Mar 04, 2026  
2025-2026 Academic Catalog 
    
2025-2026 Academic Catalog

HI 316 - Food and Hunger in History


Lecture Hours: 3
Lab Hours: 0
Credit Hours: 3

This course explores themes and issues relating to social and cultural dimensions of food and food shortages in past times. The course ranges widely across time and space and adopts an explicitly comparative approach. Topics examined include the transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture, the historical development of food production and distribution systems, the emergence of staple crops as commodities, and the causes and consequences of food shortages. Note: This course may be offered as 316X (Civilizations & Cultures), 316W (writing-intensive), or both (316WX). Prerequisite(s): HI 103  and HI 104 . This course may be offered as a “Civilizations and Cultures” course (HI 316X), a “Writing Intensive” course (316W), or both (316WX).