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Dedicated Semester
An Annual Tradition
Fontbonne University welcomes you to a unique academic experience-it's what we call our dedicated semester.
This collaborative initiative encourages the entire university-students, faculty and staff-to explore a single theme each fall semester. The inaugural effort was introduced in fall 2007 when the university examined "Judaism and Its Cultures."
In addition to courses offered by many of our academic departments, there will be films, panels, speakers and events, all designed to give students an opportunity to learn in detail about the semester's chosen topic. We will also involve the local community in relevant ways in order to extend the focus of this endeavor beyond our campus borders.
Fontbonne's Sixth Dedicated Semester
Fontbonne University offers students a unique academic adventure that allows the university as a whole — students, faculty, and staff — to explore a single theme each fall semester. Our sixth theme, Foodology: The Culture, Economics, and Science of Food, will invite students, faculty, and staff to discover the many intricacies of food. As a community, we will discover how food is entwined in culture, economics, politics, health and science through shared experiences in academic courses, films, speakers, demonstrations, tours, and through food itself.
The role of food in our world goes far beyond a source of nutrients for our bodies. We, likely, interact with food most frequently through our cultural connections: food, restaurants, movies. But as a society, food also touches our economics through food subsidies and food availability as well as our politics with policies that provide access to food benefits, regulate food production, or support food producers, both corporate and agricultural. The health and wellness of our society also includes a discussion of food: how do we eat, what is healthy eating, how do we diet, how do we think about food, how do we produce the food we eat? Our investigation will also include, in the tradition of our founders, the Sisters of St. Joseph, how we can serve our dear neighbors through social justice issues involving access to food for all and opportunities to provide service through organizations which provide food to those in need.
Throughout the semester, we will offer opportunities to interact with food in academic ways as well as entertaining ways and everything in between. As we have included courses, activities, and events, we have focused on the following goals to guide our work for the 2012 dedicated semester:
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Recognize the multifaceted ways food affects our lives
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Explore personal relationships with food and its impact on psychological and physical health
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Identify political and economic under-currents in food issues and discussions
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Provide opportunities for social justice outreach and service-learning
We invite you to join the Fontbonne University community as we explore Foodology: The Culture, Economics, and Science of Food to understand the many varied perspectives on food. Join in the semester long inquiry by enrolling in dedicated semester courses and participating in activities and events that will challenge your viewpoint and expand your thoughts on food. To stay up-to-date with all the current activities and events, please "like us" on Facebook: www.facebook.com/fontbonnededicatedsemester