MCCCD Program Description

Food and Culture

Course: FON143

First Term: 2019 Summer

Lec + Lab 3.0 Credit(s) 3.0 Period(s) 3.0 Load
Subject Type: Occupational
Load Formula: T - Lab Load

Description: Understanding diet in the context of culture. Historical, religious, and sociocultural influences on the development of cuisine, meal patterns, eating customs, cooking methods, and nutritional status of various ethnic groups. Traditional and contemporary food habits. Health and social impact of changes in diet. Preparation and serving of foods from many cultures.

MCCCD Official Course Competencies
1. Identify local sources for cultural food ingredients. (I, III, VI) 2. Describe the diversity of diets, food, and eating behavior in various cultures. (I-VI) 3. Explain cultural perspective, traditional food habits, and contemporary food habits for specific cultural groups. (I-VI) 4. Describe factors that influence food choices in the context of culture such as social, religion, and historical. (I-VI) 5. Identify and locate educational resources which provide information about customs and cultural influences of specific cultural groups. (I-VI) 6. Identify disparities in the incidence of illness and death among specific cultural groups related to diet. (I-VI) 7. Identify nutritional deficiencies in the diets of specific cultural groups and identify their therapeutic uses of foods. (II-VI) 8. Evaluate the local, regional, and global impact of high-input and low-input sustainable agricultural production. (III) 9. Analyze how agricultural practices have altered communities, cultures, health, and food safety. (III) 10. Identify geographic factors impacting food availability. (III-VI) 11. Identify specialized equipment, utensils, ingredients, and common food in specific cultural groups. (III, VI) 12. Select, prepare, and serve representative dishes from various cultural groups. (VI)
MCCCD Official Course Competencies must be coordinated with the content outline so that each major point in the outline serves one or more competencies. MCCCD faculty retains authority in determining the pedagogical approach, methodology, content sequencing, and assessment metrics for student work. Please see individual course syllabi for additional information, including specific course requirements.

MCCCD Official Course Outline
I. Food and culture A. Factors that influence food habits B. The study of cultural foods C. Nutrition and food habits II. Agriculture and society A. Sustainable agricultural production 1. High-input vs. low-input 2. Local 3. Regional 4. Global B. Agricultural practices 1. Communities 2. Cultures 3. Health and food safety III. Traditional health beliefs and practices A. Worldview B. Factors that influence food habits C. Disease, illness, and sickness D. Pluralistic health care systems IV. Food for continued existence A. Evolution of food choices B. Food choices in developed countries C. Food choices in developing countries D. Trajectory of food choices among immigrants V. Food and religion A. Western religions B. Eastern religions VI. Food and ethnicity A. Native Americans B. Northern and southern Europeans C. Latin Americans D. Asian E. Africa F. Greek and Middle Eastern G. Regional America 1. Tools and utensils 2. Ceremonial customs 3. Condiments and garnishes 4. Eating procedures

MCCCD Governing Board Approval Date: February 26, 2019

All information published is subject to change without notice. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information presented, but based on the dynamic nature of the curricular process, course and program information is subject to change in order to reflect the most current information available.