This year, Gettysburg kicks off the first year of the Gettysburg Cycle, a series of annual themes focusing on policy issues of global, national, and local significance.
For 2016-17, it's all about the Year of Food.
Drawing on both curricular and co-curricular experiences, students and the Gettysburg community will have the opportunity to learn more about the central role food plays in our lives both close to home and around the world. Across campus, over 60 professors are incorporating food-related topics into their coursework, campus organizations and departments are hosting their own events to spark discussion, and several exciting opportunities are planned to engage the community.
Each year, as part of a repeating four-year cycle, Gettysburg will introduce a theme designed to provide students with an entry point into the intellectual discussion and debate that is the hallmark of a liberal arts education. How is food related to art? What light can anthropology and political science shine on food issues? Biology? There’s a connection to be made by nearly every discipline. Each year’s topic will provide students the opportunity to learn about a pressing issue through a variety of lenses.
Below are just a few ways Gettysburg is celebrating the Year of Food—and how you can get involved.
By participating in a community event, like Salsa on the Square.
There is no shortage of events this year designed to get the Gettysburg and greater community talking—and eating. Learn more about international food issues while enjoying a street food fair, music, and cultural activities at International Foodfest on Friday, September 23, 4:30-7:00 p.m., sponsored by CAB and Dining Services and co-sponsored by the Center for the Study of Global Issues, Global Gettysburg Series, International Student Services, and the Gettysburg College Bookstore. Lincoln Avenue will transform into a global hub with different stations set up along the street.
Also in September was the 10th annual Salsa on the Square event on September 16, which featured live salsa music, dancing, and food from local restaurants. The event is held every year to celebrate the relationship between Gettysburg and its sister city, Leon, Nicaragua, and to observe the contributions of Hispanic people to Gettysburg and greater Adams County. View photos from the event.
October will also bring several opportunities to get involved. One example: In coordination with Gettysburg’s Center for Public Service, students and faculty from participating first-year seminars will head to local orchards to pick apples in support of The Gleaning Project of South Central Pennsylvania (Oct. 19), which helps reduce hunger and improve nutrition in the Adams and Franklin counties. Every year, thousands of pounds of produce are left over after the commercial harvesting of fields and orchards—this project aims to reduce food waste and increase food security.
Attending a lecture on a variety of food-related topics, like “Food Justice: At the Intersection of Food, Politics, Poverty, Public Health, and the Environment.”
Biological anthropologist and Harvard professor Richard Wrangham visited Gettysburg on September 19 to talk about how cooking has served as a catalyst for life history, brain evolution, and diet. This was the first talk to kick off the series, which features professors and researchers from around the country speaking on a variety of topics. Next up will be Roni Neff, an Assistant Professor in John Hopkins University Bloomberg's School of Environmental Health Sciences Department (Oct. 20, 7:00 p.m., CUB Ballroom), who will present an overview of the U.S. food system and describe the efforts being made to fight for food justice and adequate food access. In the spring, you won’t want to miss an interactive show at The Majestic Theater focusing on food justice with chef, educator, and author Bryant Terry (April 4, 7:00 p.m.).
Talking food in one of several courses.
Across campus, several courses are incorporating food-related discussions. For example, students in the Public Health class taught by Health Science Profs. Amy Dailey and Audrey Hess are working on projects related to obesity, child nutrition, and mental health. Prof. Bruce Larson's Public Policy course is focusing on the politics and policy of food, with a focus on the U.S. food system and health inequities, U.S. farm policy, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in the U.S. The Italian Studies Department will showcase several films as a part of a film series that will focus on food and culture in Italy. Several first-year seminars are also examining food-related issues, such as environmental studies Prof. Salma Monani’s Green Eggs and Government Cheese class—which studies the connections between food and issues like climate change, land use, and community health—and religious studies Prof. David Walsh’s course, Diets and Deities: Eating Our Way Through Religious Traditions.
Advocating for hunger awareness during World Hunger Week.
Mark your calendar for October 16-21, 2016. Gettysburg will be participating in a series of events in honor of World Hunger Week. On World Hunger Day (Oct. 16), the Majestic Theater will screen A Place at the Table, a documentary about the potential economic, social, and cultural implications of hunger (7:30 p.m.). The South Central Community Action Programs (SCCAP) will also hold a series of events and challenges designed to create awareness of hunger and food insecurity. The annual Hunger Banquet (Oct. 14, location and time TBA) provides an interactive experience to raise money and awareness of the poverty and hunger statistics in Adams County.
Learning why the Year of Food “ROCs”—with Research On the Cycle.
Research on the Cycle is a new opportunity highlighting student research during National Undergraduate Research Week. Students will present their research related to food at a poster session in the CUB Ballroom on Thursday, April 6, from 4:30-6:30. The event will serve as the culmination of the food-related discussions and research that took place across the campus and in classrooms throughout the year.
Other opportunities to get involved in the Year of Food include a trip to visit Smithsonian’s Food History Festival, a winter career immersion opportunity, Spark House projects, and events sponsored through the new Global Gettysburg Series.
