This course considers socio-cultural dimensions of food from the dawn of agriculture to the present. The class explores topics such as the juxtaposition between food, society, and identity, organic vs. conventional foods, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), agriculture's role in climate change, chronic hunger, obesity, seed property rights vs. food sovereignty, foreign aid, and the U.S. food policy process. There will also be an investigation of best practices with a focus on sustainable and environmental approaches to land use for foods.