Nicole Civita engages in interdisciplinary, solutions-oriented interrogation of the practices, policies, preferences, and values that shape our food system from ecosystem through farm to community. Civita's approach to the study of food is grounded in systems thinking and environmental stewardship and framed by comprehensive policy knowledge. Her scholarship and advocacy aim to (i) identify the values and explore the ethical dilemmas associated with the global food system; (ii) foreground issues of race, gender, identity, and inequality, surfacing structural drivers of problematic food-related practices and environments; (iii) articulate the features of ecologically, economically, and socially regenerative and resilient food systems; and (iv) enable nourishing, informed, and values-aligned food choices. The work skews toward the practical and applied -- often completed in collaboration with non-academic external partners -- rather than the theoretical.
COEN 5830 - Special Topics
Secondary Instructor
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Fall 2019
Explores topics of interest in engineering. Content varies by instructor and semester. May be repeated for up to 9 total credit hours.
ENVM 5029 - Food & Agriculture Policy in the United States
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2020 / Spring 2021
Examines agricultural and food law and policy in the United States with a focus on enhancing sustainability and equity while ensuring a sufficient food supply. Surveys the history, overlapping mandates, authority, philosophies, and rules of the USDA, FDA, and EPA. Investigates policies pertaining to production, environmental impacts, food constituents, labeling, safety, manufacturing, marketing, retail, nutrition guidance and assistance programs. Recommended prerequisites: Introduction to Sustainable Food Systems: Nourishing Humanity within Planetary Boundaries. Previously offered as a special topics course.
ENVM 5038 - Nourishing Humanity within Planetary Boundaries - Intro to Food Systems
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2020
Take a holistic approach to exploring environmental, economic, social, and cultural dimensions of agri-food sustainability. Conceptualize food systems and their dynamics, recognize their achievements, come to terms with their role in environmental and social ills, and explore a range of promising alternative practices for rebalancing and building resilience in food systems. Recommended corequisite: ENVS 6305. Previously offered as a special topics course.
ENVS 6304 - Introduction to Food Systems Internationally
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2018
Introduces students to contemporary food system challenges a the global scale, the course will first identify key historic and projected trends, to set the scene for the remainder of this specialization. Second it will draw on international case studies to explore some of the institutional, technological and market responses to food system challenges across the globe.
