Background and Context

Cluster History

The Food for Thought cluster and courses within were envisioned and developed in the Fall 2006 semesters by Drs. Wasileski, Peterson, Lanou and Mathews, including the new courses Live, Learn and Eat: The Food of Chemistry and Food Politics and Nutrition Policy. Courses were first offered in the 2007-2008 academic year.

Role of the Cluster and Courses in Undergraduate Curriculum

UNCA has adopted a general education program called the Integrative Liberal Studies (ILS) program that involves the following general education requirements: Liberal Studies Introductory Colloquium: a writing intensive course that serves as an introduction to campus life. These are taken by students in their first semester at UNC Asheville.

Foundation Courses:

• Language 120 Foundations of Academic Writing
• laboratory science course
• Health and Wellness course
• any 4-hour math or statistics course
• foreign language

Intensives:

• writing
• information literacy
• quantitative
• diversity
• Topical Cluster: Topical Clusters bring the perspectives of several different disciplines to bear of a particular issue or subject area. Students are required to complete one Topical Cluster, consisting of at least three courses, for a total of 9 credit hours or more. No more than 3 of the 9 credit hours a student applies toward the Topical Cluster may have the same course prefix. Of these courses, one must be designated as ILS Social Science (ILSS) and one as ILS Natural Science (ILSN); to complete the cluster, then, a student will need to take a third course, with a third prefix. An ILS Arts (ILSA) course may be taken within the Topical Cluster, but it is not required. Students are invited to take more than the required 9 hours. If students choose to do so, they may take additional courses from any listed in the Topical Cluster.
• Humanities Program

Food for Thought is one of twelve topical clusters, focusing on the topic of educating the student as an informed consumer of food.

External Funding Source

• 2006 National Center for Science and Civic Engagement Post-Institute Implementation SENCER NSF Sub-Awards. "Food for Thought: A Course Cluster Engaging the Citizen in the Science and Politics of Food Information, Food Consumerism, Nutrition and Health; Development, Implementation and Assessment of a SENCERized Topical Cluster". PIs: Sally A. Wasileski (co-PI), Karin Peterson (co-PI), Amy Lanou, and Leah Mathews; $3,000 plus $3,000 university matching funds.

Internal Funding Sources

• UNCA ILS Block Grant. "Engaging the Cluster! A proposal to develop linkages between cluster courses and outreach beyond the cluster." PIs: Karin E. Peterson, Sally A. Wasileski, Amy J. Lanou and Leah G. Mathews. $4,000 (plus $1,000 departmental matching).
• 2008 UNCA ILS Block Grant. "Assessing Interdisciplinary Learning in the Food for Thought Cluster." PIs: Karin E. Peterson, Sally A. Wasileski, Amy J. Lanou, Leah G. Mathews, David I. Clarke and Cathy Whitlock. $4,000.
• 2008-2009 University Teaching Council Grant. "Student Collaborative Learning Across Courses and Disciplines in ILS Cluster 9: Food for Thought: Engaging the Citizen in the Science and Politics of Food Information, Food Consumerism, Nutrition and Health." PIs: Karin E. Peterson, Amy J. Lanou, Leah G. Mathews and Sally A. Wasileski. $945.