Food Studies

The University of Oregon’s Food Studies Program is one of only a handful of university-based academic programs of its kind in the country. Our program is set apart by its broad interdisciplinary approach that spans the social sciences, the humanities, and the natural sciences.

Founded in 2013, the Food Studies Program aims to foster the kind of in-depth research and analysis that will establish our campus as a leading player in the developing field of food studies, making the UO a center for intellectual and policy work on matters of increasing local and global significance.

106
Students with a Food Studies Minor
60+
Faculty members associated with the program
30+
courses to choose from
5
graduate students specializing

What You Can Do with a Food Studies Minor

The food studies minor complements many fields of study by helping students engage with pressing societal issues, which is crucial to any area of future employment. Food studies helps prepare students for a variety of potential careers, including:

  • Food writer
  • Nonprofit industry
  • Environmental health specialist
  • Food safety specialist
  • Food justice advocate
  • Filmmaker
  • Journalist
  • Academic
  • Food advertising
  • Urban farming
  • Nutritional health coach
  • Policymaker
  • Sustainability
  • Restaurateur
Michael Fakhri

What Makes Food Studies Unique

“We are a rare food studies program with many different disciplines involved. Our affiliated faculty includes people from the social sciences, professional schools, humanities, and science. And that’s such a rare thing. And then you add two rare key elements in a food studies program: our Urban Farm and the School of Law. The Urban Farm is one of the oldest urban farms set at a university, and law schools rarely intersect with food studies. So I think we have something really exceptional here at the UO.”

—Michael Fakhri, Professor, School of Law

Our Degree Program

The food studies minor is an interdisciplinary program.

Urban Farm

Learn from Experts in the Field

Folks involved with the UO Food Studies Program conduct cutting-edge research in a wide variety of food topics, including food culture, food access, and food sovereignty. Learn about the contributions UO faculty, staff, and students are making to this burgeoning field—locally, nationally, and internationally.

food drive

Combat Food Insecurity

Our compendium of food-related resources includes services at UO and in Lane County for students facing food insecurity. It also offers a list of food-related organizations at UO and in the community. Students and faculty will find helpful resources for research on food topics, including a Food Studies Research Guide.

Scholarships and Funding

Students pursuing a minor or graduate specialization in food studies can apply for a variety of fellowships, programs, scholarships, and other opportunities to help fund their education.

Undergraduate Scholarships

Academic Support

Students in the Food Studies Program can seek academic support, career counseling, and other advising services through Tykeson Hall or by consulting our program advisor. 

Undergraduate Advising

Food Studies News and Events

FOOD STUDIES, GLOBAL STUDIES - 'Up on the Mountain' follows Southeast Asian refugees, Latino immigrants, and rural Americans on a year-round migration to harvest and sell wild mushrooms. The film screening is 4pm Thursday, Feb. 15 in McKenzie 229.
ANTHROPOLOGY, FOOD STUDIES, NATIVE AMERICAN AND INDIGENOUS STUDIES - A Thursday, Jan. 25, a film screening of 'LAND/TRUST' at the Museum of Natural and Cultural History will feature a discussion with Alexii Signona (UC Berkeley, Tribal Member, Amah Mutsun Tribal Band) and Ruth Anne Beutler (University of California, Santa Cruz).
HISTORY, FOOD STUDIES - This article is republished as it appears in The Conversation, an independent news publisher that works with academics worldwide to disseminate research-based articles and commentary. The University of Oregon partners with The Conversation to bring the expertise and views of its faculty members to a wide audience.

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POTUS or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive
Feb15
POTUS or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive Feb 15 Miller Theatre Complex
POTUS or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive
Feb16
POTUS or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive Feb 16 Miller Theatre Complex
Black Studies Presents: "Black Pasts/Black Futures:  Lessons from Octavia E. Butler"
Feb17
Black Studies Presents: "Black Pasts/Black Futures:  Lessons from Octavia E. Butler" Feb 17 Lyllye Reynolds-Parker Black Cultural Center
Physical Chemistry Seminar – Research in the Guenza Group
Feb17
Physical Chemistry Seminar – Research in the Guenza Group Feb 17 Willie and Donald Tykeson Hall
Composition Writing Lab Drop-In Hours
Feb17
Composition Writing Lab Drop-In Hours Feb 17 Willie and Donald Tykeson Hall
Department of History Coffee Hour
Feb18
Department of History Coffee Hour Feb 18 McKenzie Hall
Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Open House
Feb18
Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Open House Feb 18 Hendricks Hall
gradCONNECT: Disabled and Neurodivergent Graduate Student Time Together
Feb18
gradCONNECT: Disabled and Neurodivergent Graduate Student Time Together Feb 18
Unmaking the Bomb: Environmental Cleanup and the Politics of Impossibility
Feb19
Unmaking the Bomb: Environmental Cleanup and the Politics of Impossibility Feb 19 Lillis Business Complex
Composition Writing Lab Drop-In Hours
Feb20
Composition Writing Lab Drop-In Hours Feb 20 Willie and Donald Tykeson Hall

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