Course Syllabus

 

Food: Social Change and Innovation

 

Photo by Kitchen Collective 

Semester & Location:	Spring 2024 - DIS Copenhagen
Type & Credits:	Elective Course - 3 credits
Major Disciplines:	Food Studies, Social Entrepreneurship, Urban Studies
Prerequisite(s):	None
Faculty Members:	Mia Maja Hansson & Anders Larsen
Time & Place:	Thursday 13:15-16:10 Classroom: F24-206

Course Description

As the world is changing, we will need to rethink some of the most basic aspects of everyday life. This includes what we eat and how we eat. This class explores food, not only as a reflection of this changing world, but also as a way of mitigating some of the challenges we are facing. The course is taught as a combination of lectures, hands on workshops and visits to businesses that work with food innovation.

Learning Objectives

• Deepened understanding of the intersection between food systems and the challenges of contemporary society
• An understanding of problem solving through design thinking
• Knowledge of how food startups in Europe work with problem solving

Faculty

Mia Maja Hansson holds a MSocSc in Management of Creative Business Processes, Copenhagen Business School, 2015. Mia Maja has focused all her research on how Copenhagen has evolved as one of the most innovative cities in the world when it comes to food. Besides teaching at DIS, she is an entrepreneur that has established many of the spaces and facilities that Copenhagen food entrepreneurs use to get their businesses of the ground. This includes a Street Food Festival, CPH Food Space and Kitchen Collective. With DIS since 2024.

Anders Larsen holds a Candidatus Magisterii in History and English Literature and Language from the University of Copenhagen.  Anders teaches a series of courses that deal with lifestyle including Meaning of Style that explores fashion as a cultural phenomenon, Copenhagen History. Structure, plan and design that takes student on a journey through the cultural history of the built environment, Anthropology of Food that links cultural theory, ethnographic methods and the way we eat, and Tasting Culture, an interdisciplinary exploration of European food culture. With DIS since 2007. 

Office and Office Hours

You are welcome to see your professors after class or set up an appointment at DIS. You may also communicate through the Canvas Inbox. You will normally receive a response within  within 24 hours on work days.

Readings

Eric Holt-Gimenez, A Foodie’s Guide to Capitalism. Understanding the Political Economy of What We Eat, New York 2017

Kelly McFarland, Chapter 2: The creation of a local food distributor evaluated through a Design Thinking lens, Transdisciplinary Case Studies o Design for Food and Sustainability, Elsevier 2021

Saru Jayaraman & Julia Sebastian, 17. Dining Out: The True Cost of Poor Wages, True Cost Accounting for Food, ed. Barbara Gemmill-Herren, Lauren E. Baker and Paula A. Daniels, Routledge 2021

Imogen West-Knights, Fine dining faces its dark truths in Copenhagen, Financial Times, June 2 2022

Alexander Osterwalder & Ives Pigneur, Business Model Generation,John Wiley & Sons (2010)

Mary Holland, Inside Food's New Silicon Valley, Financial Times 17 November 2012

Videos

Sitopia: how we can think through food by Carolyn Steel at TEDxDanubia 2011 via Youtube.com

Uncivilized, Why Copenhagen is Killing Restaurants via Youtube.com

Podcasts

Kitchen Collective Founder Mia Maja Hansson on launching new food ventures via Nordicfoodtech.io

Field Studies

Note that filed studies are subject to change in the case of unforeseen circumstances. 

Visit to restaurant Lola

Visit to Kitchen Collective

Visit to Junkfood

Visit to Absalon Cph

Guest Lecturers

Lisa Dunbar on creating a fair and inclusive work environment. Read more at https://lisalinddunbar.com/about 

Olivia Flynn, Gehl Architects on designing healthy foodscapes

Representatives from activist organization Fødebrug og Landvarer. Read more at https://fogl.dk/

Expectations of the Students

Students are expected to attend all class sessions unless prevented by an emergency. If you are not in class, you cannot participate. Your faculty expect you to complete all the assigned reading and come to class prepared to discuss it in depth. Assignments must be turned in on time unless otherwise has been agreed on prior to the deadline.

Students are not allowed to use a laptop or smartphone in class. Considerations will, of course, be taken if you have special needs for a computer for note-taking. Please speak to the Office of Academic Support to request accommodations.

All students are expected to have completed the course readings before class so that we can discuss the material at the right level. It is important to be well prepared for class as students at times will be required to give key points on the readings for that day.

Students are expected to participate actively in all classes and field studies and be open-minded to their fellow student’s contribution to the class. The aim is to establish an environment where we can learn from each other as well as from the texts and cases we engage with, and you are expected to actively support this approach.

Approach to Teaching

The methods used to cover class materials include lectures, video, discussions, individual and group presentations, guest lectures, and field trips. Periodically we will split up into smaller groups to review and analyze the material more thoroughly. The course will have several out-of-the-class-room sessions on location to experience the different facets of food first hand. Students are expected to be able to find and be at the external locations on time. The external locations will not be far from DIS's location and maps and addresses will be given in advance. Office hours are held after class or by appointment. 

Tastings of foods are regularly conducted both in the classroom and on our excursions; note that not all tastings will be able to accommodate all dietary restrictions, and dietary alternatives may not exist in some contexts. We also cannot guarantee the lack of cross-contamination for food allergies in many of the places we visit. 

Evaluation

Students will be evaluated on their ability to understand, discuss and communicate theories within the topic as well as interpret them meaningfully. These skills will be the primary focuses in evaluations. Group work in class and in the field as well as the student's ability to contribute to a group effort will be taken into account for the grade.

Participation is evaluated as follows:

• Do you participate actively during class sessions and excursions?
• Were you timely and prepared?
• Do you show respect to classmates and the learning environment?
• Do you show respect to guest lecturers and the environments we visit?

Active class participation throughout the course: A=96 / Occasional participation: B=86 / Little or no participation: C=76. Fine-tuning of percentage points may occur, reflecting student performance.

Note that attendance at all classes and field studies is required and expected and is not credited as participation. Failure to attend will have a negative influence on the participation grade, however.

How to Get a Good Grade

• Involve yourself! Allow yourself the luxury of taking a genuine interest in the course, i.e. in ‘food’. It may not be your core field or interest, but why not join the many students who have been surprised at how interesting it actually is to suddenly understand the history and nutrition of the food we consume.
• Get organized! Enter all due dates in a calendar and set aside time to work on assignments and prepare for class. 
• Prepare for class! Every class! 
• Take good notes! You will be graded on your analytical thinking. 
• Participate! Sharing your thoughts and ideas in class is not just important for the participation grade, it is one of the best tools for developing your analytical skills.

Notebooks are evaluated as follows:

• Do you complete the homework and notebook prompts?
• Do you use your journal in and out of class?
• Do your notes show detail and reflection?
• Are you both observing and analyzing?

Rubrics for the assignment grades are distributed with the assignment descriptions.

Grading

Your grade consists of the following three elements. Written assignments, your journal, and your participation in class. The three parts are weighed as follows:

Assignment	Percent
ASSIGNMENT 1 - Where does it hurt?	15%
ASSIGNMENT 2 - Exploring potential	15%
PITCH IN CLASS - Group presentation	15%
PITCH - Written	15%
JOURNAL	10%
PARTICIPATION IN CLASS	15%
SHOWCASE	15%

 

 

Academic Regulations 

Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on:

• Course Enrollment and Grading
• Academic Expectations and Honor Code

 

 

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