-approved balance filming on the rocking beams of an oyster farm or getting attacked by fire ants as she navigates the jungles of Zanzibar, she’s always willing to push the limits of her comfort zone to get the story. Her work has been featured by Bon Appetit, Vanity Fair, Teen Vogue, Glamour, USA TODAY, National Geographic, Eurosport and more.

We explore the intersection of gender, sexuality, identity, culture and food. Students analyze sexual identity, human sexuality, sexual orientation and gender on real and perceived cultural views of food and consumption. Topics include how society assigns gender to food by investigating historical and contemporary texts. Employing advertisements, menus, cookbooks, TV, films and packaging, students critically analyze gendering practices. Theoretical frameworks include queer theory, early feminist theory, Whiteness theory and male studies and transgender studies.

Basic principles & practical experience in development of beverage systems & menus. Considers pricing, equipment, legal, merchandising & personnel policies.

Dan Amatuzzi is the General Manager at Eataly in Manhattan. His tenure at famed New York restaurants Del Posto, Jean Georges, Babbo, and Otto have shaped the foundation of his food and wine experiences. He is the wine half of the formidable duo called Grove and Vine, a premium education service offering upscale olive oil and wine seminars.  Dan's most popular publication, A First Course in Wine, is a comprehensive guide to understanding and enjoying wine (Race Point Publishing, 2013). In 2011, Zagat named Dan as one of New York’s rising "30 under 30" culinary stars, and in January 2013, Forbes named Dan as one of the nations "30 under 30" to watch in the food and wine industry. He has been featured in Food and Wine Magazine, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg Radio, Cosmo Radio, WGN Chicago, NBC's Today Show, Fox's Good Day New York, and MSNBC's The Cycle, among others. His most recent publication, How to Host a Wine Tasting Party: The Complete Kit (Race Point Publishing, 2014), is a comprehensive kit for the enthusiastic wine tasting host. He holds a MBA degree from the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at NYU and is an honorary member of the International Order of Disciples of Escoffier. He brings his expertise to the Beverages course at NYU.

In the Urban Agriculture course students will learn how to grow food within an urban environment through hands-on learning of agricultural techniques at the NYU Urban Farm Lab. In exploring the past and present forms of urban agriculture through class readings and city-based field trips to urban farms, students will also learn the implementation and significance of urban agriculture within today’s urban food system. Additionally, we will discuss greater themes found within urban agriculture such as entrepreneurship, food justice, individual and group sustenance, cultural enactments of identity, community building, and education. 

Melissa Metrick also manages the NYU Urban Farm Lab, where she works with staff, students, and volunteers in crop planning, harvesting, and implementing sustainable urban agriculture practices. Additionally, she is the garden manager at the farm to table restaurant Roberta's located in Brooklyn. As garden manager, she designs and creates the on-site kitchen garden, which is also used to educate the chefs and guests in how to grow food sustainably within a city environment. Melissa has been focusing on and working in the urban agriculture field for the past 12 years. Melissa started her career volunteering for Americorps, where she taught children in South Berkeley how to grow and cook healthy food from their school garden. She has a Master's degree in Food Studies from NYU and a Horticultural Certificate from Brooklyn Botanic Gardens.

Covers the US food system from the farm to the intermediary to the consumer, in the context of the market & the policy environment. Using methods of the social sciences, the course provides students with a broad understanding of the benefits & costs of the domestic food system. Topics include issues such as intermediary market power, unequal food access, & food production technology. Through lectures, readings, discussion & on the ground research, students gain a deep understanding of the current state of the food system.

Agricultural policy and some food policy is regulated by The Farm Bill, which Congress reauthorizes approximately every five years. This course covers the history of the farm bill, starting from its inception via the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933 up to the most recent Farm Act. Students analyze how agricultural policy is influenced by the existing political, economic and agricultural climate at the time the Farm Bill is being debated. Key shifts in farm policy include the movement from direct farm support to crop insurance, and the recent inclusion of grant-funded programming for food movement-related programs.

Theoretical & applied aspects of research design, data analysis, & interpretation. Students teams conduct, analyze, & present an evaluative or applied research project in food studies. Should be taken in the last year of study in the master’s program.  Projects may be peer-review research papers, white papers, curriculum development, business plans, book proposals, longform journalism, media projects or proposed creative projects.

This course introduces students to the concepts, frameworks & models to systematically build successful, socially-conscious businesses that are both sustainable & public health-driven. Topics will include how to 1) identify & analyze need-gaps, 2) develop a sustainable-food business concept, 3) identify a profitable niche in the global, social-justice oriented market, & 4) raise capital in innovative ways. The course will also provide access to domain-specific resources including key industry participants, industry experts & research partners.

Hans Taparia joined New York University Stern School of Business as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Business and Society in September 2014, after having been an adjunct professor at the school since 2011. Professor Taparia teaches courses in social entrepreneurship, social impact and professional responsibility and leadership. He has been an entrepreneur for most of his career. Professor Taparia is a co-founder of Preferred Brands International, a Connecticut-based food company that manufactures a range of natural and organic Indian and Asian meals under the brand Tasty Bite, currently the largest and fastest growing brand in its category in North America. He is also a co-founder of ASG-Omni, a US and India-based management consulting firm and incubator. ASG-Omni was a co-founder of Bangalore-based Tejas Networks, which has grown to become one of the leading optical networking companies in the world. Professor Taparia has a B.S. in Management Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He currently teaches Social Entrepreneurship in Sustainable Food Business. 

An interactive course that surveys the history, concepts and techniques behind photographing food in its best light. Lively class discussions, research projects, homework assignments, and in-kitchen demos, round out a two-day crash course in all things food photography, from plate to lens.

In Food and Culture we determine how people use food to define themselves as individuals, groups or whole societies.  We identify the meaning and significance of food in different cultures by exploring the way that ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status and religion influence our food choices or preferences.  Additionally, we will examine how culture is transmitted and preserved through food.  Through reading scholarly articles, personal essays, book excerpts, newspaper articles and cookbooks we explore the intricate relationship that people have with food. 

We will look critically at the following questions: how can food have different meanings and uses for different people? How does food function both to foster community feeling and drive wedges among people?  What are some prevailing academic theories that help us identify and understand more subtle meanings of food? 

The hands-on course introduces students to food styling, with dedicated time working in the NYU Food Lab where students develop practical skills and gain experience with styling food. The practical work is complemented by discussions of the history of food styling, current trends, and the varying formats food styling takes in the food industry. Students will build a foundation of knowledge and practical skills as they learn the craft of food styling. Students should have basic, home level cooking skills.

This course meets the first 7 weeks of the semester. 

Using a wide range of film genres, we examine food’s role in the human experience. Food and foodways in film portray food and cooking norms, but also provide subtle and overt messaging about culture, ethnicity, race, class and gender. Using a survey of international 20th and 21st century films where food and foodways function as a foundational aspect combined with related texts, students explore food as a visual messenger. Employing film criticism and theory, students will develop an understanding of the performative aspect of food in art and in our daily lives.

In Field trips in Food: Immigrant New York we will investigate the link between New York City immigrant history and the fabric of today’s ethnic communities.  Each week, in addition to historical and contemporary readings, we will literally “walk” the community.  Exploring restaurants, community centers, food markets, outdoor stalls, historic and cultural sites, we will learn the significance that these specific ethnic groups had on shaping New York City.  Our goal is to understand these communities not as outsiders looking in, but rather through their eyes and through their perspective.  You will learn GIS mapping tools.

Sustainability in our food systems – and the communities in which they operate – is a core focus of this experiential fieldtrip-based course. Using Eastern Long Island as a local case study, the weekend includes visits to farms on land and sea, as well as lectures by pioneering land preservationists, community stakeholders, and beekeepers.

Dates:

Pre-Trip Class Orientation: Friday, September 20th, 5:30PM – 7:00PM 

411 Lafayette Street

Field Trip on the North and South Forks of Long Island: Friday, morning October 4th – Sunday, late afternoon, October 6th

Post Trip Class: Friday, October 18th, 5:00PM – 7:00PM

411 Lafayette Street

Final Class: December 6th, 5:00PM – 7:30PM

411 Lafayette Street

Lodging:

The Southold Beach Motel: https://southoldbeachmotel.com/index.html a funky old-fashioned motel with gorgeous views, is holding a block of rooms for the class. It is extremely well situated and reasonably priced; students have stayed there and liked it. The rooms on hold are called “double doubles” – they have 2 double beds and a small kitchenette, making them ideal to share. There are also two single rooms on hold if that is a preference, however not sharing will, of course, almost double the weekend housing expense. 

Shareable double rooms (2 double beds) with water or garden views: $285.00 per night including tax. 

Single rooms with water view: $274.00 per night including tax

To secure room: Reserve online or call Colin McCormack at 631-997-1957 with a credit card no later than 7/15/2024!  Full refund to the card if cancelled 7 days in advance of stay.  

(Note: Anyone who prefers can stay elsewhere. However, most venues are extremely pricey and tend to book early.)

Other Expenses:

Participants are responsible for their own meals. Lunch is ~ $15.00 - $25.00 per day. Dinner options are many – some suggestions will be provided - and range from modest to expensive. 

Transportation is by car.  If a student has access to a car and is willing to be a driver, passengers usually cover gas/mileage. This can be worked out however the carpool group decides. If there aren’t enough cars, students rent and share the expense. 

Domestic climate policy focusing on food and agriculture has evolved since the turnof the 21st century, prompted by disruptions caused by climate events such as drought and flooding. The intersection of climate events, advocacy, politics, and research sets an environment for federal food and agriculture policies that target climate change. Examining the process of policy creation and related government programming allows us to understand the potential for agriculture and food systems to both withstand and address the existential threat of climate change.

The course meets the second 7 weeks of the semester. 

This course delves into the intersection of food, art, and ethics, exploring how art can challenge and expand our understanding of ethical issues related to food. Examining a diverse array of artistic expressions reveals how artists use food to encourage, critique, or re-imagine existing power structures and social, economic, environmental, and political dynamics. We critically explore how art can shape belief systems, values, and actions, and offer creative possibilities of how people might live.

The course meets the first 7 weeks of the semester. 

Three waves of migration from different parts of the world have shaped the American diet. The first consisted of Northern Europeans and Chinese (until 1882), followed by a Mediterranean and Eastern European wave (1880-1924). The 1965-2023 wave consisted of migrants from Asia and Latin America. Each wave brought the taste for its produce, stimulating American demand for products such as olive oil, avocados and chilies. We interrogate the transformation of American foodways with each wave of migration in terms of ethnic entrepreneurship and taste.

Additional $50 course fee as students will be preparing 3 separate meals as part of the course.

We examine food from historical and transnational perspectives, including agricultural origins, famines, co-evolution of world cuisines and civilizations, global exchange and spread of food and technologies following the Columbian invasion, issues of hunger, and the effects of the emergent global economy on food, production, diets, foodways and health. Students gain a greater understanding of how food production and consumption influences a myriad of factors, including politics, economics, prevailing notions of health, climate, geography, technology, and culture.