Writing a Recipe for Teaching Sustainable Food Systems: Lessons from Three University Courses

The sustainability of the food system is at the forefront of academic and policy discussions as we face the challenge of providing food security to a growing population amidst environmental uncertainty and depletion, social disruptions, and structural economic shocks and stresses. Crafting a sustain...

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Main Authors: Christy Anderson Brekken, Hikaru Hanawa Peterson, Robert P. King, David Conner
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2018-06-01
Series:Sustainability
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/6/1898
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spelling doaj-0cb4c64e3e2845818ccf00c562278ee02020-11-25T02:26:56ZengMDPI AGSustainability2071-10502018-06-01106189810.3390/su10061898su10061898Writing a Recipe for Teaching Sustainable Food Systems: Lessons from Three University CoursesChristy Anderson Brekken0Hikaru Hanawa Peterson1Robert P. King2David Conner3Department of Applied Economics, Oregon State University, 228 Ballard Extension Hall, Corvallis, OR 97331, USADepartment of Applied Economics, University of Minnesota, 231 Ruttan Hall, 1994 Bufford Ave., St. Paul, MN 55108, USADepartment of Applied Economics, University of Minnesota, 231 Ruttan Hall, 1994 Bufford Ave., St. Paul, MN 55108, USADepartment of Community Development and Applied Economics, University of Vermont, 205H Morrill Hall, Burlington, VT 05405, USAThe sustainability of the food system is at the forefront of academic and policy discussions as we face the challenge of providing food security to a growing population amidst environmental uncertainty and depletion, social disruptions, and structural economic shocks and stresses. Crafting a sustainable and resilient food system requires us to go beyond disciplinary boundaries and broaden critical and creative thinking skills. Recent literature calls for examples of pedagogical transformations from food systems courses to identify successful practices and potential challenges. We offer a recipe for what to teach by framing systems thinking concepts, then discuss how to teach it with five learning activities: deductive case studies, experiential learning, reflective narrative learning, system dynamics simulations and scenarios, and inductive/open-ended case studies, implemented with collaborative group learning, inter/trans-disciplinarity, and instructor-modeled co-learning. Each learning activity is animated with concrete examples from our courses at Oregon State University, University of Minnesota, and University of Vermont, USA. We discuss opportunities and challenges implementing these strategies in light of student, instructor, and institutional expectations and constraints. But the challenge is worth the effort, because food system transformation requires active learners and systemic thinkers as engaged citizens, food system advocates, entrepreneurs, and policy makers.http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/6/1898food systemssustainabilityundergraduate educationgraduate educationsystem thinkingapplied economicsinterdisciplinarytransdisciplinaryreflective learningcollaborative learning
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Christy Anderson Brekken
Hikaru Hanawa Peterson
Robert P. King
David Conner
spellingShingle Christy Anderson Brekken
Hikaru Hanawa Peterson
Robert P. King
David Conner
Writing a Recipe for Teaching Sustainable Food Systems: Lessons from Three University Courses
Sustainability
food systems
sustainability
undergraduate education
graduate education
system thinking
applied economics
interdisciplinary
transdisciplinary
reflective learning
collaborative learning
author_facet Christy Anderson Brekken
Hikaru Hanawa Peterson
Robert P. King
David Conner
author_sort Christy Anderson Brekken
title Writing a Recipe for Teaching Sustainable Food Systems: Lessons from Three University Courses
title_short Writing a Recipe for Teaching Sustainable Food Systems: Lessons from Three University Courses
title_full Writing a Recipe for Teaching Sustainable Food Systems: Lessons from Three University Courses
title_fullStr Writing a Recipe for Teaching Sustainable Food Systems: Lessons from Three University Courses
title_full_unstemmed Writing a Recipe for Teaching Sustainable Food Systems: Lessons from Three University Courses
title_sort writing a recipe for teaching sustainable food systems: lessons from three university courses
publisher MDPI AG
series Sustainability
issn 2071-1050
publishDate 2018-06-01
description The sustainability of the food system is at the forefront of academic and policy discussions as we face the challenge of providing food security to a growing population amidst environmental uncertainty and depletion, social disruptions, and structural economic shocks and stresses. Crafting a sustainable and resilient food system requires us to go beyond disciplinary boundaries and broaden critical and creative thinking skills. Recent literature calls for examples of pedagogical transformations from food systems courses to identify successful practices and potential challenges. We offer a recipe for what to teach by framing systems thinking concepts, then discuss how to teach it with five learning activities: deductive case studies, experiential learning, reflective narrative learning, system dynamics simulations and scenarios, and inductive/open-ended case studies, implemented with collaborative group learning, inter/trans-disciplinarity, and instructor-modeled co-learning. Each learning activity is animated with concrete examples from our courses at Oregon State University, University of Minnesota, and University of Vermont, USA. We discuss opportunities and challenges implementing these strategies in light of student, instructor, and institutional expectations and constraints. But the challenge is worth the effort, because food system transformation requires active learners and systemic thinkers as engaged citizens, food system advocates, entrepreneurs, and policy makers.
topic food systems
sustainability
undergraduate education
graduate education
system thinking
applied economics
interdisciplinary
transdisciplinary
reflective learning
collaborative learning
url http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/6/1898
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AT hikaruhanawapeterson writingarecipeforteachingsustainablefoodsystemslessonsfromthreeuniversitycourses
AT robertpking writingarecipeforteachingsustainablefoodsystemslessonsfromthreeuniversitycourses
AT davidconner writingarecipeforteachingsustainablefoodsystemslessonsfromthreeuniversitycourses
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