The UO Food Studies Program will celebrate the launch of a new undergraduate minor with an ice cream social featuring local favorite Red Wagon Creamery on Friday, May 13, from noon to 2 p.m. in front of the EMU.

Food Studies is also hosting an informational Open House Luncheon in Room 249, Columbia Hall on Monday, May 9, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Both events are free and open to the public.

The minor in food studies provides a holistic and broadly interdisciplinary examination of food’s central place in the human experience and is open to students from all departments and programs. The 24-credit minor combines classroom and experiential work, allowing students from a range of disciplines to gain academic insights as well as valuable hands-on experience.

Food studies also offers a graduate specialization and hosts several “Food Talks” each term featuring presenters from campus and the local community, as well as authors, activists and thinkers representing national and international perspectives.

The Food Studies Program developed out of a growing recognition that an integrated perspective on food matters is vital to developing a fuller understanding of complex, food-related issues. Food studies brings the power of an interdisciplinary approach to widely varied food themes and topics.

For more information, contact professor Stephen Wooten, the program director at swooten@uoregon.edu. Program details and event information are available at http://foodstudies.uoregon.edu/.