Course Content and Outcomes Guides (CCOG)

CCOG for FN 114 Winter 2025


Course Number:
FN 114
Course Title:
Cultural Food Studies
Credit Hours:
3
Lecture Hours:
20
Lecture/Lab Hours:
0
Lab Hours:
30

Course Description

Investigates cultural, spiritual/religious, economic, and social influences on food choices. Provides awareness and understanding of diverse populations within our society and knowledge of food customs of peoples with different ethnic backgrounds. Explores food traditions from a variety of cultures through hands-on cooking instruction. Prerequisites: WR 115, RD 115 and MTH 20 or equivalent placement test scores. Audit available.

Intended Outcomes for the course

Upon completion of the course students should  be able to:

  1. Make diet choices that support personal health, employing an understanding of the effects of food habits on the health of global populations.  
  2. Describe economic, social, and spiritual/religious influences on cultural food practices, food availability, and eating patterns, and analyze their effects on the population’s health.

  3. Apply knowledge from cooking instruction and discussions of cultural food traditions and global dietary patterns to demonstrate cultural awareness within a lab setting.

Quantitative Reasoning

Students completing an associate degree at Portland Community College will be able to analyze questions or problems that impact the community and/or environment using quantitative information.

General education philosophy statement

This course introduces and emphasizes several key values identified by the PCC Statement of General Education. In particular, FN 114: Explores understanding of one’s culture and relationships with other cultures across the globe; Uses the socio-cultural model for the exploration of personal food habits and beliefs to further cultural diversity and understanding; Connects students with their natural environment through the intrinsic properties of foods as products of our natural world; Introduces concepts of basic science and sustainability by considering the general connection between food and the environment and personal health; Emphasizes quantitative reasoning through introduction of the scientific method as part of assessing credibility of and personal application of nutrition information; Emphasizes qualitative reasoning through reflection on personal experiences and choices; Utilizes a variety of assignments and discussions that engage students in discerning meaning from personal food-related experiences; Introduces social concepts of food security, poverty and environmental systems as they relate to foods and nutrition; Additionally, while perhaps not explicitly part of the general education philosophy, FN 114 offers a foundation critical to student success. Basic needs security are substantial priorities to support the equitable success of Portland Community College’s student body. While the college does not require foods & nutrition as a core course requirement for all students, the inclusion of FN 114 as a General Education course creates opportunities to address disparity head on. As a course intended for students early in their college journey, the knowledge and skills gained build resilience and improve chances to mitigate food insecurity that can improve opportunities for equitable student success.

Aspirational Goals

  • Appreciate, celebrate and honor one’s own and others cultural foods. 
  • Recognize the social structures that impact culture, food and diet 
  • Recognize their own power to build systems that respect diverse cultures and identities through food
  • Implement more lifestyle changes by embracing their own cultural foods
  • Expanding their kitchen ingredients and home recipes
  • Allow themselves to explore different cultural cuisines and become curious to broaden their world views

Course Activities and Design

This course utilizes an OER (open educational resource) format that includes: readings, lecture, discussion and projects to apply learning in the teaching kitchen. The course is a hybrid course with in-person lab and online lecture components. 

Student Activities may Include a combination of the following tasks as determined by the instructor:

  • Kitchen laboratory activities individually and in small groups with large group interaction and discussion
  • Small group and online discussion
  • Content Review via reading, videos and other media
  • Written or Verbal/Recorded assignments that guide students to apply science-based principles to personal dietary analysis
  • Written or Verbal/Recorded self-reflection activities
  • Participation in online learning management systems
  • Multiple choice, true/false, short answer quizzes and exams that require application of material covered in the course

Instructors may present course material and facilitate teaching and learning through:

  • Hands-on food skills demonstration and practice,
  • Mini-lectures, lectures, 
  • Videos
  • Case Studies
  • Facilitated group discussion
  • Demonstration activities

Outcome Assessment Strategies

  • Participate in and contribute to all written and oral discussions and reflections, teaching kitchen activities and presentation.
  • Complete all scheduled quizzes and assignments.
  • Create a resource inventory for cultural foods related to differing global communities.

Course Content (Themes, Concepts, Issues and Skills)

  • Themes: World cuisine, food studies, traditions
  • Skills: Recipe execution, presentation
  • Concepts: Cultural appreciation, socio-ecological model
  • Issues: Stereotypes, global resources, colonialism and food rules