SMCE3003 F25 Faith and Food

• Delivery: In-Person
• Duration: 4 weeks
• Day of the week: TBD
• Dates: TBD (Course will be offered during the Fall 2025 term, September 3 to December 3)
• Time: TBD
• Location: Weekly sessions held at a different place of worship in Toronto each week
• Cost: $150
• Level of Interfaith Dialogue (for learners taking the Diploma in Interfaith Dialogue): Dialogue of Life

Course Overview

Faith can inform what we eat in meaningful ways: what we eat where and when, and how and who we eat it with can all be important ways of communicating our values and beliefs, and how we relate to each other within our communities. From how we use food in celebrating holidays to how we bless it around the table to the role of religious and cultural laws and global histories that shape what’s on our plates, food plays a key role in how we can learn about and experience each other’s faith traditions.

In this course, learners will visit a new place of worship each week and prepare and share a meal together with the host congregation. In this way, we will learn about and experience each other’s cultures and flavours, receive hospitality, explore each other’s spaces, and hear about the ways that faith and fellowship are practiced across Toronto.

Method of Teaching

SMCE3003 Faith & Food will consist of four meetings on site at different places of worship over four consecutive weeks. Learners will actively participate in making and sharing meals on site, as well as touring the spaces. Lessons which bolster themes of dialogue, including short readings, videos, and reflective discussion will be used.

USMC CE will make every effort to ensure that dietary needs will be accommodated, but we are unable to guarantee zero contact with certain allergens or other items (i.e. gluten, dairy, etc.), please contact ce.stmikes@utoronto.ca to inquire further.

SMCE3003 is an elective course within the Diploma in Interfaith Dialogue. Learners who wish to complete this program can learn more on our website. Enrolment in this course is open to all learners.

Learning Outcomes

In this course, learners will:
• Explore the connection between faith and food between four distinct faith tradiitons, including dietary laws, cultural histories, holidays and feast days, and everyday life
• Experience prayer, ritual and cultural norms in places of worship across Toronto
• Learn recipes and practice cooking techniques tied to faith and culture
• Reflect on the role of hospitality in the practice of interfaith dialogue

Information about Host Places of Worship

TBD

Questions?  

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