Description: This course examines the history of food cultivation and agricultural development in North
America and the United States from a global perspective, with a focus on the ecological and
health impacts of food production and consumption. We will study topics including pre-colonial
histories of Indigenous land use and food production in diverse geographical contexts, including
Mexico, the Caribbean, California, the Mississippi Valley, Great Lakes, and Atlantic coastal
regions; European colonial agriculture and the establishment of plantation slavery; the rise of
industrial/chemical agriculture and rural transformation in the United States; and the role of
the United States in transforming global food systems.
For up-to-date information on current course offerings and details, please refer to the Pitzer class schedule on MyCampus2 Portal.
