uwloo

ERS 361Food Systems and Sustainability

Units
0.50
Faculty
Environment
Subject
Environment, Resources and Sustainability
Cross-listed
GEOG 361

When it runs

  1. F24
  2. W25
  3. S25
  4. F25
  5. W26
  6. S26
  7. F26
  8. W27
  9. S27

Ran in 2 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: not on the schedule. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.

This course examines dimensions of food systems sustainability and food security, from production to consumption, from local to global scales, in the Global North and South. Specific themes covered in the course include technological and genetic change in food production, resource depletion and wider environmental impacts of the industrial food system, and policy, market-oriented, and civil society initiatives to bring about change in the food system, including organic production and localizing food systems.

Prerequisites

None listed.

Antirequisites

None listed.

Leads to

Reviewed on UW Flow

78% liked it88% easy63% useful

From 9 ratings and 3 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.

  • writing based course. pretty easy

    Nov 2024 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Absolutely loved this course, so much interesting information about how food systems function and the difficulties of implementing sustainability worldwide. I would definitely recommend this course for anyone interested in sustainability.

    Jul 2022 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this

  • You get to choose your own grade pathway, and your assessments are graded by competency, which is convenient and in fact makes you want to aim for higher grades. Only thing is, be mindful that competency does not settle with a 50% as a pass; the amount of effort you put in is basically a 70% minimum in a regular course.

    Jun 2022 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this

Discussed on r/uwaterloo

One post or comment in 1 thread mentions ERS 361, March 2020 to December 2024. Quoted word for word, newest first; each reply sits under the post and the comment that started its branch. Search r/uwaterloo for newer posts.

Winter 2020

How would these courses be taken online? 5 points, 19 comments

“I've enrolled into these courses for the spring term: CS 449 (Human Computer Interaction) CS 456 (Networks) CS 458 (Security) I may ask to be added to the waitlist for CS 480 (Intro to ML). …”

u/lerunicorn: “Since nobody's answered you yet, 456 and 458 should be perfectly suited for online delivery. I went to all the lectures for both of those, but as with many CS courses I found myself learning most …”

u/Frabbit: “I took ERS361 (Food systems and sustainability) last summer online and found it pretty interesting and fun. Weekly discussion board with assigned groups and two projects. Online exam was basically a 24hr timed assignment”

View on RedditRemove this

Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026

Calendar versions

Undergraduate Calendar