SFBS - Sustainable Food & Bioenergy

SFBS 146  Introduction to Sustainable Food and Bioenergy Systems: 3 Credits (3 Lec)

(F) Interdisciplinary in nature, this course will provide insight into food and energy systems through exploration of agroecology, natural resource management, crop and livestock production, biodiversity, land use issues, impacts of climate change, labor issues, agriculture economics and trade, nutrition and public health, food security, innovation, entrepreneurship and policy. Interactive lectures, readings, activities, projects and field trips will provide exposure to this wide range of interdisciplinary topics.

View Course Outcomes:

  1. Identify and explain issues, problems or challenges that relate to our current food system, with scientific accuracy.
  2. Demonstrate a basic understanding of the food system in a manner which acknowledges relationships between and among individual components of the system.
  3. Define and explain the concepts of economic, environmental and social sustainability as these concepts relate to the food system.
  4. Identify opportunities and resources available on campus, in the community and beyond for experiential learning, community engagement, leadership development and networking related to sustainable food systems.

SFBS 295  Practicum: Food Upcycling for Community Food Security: 2 Credits (1 Lec, 1 Lab)

PREREQUISITE: SFBS 146 or NUTR 221CS. (F) Students engage in hands-on food upcycling by transforming surplus food into nutritious meals for local food security programs. The course emphasizes practical skills, community partnerships, and critical thinking around food waste, hunger, and sustainable solutions within local food systems

View Course Outcomes:

  1. Identify sources of food surplus within the community and strategize solutions for repurposing food surplus to serve community food security needs.
  2. Apply knowledge and skills toward practical solutions for upcycling surplus food to serve food-insecure clients in the community.
  3. Evaluate critical connections within community-based food systems and communicate about effective solutions that could lead to the reduction of food surplus and the improvement of community food security outcomes.

SFBS 296  Practicum: Towne's Harvest: 3 Credits (1 Lec, 2 Lab)

PREREQUISITE: SFBS 146 or permission of instructor. (Su) Emphasizes hands-on field experience with small-scale market gardening, distribution through community-supported agriculture, and market sales at local farmers' markets. Students will complete one independent project, service-learning at local farms and complete weekly writing assignments

View Course Outcomes:

  1. Students taking this course will learn, know, or understand the basic procedures for maintaining a small-scale market garden.
  2. Learn, know, or understand the steps necessary for harvesting and preparing produce for distribution.
  3. Learn, know, or understand the basic procedures for marketing produce and keeping accounting records.
  4. Learn, know, or understand the philosophy and methods of community supported agriculture
  5. Learn, know, or understand the special issues surrounding small-scale sustainable production in Montana

SFBS 298  Internship: 2-12 Credits (2-12 Other)

PREREQUISITE: Consent of instructor. (F, Sp, Su) An individualized assignment with a professional agency to provide a guided field experience
Repeatable up to 12 credits.

View Course Outcomes:

  1. Independent Study: Student learning outcomes vary

SFBS 327  Ethnobotany: 3 Credits (3 Lab)

PREREQUISITE: SFBS 146 or SFBS 296 or SFBS 298, or consent of instructor. (F) Students will learn natural and social science tools to measure innovation in food systems. Training will be provided on experimental design as well as data collection, analysis and dissemination. Research methods will draw from agro-ecology, botany, cultural anthropology and nutrition

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  1. Strengthen critical thinking by applying appropriate methodologies that consider diverse ways of knowing.
  2. Develop strong communication proficiency in oral, written, and visual formats through a flipped classroom peer-led approach.
  3. Acquire strong research skills in the socio-ecological and health sciences by learning each step of the research process from conceptualization of research question to research design, implementation, analysis, and dissemination
  4. Analyze the relationship between people and plants using transdisciplinary approach guided by sustainability principals.

SFBS 346  Sustainable Food and Bioenergy Systems Summer Field Course: 1 Credits (1 Other)

PREREQUISITE: SFBS 146 or consent of instructor. (Su) An overnight field trip to 3-4 regional farms, businesses, or agricultural research centers, a pre-trip meeting and a post-trip reflection assignment. Students will navigate rural areas, interact with local business people and farmers, and experience challenges to pre-existing assumptions about the nature of food production
Repeatable up to 3 credits.

View Course Outcomes:

  1. Describe the diversity of agricultural operations in the in Montana and neighboring states.
  2. Explain opportunities and challenges of modern crop production systems.
  3. Apply interdisciplinary and systems level thinking to issues of agricultural sustainability.
  4. Compare sustainability challenges among farms of different spatial scale, production systems, and management philosophy.

SFBS 429  Small Business and Entrepreneurship in Food and Health: 3 Credits (3 Lec)

PREREQUISITE: Junior standing. (F) Focuses on business, marketing, and management skills for small food-system ventures. Through team projects developing a product, business plan, pitch deck, and cash flow projections, students integrate sustainability and systems thinking and reflect on enhancing enterprise success and societal outcomes

View Course Outcomes:

  1. Apply basic bookkeeping, marketing, and management concepts to small business tasks.
  2. Design, assess, and implement a basic business plan, including a pitch deck and cash flow projections, for a small food system enterprise, non-profit, or governmental entity.
  3. Analyze the effectiveness of business policies in promoting sustainability.
  4. Identify and evaluate challenges and opportunities in their local small-business environment.
  5. Critically reflect on their own assumptions, decisions, and approaches in managing small food system enterprises to identify opportunities for advancing sustainable practices and outcomes with a societal impact beyond their businesses.
  6. Apply a systems approach to correlate the local food enterprise landscape with socio-economic developments, political norms at the state and national level, and the broader food system context.

SFBS 445R  Culinary Marketing: Farm/Table: 3 Credits (1 Lec, 2 Lab)

PREREQUISITE: NUTR 221CS, NUTR 226, NUTR 227, and NUTR 322 or permission of instructor. (Su) Emphasizes hands-on food experience, including market garden tending and harvesting, distribution by community supported agriculture, food marketing and retail at farmers' markets, culinary practice with seasonal garden produce and food preservation, educational outreach and culinary demonstrations, and independent research projects

View Course Outcomes:

  1. Assess the food system conceptual framework and sectors of the local food system (KRDN 3.2)
  2. Explain how the components of the local food system are integrated and mutually influential (KRDN 3.2)
  3. Demonstrate the basics of garden maintenance
  4. Describe concepts associated with food marketing at a farmer’s market, CSA, or in the local food system
  5. Develop outreach and education materials related to fresh produce preparation, sustainability, and local food systems.
  6. Use various cooking methods for the preparation of nutritious recipes using seasonal garden produce
  7. Demonstrate how to preserve freshly harvested food by freezing, drying, or canning
  8. Formulate a practical research question, conduct a research study, and present findings (KRDN 1.1., 1.2)

SFBS 451R  Food Systems Research: 3 Credits (3 Lec)

PREREQUISITE: NUTR 221CS and senior standing or consent of instructor. (Sp) This cross-disciplinary course examines the connections among the food industry, agriculture, and the environment and considers the sustainability of food choices. Students gain a systems perspective on nutrition problems while completing a research project aimed at providing actionable insights for practitioners

View Course Outcomes:

  1. Describe the foundational principles of academic research, focusing on qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method approaches, and apply these skills within a classroom project centered on food systems analysis.
  2. Apply core research competencies to a food-system-related case study, integrating social, environmental, and economic perspectives across different stages of the food system, including production, transformation, distribution, access, and consumption.
  3. Develop and refine team working skills through collaborative analysis and interdisciplinary discussions.
  4. Practice and enhance public speaking skills through oral presentations, sharing findings, and articulating insights with clarity and confidence as part of collaborative exploration.
  5. Strengthen effective academic writing abilities, communicating research outcomes and analyses in formats appropriate for academic and professional settings, contributing to a comprehensive understanding of food system dynamics.

SFBS 452  State of the Food Environment: 3 Credits (3 Lec)

PREREQUISITE: NUTR 351 and NUTR 301. (Sp) To better understand the United States food environment, this course presents food system policies, how they are measured, and their implications. Students will explore key issues in the food environment that influence national health, including policies on food and nutrition assistance programs, food prices, food access, food safety, land-use planning, and the Farm Bill

View Course Outcomes:

  1. Describe the concept of food environments and explain how they shape food choices, dietary patterns, sustainability outcomes, and community health in diverse socio-economic and cultural contexts.
  2. Identify and discuss how food policies influence the availability, affordability, and accessibility of food in local and national contexts.
  3. Recognize the role of environmental, economic, and social factors—such as agriculture, trade, and advertising—in shaping food systems.
  4. Apply basic sustainability principles to analyze real-world food system case studies and design evidence-based strategies or interventions aimed at transforming food environments to promote equity, food justice, and planetary health.
  5. Assess disparities in food access and assistance programs and relate them to broader issues of justice, equity, and food sovereignty.
  6. Communicate findings and perspectives on food systems using oral, written, and visual formats in class discussions and presentations.

SFBS 466  Food System Resilience: 3 Credits (3 Lec)

PREREQUISITE: SFBS 146, SFBS 296 or SFBS 298, NUTR 221CS or consent of instructor. (Sp) This course uses an examination of case studies to build a theoretical foundation of resilience thinking, including adaptive capacity, management, complexity, thresholds, regime shifts, transformation, and vulnerability. Application of resilience thinking to production and consumption include an examination of adaptive management and global environmental change as well as food security and dietary transitions. The socio-ecological determinants of resilience will be identified to design adaptable food systems that support environmental and human health in the context of global change

View Course Outcomes:

  1. Apply systems thinking to identify socio-ecological determinants of food system resilience.
  2. Apply systems thinking to identify socio-ecological determinants of food system resilience.
  3. Design sustainable food systems at the levels of production, consumption, and food waste including agroecosystem design and evidence-based interventions that support food security.

SFBS 490R  Undergraduate Research: 1-6 Credits (1-6 Other)

PREREQUISITE: Junior standing and consent of instructor. (F, Sp, Su) Directed undergraduate research/creative activity which may culminate in a research paper, journal article, or undergraduate thesis. Course will address responsible conduct of research
Repeatable up to 12 credits.

View Course Outcomes:

  1. Independent study: student learning outcomes vary.

SFBS 491  Special Topics: 1-4 Credits (1-4 Other)

PREREQUISITE: Course prerequisites as determined for each offering. Courses not required in any curriculum for which there is a particular one-time need, or given on a trial basis to determine acceptability and demand before requesting a regular course number. -
Repeatable up to 12 credits.

SFBS 492  Independent Study: 1-3 Credits (1-3 Other)

PREREQUISITE: Junior standing, consent of instructor and approval of department head. (F, Sp, Su) Directed research and study on an individual basis

View Course Outcomes:

  1. Independent study with separate syllabi for each student.

SFBS 498  Internship: 1-12 Credits (1-12 Other)

PREREQUISITE: Consent of instructor and junior standing. (F, Sp, Su) An individualized assignment with a professional agency to provide a guided field experience
Repeatable up to 12 credits.

View Course Outcomes:

  1. Expand practical skills in the food system based on sustainability principles.
  2. Analyze issues, problems and subsystems using a systems approach and an interdisciplinary perspective.
  3. Apply problem solving skills to challenges and situations encountered in professional setting.
  4. Demonstrate effective oral communication skills and professional nonverbal communication skills.
  5. Collaborate and demonstrate leadership skills and professionalism as an inclusive member of a diverse team.

SFBS 499  Senior Thesis/Capstone: 3 Credits (3 Lec)

PREREQUISITE: SFBS 146, SFBS 296 or SFBS 298, SFBS 498 and senior standing. (Su) Capstone experience for SFBS majors. Emphasizes systems thinking about food and bioenergy from production to consumption. Integrates SFBS field experience into development of outreach materials, interdisciplinary team project work, and honing of professional skills including oral and written communication; leadership

View Course Outcomes:

  1. A systems perspective on food and bioenergy Systems from production through consumption.
  2. The benefits and challenges of interdisciplinary learning and collaboration.
  3. Professional skills, ethics, and career-building skills for food/bioenergy systems.

SFBS 541  Culinary Marketing: Farm to Table: 3 Credits (3 Lec)

PREREQUISITE: Graduate Standing. (Su) Emphasizes hands-on food experience, including market garden tending and harvesting, distribution by community supported agriculture, food marketing and retail at farmers' markets, culinary practice with seasonal garden produce, food preservation and product development, teaching and culinary demonstrations, and marketing plan development

View Course Outcomes:

  1. Assess the food system conceptual framework & sectors of the local food system (KRD 3.2)
  2. Explain how the components of the local food system are integrated and mutually influential (KRD 3.2)
  3. Describe concepts associated with food marketing at a farmer’s market, CSA, or in the local food system
  4. Develop outreach and education materials related to fresh produce preparation, sustainability, or local food systems.
  5. Demonstrate food preservation techniques
  6. Facilitate group discussions with undergraduate students
  7. Guide and advise undergraduate students with their research projects
  8. Formulate a practical research question, conduct a research study or write a literature review, and present findings (KRD 1.1., 1.2)

SFBS 545  Exploration of Food Biotechnology: 2 Credits (2 Lec)

PREREQUISITE: Graduate level. (F) This course will delve into the history, techniques, applications, and ethical concerns associated with the rapidly growing areas of biotechnology in food production, food processing and agriculture. All course participants will receive food biotechnology curriculum materials for incorporation into the high school biology classroom. Course is currently not being offered

View Course Outcomes:

  1. Course is currently not being offered but will be when new faculty for the program are hired.

SFBS 551  Global Food Perspectives: 3 Credits (3 Lec)

(F) Explores the foundations of our contemporary diets by examining the impact of global historical events, cultural trends, economic pressures and political activities. Students think critically about the relationship between health and the food supply, proposing solutions to common food problems.

View Course Outcomes:

  1. Demonstrate the ability for systems thinking and interdisciplinary thought and action through approaching food systems globally from multiple perspectives.
  2. Practice analytical skills by applying a sustainability framework to evaluate components and processes within food systems and their connections at various scales using an evidence-based approach.
  3. Refine communication and outreach skills through a peer-led team teaching model where students will present different perspectives each week based on their readings and different stakeholders.
  4. Demonstrate ethnographic skills and how to understand diverse perspectives through training on ethnography as well as through designing, implementing, and analyzing interviews.
  5. Model community building skills through sharing of food and associated sensory explorations from different foodscapes each week.

SFBS 552  State of the Food Environment: 3 Credits (3 Lec)

(Sp) To better understand the United States food environment, this course presents food system policies, how they are measured, and their implications. Students will explore key issues in the food environment that influence national health, including policies on food and nutrition assistance programs, food prices, food access, food safety, land-use planning, and the Farm Bill.

View Course Outcomes:

  1. Critically synthesize food system frameworks to theorize the structural, cultural, and ecological determinants of food environments and their implications for sustainable diets across global contexts using case-based and empirical analysis.
  2. Integrate the systemic roots of biocultural crises by evaluating the interconnected roles of industrial agriculture, policy regimes, market systems, and food environments in shaping health, equity, and contributing to ecological degradation.
  3. Design and execute evaluative frameworks using quantitative and qualitative tools to assess the effectiveness, justice implications, and ecological impacts of food environment interventions across multiple scales (local to global).
  4. Apply systems thinking and socio-ecological models to critically analyze the relational linkages between human actors and biotic/abiotic factors (e.g., land, water, air, biodiversity) within the food system.
  5. Develop and defend transformative, evidence-based strategies or policy proposals that address inequities and unsustainability in the food environment, with attention to biocultural restoration, sovereignty, and planetary health.
  6. Lead informed discourse and collaborate across disciplines to communicate sustainable food system strategies to diverse audiences.

SFBS 575  Prof Paper & Project: 1-6 Credits (1-6 Other)

PREREQUISITE: Graduate standing. (F, Sp, Su) A research or professional paper or project dealing with a topic in the field. The topic must have been mutually agreed upon by the student and his or her major advisor and graduate committee
Repeatable up to 6 credits.

View Course Outcomes:

  1. Learning outcomes for this course will vary.

SFBS 590  Master's Thesis: 1-10 Credits (1-10 Other)

PREREQUISITE: Master's standing. (F, Sp, Su) Directed graduate research/creative activity with advisor and graduate committee
Repeatable up to 99 credits.

View Course Outcomes:

  1. Independent Study: Student learning outcomes vary.

SFBS 598  Internship: 2-12 Credits (2-12 Other)

PREREQUISITE: Graduate standing and consent of instructor. (F, Sp, Su) An individualized assignment arranged with an agency, business or other organization to provide guided experience in the field
Repeatable up to 12 credits.

View Course Outcomes:

  1. Independent Study: Student learning outcomes vary.