Patricia Allen Featured in Best of Gastronomica
An article by Dr. Patricia Allen, food systems & society department chair, was selected for inclusion in a "best of" retrospective issue of the esteemed journal Gastronomica.
Degree Requirements
Please note: The following are proposed degree requirements and are subject to change. Degree requirements will be published in the 2013-14 Marylhurst University catalog.
MS in Food Systems & Society
Minimum of 48 quarter credits
Foundation Courses (12 crs.)
Food Systems and SocietyIntroduces the history, drivers and context of contemporary food systems. Reviews
the roles of discourse, ideology, and epistemology in our understanding and shaping
of the food system through lenses of class, gender, and race-ethnicity. (3 crs.)
Food, Policy, and CultureDiscusses the role of policy and culture in determining who eats, what we eat, and
who benefits and loses in the current food system. Includes policies at the global,
national, state, and municipal levels as well as policies within households and private
firms. (3 crs.)
Food Systems InquiryProvides a methodological foundation for inquiry relevant to student thesis projects.
Addresses multi-disciplinary and social-scientific research methods, focusing on food-systems
analysis. Engages with debates over analytical techniques and knowledge production. (3
crs.)
Project Development SeminarStudents will integrate theory, literature, and experience to develop a research proposal
for their required thesis. (3 crs.)
Program Intensive Courses (12 crs.)
Four required on-campus intensive courses take place in the fall and spring terms of each year. The intensive sessions last three to five days each, and bring students together with other members of their cohort to build community and establish stronger learning and research partnerships. Intensives include lectures, discussions, field trips, and collaborative activities focused on food systems and social change. Students will reflect on their experiences and coursework to increase shared understanding of how to improve the food system.
The fall 2013 intensive is scheduled for October 3 - 6, 2013.
This introductory intensive will establish a scholar-practitioner community and introduce
students to the Food Systems and Society program. Students will discuss pre-term assigned
readings, collaborate on small-group projects, and visit one or more Portland-based
food projects. In addition, students will learn how to utilize the online systems
and processes integral to the program. (3 crs.)
First Spring IntensiveIn this spring intensive, students will reflect on their understanding of food systems
and social change and elaborate their thesis. We will synthesize and discuss what
we have learned since the fall and establish research and reflection processes for
the summer. Students will discuss their thesis research and work in groups with faculty
and other students. (3 crs.)
Year Two Fall IntensiveThis intensive serves as the foundation for the second-year food issues seminars/research
practicums. Students will reconnect with each other in the service of building a scholar-practitioner
community. They will give preliminary reports on their thesis work, discuss pre-term
assigned readings, collaborate on small-group projects, and visit one or more Portland-based
food projects. (3 crs.)
Year Two Spring IntensiveIn this final intensive, students will present their thesis and discuss how they will
apply their experience in the MSFSS program to social change in the food system.(3
crs.)
Seminar/Practicums (12 crs.)
Students will discuss contemporary issues in food systems as they relate to theory and practice in the context of their required thesis project in three seminar/practicum courses.
Each student will develop and produce a publication- or presentation-quality thesis to complete the degree. Students will engage with subjects or topics meaningful to them and relevant to social change in the food system. Students will develop topics in consultation with and approval by a faculty adviser. Each student thesis/presentation will incorporate all the elements of the research process, including literature review, theory, research methods, analysis and evaluation.
Electives (12 crs.)
Choose from electives offered by the food systems and society program or with adviser permission, select relevant courses from other Marylhurst departments.
