CULTURAL IMMERSION EXPERIENCE

In this lecture, we will explore the concept of food sovereignty and how it has been mobilized by farmer movements throughout the Global South. Drawing on examples from Mexico, participants will learn about the political, economic, and environmental challenges facing small-scale producers, the values that inform food sovereignty movements, and how food sovereignty contrasts with and attempts to counteract the impacts of free trade, neoliberal policies, and the corporate control of agricultural systems globally.

Course Format

Masterclasses are a newer feature of the SBS Community Classroom Program. Masterclasses are taught by an expert instructor as a one-time workshop-style class. The class will be interactive according to the subject matter and students will get the opportunity for Q&A with the instructor(s). The Masterclasses are part of existing undergraduate courses, allowing community members to learn alongside UArizona students.  

Attendance & Participation

Global Movements for Food Sovereignty Masterclass is one course from the three-part Agave Heritage Festival Series. You have the option to participate in any of the three separate courses (Savoring Story: Writing our Food Memories, Agave: The Cultural History of Food and Power in Mesoamerica, Global Movements for Food Sovereignty) or save on tuition by attending the whole series. This bundling option is available at the time of registration. This course is limited to 30 participants.

Tuition

$30 per masterclass or $100 for the full series. By registering for the full series, participants will have VIP access to the Agave Heritage Festival opening reception on April 18th 2024 6pm-9pm located at the Hotel Congress Plaza. Additionally, SBS Community Classroom participants will have access to special discounted rates for Agave Heritage Festival events https://www.agaveheritagefestival.com/

Refunds

Refunds are available. They must be requested at least 48 hours before the start of the class. Individuals who register for the Masterclass bundle and need to arrange for cancelation and/or refund, please contact Stephanie Noriega at communitymatters@arizona.edu. A $10 administrative fee for each cancellation will apply.

Registration

Online registration for this course will open December 18, 2023 at 10 AM. After registration, participants will receive a receipt of registration. Subsequently, participants will receive class instructions 1 week before the start of the course.

The agave is a ubiquitous plant across Mesoamerica. Known as metl in Nahuatl, the language of the so-called Aztecs, the plant was an indelible part of the everyday experiences and ritualized practices of ancient and colonial peoples. In the seventeenth century, Francisco Ximénez described its centrality. “Of no other plant,” he wrote in his Historia Natural of 1615, “is there such abundance in New Spain. If people would learn to live in moderation and balance, as is reasonable, this plant would be sufficient to supply all human needs...” According to the Dominican friar and early modern naturalist, the plant could function as the basis of nearly everything essential to daily life, from a food source and beverage to clothing and construction material to weaponry and defense. However, among colonial peoples, agaves were far more than food stuff and construction materials; they were important markers of indigenous traditions and ideological systems. For instance, pulque, the fermented beverage typical of Central Mexico, was an important component to ritual activities of purification and divination among sixteenth and seventeenth century ritual specialists. In this course, we will explore the cultural history of the agave plant in ancient and colonial Mesoamerica.

Course Format

Masterclasses are a newer feature of the SBS Community Classroom Program. Masterclasses are taught by an expert instructor as a one-time workshop-style class. The class will be interactive according to the subject matter and students will get the opportunity for Q&A with the instructor(s). The Masterclasses are part of existing undergraduate courses, allowing community members to learn alongside UArizona students.  

Attendance & Participation

Agave: The Cultural History of Food and Power in Mesoamerica Masterclass is one course from the three-part Agave Heritage Festival Series. You have the option to participate in any of the three separate courses (Savoring Story: Writing our Food Memories, Agave: The Cultural History of Food and Power in Mesoamerica, Global Movements for Food Sovereignty) or save on tuition by attending the whole series. This bundling option is available at the time of registration. This course is limited to 30 participants.

Tuition

$30 per masterclass or $100 for the full series. By registering for the full series, participants will have VIP access to the Agave Heritage Festival opening reception on April 18th 2024 6pm-9pm located at the Hotel Congress Plaza. Additionally, SBS Community Classroom participants will have access to special discounted rates for Agave Heritage Festival events https://www.agaveheritagefestival.com/

Refunds

Refunds are available. They must be requested at least 48 hours before the start of the class. Individuals who register for the Masterclass bundle and need to arrange for cancelation and/or refund, please contact Stephanie Noriega at communitymatters@arizona.edu. A $10 administrative fee for each cancellation will apply.

Registration

Online registration for this course will open December 18, 2023 at 10 AM. After registration, participants will receive a receipt of registration. Subsequently, participants will receive class instructions 1 week before the start of the course.

In this creative writing lecture, reflection on food memories will introduce participants to storytelling that engages the senses. Examining some tools of the craft used by food writers will help us share personal stories to savor!

Course Format

Masterclasses are a newer feature of the SBS Community Classroom Program. Masterclasses are taught by an expert instructor as a one-time workshop-style class. The class will be interactive according to the subject matter and students will get the opportunity for Q&A with the instructor(s). The Masterclasses are part of existing undergraduate courses, allowing community members to learn alongside UArizona students.  

Attendance & Participation

Savoring Story: Writing our Food Memories Masterclass is one course from the three-part Agave Heritage Festival Series. You have the option to participate in any of the three separate courses (Savoring Story: Writing our Food Memories, Agave: The Cultural History of Food and Power in Mesoamerica, Global Movements for Food Sovereignty) or save on tuition by attending the whole series. This bundling option is available at the time of registration. This course is limited to 30 participants.

Tuition

$30 per masterclass or $100 for the full series. By registering for the full series, participants will have access to a special VIP Agave Heritage Festival kick off reception on April 18th 2024. Additionally, SBS Community Classroom participants will have access to special discounted rates for Agave Heritage Festival events https://www.agaveheritagefestival.com/

Refunds

Refunds are available. They must be requested at least 48 hours before the start of the class. Individuals who register for the Masterclass bundle and need to arrange for cancelation and/or refund, please contact Stephanie Noriega at communitymatters@arizona.edu. A $10 administrative fee for each cancellation will apply.

Registration

Online registration for this course will open December 18, 2023 at 10 AM. After registration, participants will receive a receipt of registration. Subsequently, participants will receive class instructions 1 week before the start of the course.

In this Nixtamal Masterclass instructor and chef Sewa Yuli Portela will break down the process of working with nixtamal (corn) with hands -on cooking demonstrations and open dialogue on tracing our traditional Foodways and preserving cultural memory through recipes and storytelling. This class will focus on teaching the powerful significance of rematriation and genetic memory through corn seeds and will include elements of:

●      Oral tradition, corn history and creation stories

●      Nixtamal instructions with varied methods of preparing

●      Hands on tortilla making with demonstrations

Course Format

Masterclasses are a newer feature of the SBS Community Classroom Program. Masterclasses are taught by an expert instructor as a one-time workshop-style class. The class will be interactive according to the subject matter and students will get the opportunity for Q&A with the instructor(s).

Attendance & Participation

Cultivating Ancestral Foodways: Nixtamal Masterclass is one course from the three-part Cultivating the Desert Series. You have the option to participate in any of the three separate courses (Creating Your Own Backyard Biodiversity, Growing Wellness: Gardening in the Desert Southwest and Cultivating Ancestral Foodways: Nixtamal Masterclasses) or save on tuition by attending the whole series. This bundling option is available at the time of registration. This course is limited to 25 participants.

Tuition

$30 per masterclass or $85 for the full series

Refunds

Refunds are available. They must be requested at least 48 hours before the start of the class. Individuals who register for the Masterclass bundle and need to arrange for cancelation and/or refund, please contact Stephanie Noriega at communitymatters@arizona.edu. A $10 administrative fee for each cancellation will apply.

Registration

Online registration for this course will open August 1, 2023 at 9 AM. After registration, participants will receive a receipt of registration. Subsequently, participants will receive class instructions 1 week before the start of the course.

Register Now

Location & Parking

Mission Garden

Birds, lizards, and other wildlife can greatly enhance your backyard environment and make your gardening more enjoyable. In this class, we’ll discuss techniques for increasing biodiversity in your landscape and how to attract wildlife using native plants.

Brandon Merchant was born and raised in Yuma Arizona and has lived in Tucson full time since 2009. Brandon, a certified Pima County Master Gardener and Lifelab Certified Garden Educator has been active in the Tucson garden and plant community for many years.

In 2012 he started Southwest Victory Gardens to share his knowledge and passion for gardening with others. He also served on the board of Tucson Organic Gardeners from 2012-2016 and currently serves on the board of Native Seeds Search. In November of 2020, he joined the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona staff full time as their new Health and Garden Education Coordinator.

Course Format

Masterclasses are a newer feature of the SBS Community Classroom Program. Masterclasses are taught by an expert instructor as a one-time workshop-style class. The class will be interactive according to the subject matter and students will get the opportunity for Q&A with the instructor(s).

Attendance & Participation

Creating Your Own Backyard Biodiversity Masterclass is one course from the three-part Cultivating the Desert Series. You have the option to participate in any of the three separate courses (Creating Your Own Backyard Biodiversity, Growing Wellness: Gardening in the Desert Southwest and Cultivating Ancestral Foodways: Nixtamal Masterclasses) or save on tuition by attending the whole series. This bundling option is available at the time of registration. This course is limited to 25 participants. 

Tuition

$30 per class or $85 for the full series

Refunds

Refunds are available. They must be requested at least 48 hours before the start of the class. Individuals who register for the Masterclass bundle and need to arrange for cancelation and/or refund, please contact Stephanie Noriega at communitymatters@arizona.edu. A $10 administrative fee for each cancellation will apply.

Registration

Online registration for this course will open August 1, 2023 at 9 AM. After registration, participants will receive a receipt of registration. Subsequently, participants will receive class instructions 1 week before the start of the course.

Register Now

Location & Parking

Community Food Bank, Nuestra Tierra Learning Garden

Come explore the world of school gardens and gardening in Tucson with the School Garden Workshop. For the first hour, participants will explore the award-winning school gardens at Manzo Elementary school with student docents and learn about how gardens are used for academic, culinary, and social-emotional enrichment. Following this presentation, there will be a hands-on gardening workshop led by the School Garden Workshop Director, Moses Thompson. This masterclass is aimed to equip participants with the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed to garden successfully in the desert southwest.

In 2006, Moses Thompson helped found the nationally recognized Manzo Ecology Program as a facet of his school counseling program utilizing the therapeutic nature of gardening to help meet the social and emotional needs of his students. Moses’s work has been featured in British Journal of Medicine, National Geographic, School Counselor Magazine, Arizona Illustrated and Edible Baja Arizona. In 2011 Moses was awarded Arizona School Counselor of the Year and in 2012 the US Green Building Council Green Schools Award. In 2014 Moses was recognized as a distinguished community leader with the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Course Format

Masterclasses are a newer feature of the SBS Community Classroom Program. Masterclasses are taught by an expert instructor as a one-time workshop-style class. The class will be interactive according to the subject matter and students will get the opportunity for Q&A with the instructor(s).

Attendance & Participation

Growing Wellness: Gardening in the Desert Southwest Masterclass is one course from the three-part Cultivating the Desert Series. You have the option to participate in any of the three separate courses (Creating Your Own Backyard Biodiversity, Growing Wellness: Gardening in the Desert Southwest and Cultivating Ancestral Foodways: Nixtamal Masterclasses) or save on tuition by attending the whole series. This bundling option is available at the time of registration. This course is limited to 25 participants. 

Tuition

$30 per class or $85 for the full series. 

Refunds

Refunds are available. They must be requested at least 48 hours before the start of the class. Individuals who register for the Masterclass bundle and need to arrange for cancelation and/or refund, please contact Stephanie Noriega at communitymatters@arizona.edu. A $10 administrative fee for each cancellation will apply.

Registration

Online registration for this course will open August 1, 2023 at 9 AM. After registration, participants will receive a receipt of registration. Subsequently, participants will receive class instructions 1 week before the start of the course.

Register Now

Location & Parking

Manzo Elementary School

In this masterclass, attendees will explore sustainable, non-toxic, higher performing building materials such as: 

• Hempwood & Hempwool
• Insulation Hemp 
• Rebar Hemp 
• Lime Construction & Lime Plaster

Attendees will have the opportunity to get their hands on these innovative materials and learn about the most sustainable building material available. Attendees will also learn about the design, build, and efficiency of hemp homes. 

The instructor, Micaela Machado, is a licensed General Contractor specializing in hemp construction and other sustainable building efforts. She graduated from the University of Arizona with a bachelor's degree in Sculpture, a business minor from Eller, and a master's degree in Landscape Architecture. After working for many years as a sculptor, Micaela’s passion for sustainable design led her to discover hemp-lime construction. The instructor will lead this masterclass with a strong commitment to providing education for the future of hemp-lime construction in Arizona. She believes that the only way for people to see and understand this new building practice is to experience it for themselves. 

*NEW* We also offer a MasterClass Architecture & Sustainability Series Bundle. Enroll in all three courses (Tucson Green Infrastructure, Adobe Oven Design & Construction and Industrial Hemp For Healthy Homes Masterclasses) for a discounted rate. This option is available when registering. This course is limited to 25 participants. 

Course Format

Masterclasses are a new feature of the SBS Community Classroom Program. Masterclasses are taught by an expert instructor as a one-time workshop-style class. The class will be interactive according to the subject matter and students will get the opportunity for Q&A with the instructor(s).

Readings and Syllabus

Learn more about the instructor and her craft:

https://www.kold.com/2022/10/08/hemp-homes-tucson-general-contractor-takes-sustainable-building/

https://shoutoutarizona.com/meet-micaela-machado-landscape-designer-general-contractor-hemp-building-consultant/

Attendance & Participation

This course will be delivered in-person at the instructor's workstation in NW Tucson.

Registration

Online registration for this course will open December 7, 2022 at 10 AM. After registration, participants will receive a receipt of registration. Subsequently, participants will receive class instructions 1-2 weeks before the start of the course.

Refunds

Refunds are available. They must be requested at least 48 hours before the start of the class. Individuals who register for the Masterclass bundle and need to arrange for cancelation and/or refund, please contact Stephanie Noriega at communitymatters@arizona.edu(link sends e-mail). A $10 administrative fee for each cancellation will apply.

Join this hands-on, get-dirty class to learn the history, materials, and construction techniques necessary to build your own outdoor adobe oven! Base building, adobe mix styles, finish plaster, and natural pigmentation/fine finishing will be covered, as well as a brief overview of cooking techniques! Traditional adobe building is simple, inexpensive, and eco-friendly—using mostly earth with limited other materials. If correctly made, adobe constructed buildings can be durable and long lasting. Attendees of this class will assist instructor, Dr. Droz with building an adobe oven at her personal workstation.  

Dr. PennElys Droz, Anishinaabe and mixed European descendent, is a mother of five, Program Officer with NDN Collective, and founding board member of Sustainable Nations, an Indigenous regenerative community development organization. She has worked in Indigenous engineering and regenerative development for over 20 years, with a vision of the redevelopment of thriving ecologically, culturally and economically sustainable Native Nations. She is a natural builder and lover of all things dirt, moss, lichen, and fungi. 

*NEW* We also offer a MasterClass Architecture & Sustainability Series Bundle. Enroll in all three courses (Tucson Green Infrastructure, Adobe Oven Design & Construction and Industrial Hemp For Healthy Homes Masterclasses) for a discounted rate. This option is available when registering. This course is limited to 20 participants. 

Course Format

Masterclasses are a new feature of the SBS Community Classroom Program. Masterclasses are taught by an expert instructor as a one-time workshop-style class. The class will be interactive according to the subject matter and students will get the opportunity for Q&A with the instructor(s).

Readings and Syllabus

Learn more about the instructor and her craft:

https://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/teaching-past-build-homes-future

https://news.azpm.org/p/nativeamerican/2016/4/22/86453-mud-straw-and-sweat-adobe-builds-the-future-with-traditions-of-the-past/

Attendance & Participation

This course will be delivered in-person at the instructor's workstation in SW Tucson.

Registration

Online registration for this course will open December 7, 2022 at 10 AM. After registration, participants will receive a receipt of registration. Subsequently, participants will receive class instructions 1-2 weeks before the start of the course.

Refunds

Refunds are available. They must be requested at least 48 hours before the start of the class. Individuals who register for the Masterclass bundle and need to arrange for cancelation and/or refund, please contact Stephanie Noriega at communitymatters@arizona.edu(link sends e-mail). A $10 administrative fee for each cancellation will apply.

How can water utilities provide this vital resource to a growing population living in the desert? How can urban residents use less water while increasing urban resilience, such as facing heat and flooding challenges?  

This masterclass will examine Tucson, Arizona, a city that has managed to sustain a growing urban population while using less water, both per capita and overall . Professor Zuniga-Teran will describe the institutional context of water management in Tucson and examine innovative policies at the city, county, and state levels. She will then explore how this city has reframed water from a hazard to a resource through the implementation of green infrastructure, and the institutionalization of this strategy across different organizations, making Tucson a leader in green infrastructure policies in the country. 

Dr. Adriana Zuniga-Teran is an Assistant Professor at the School of Geography, Development and Environment at the University of Arizona. She has a background in architecture and expertise in neighborhood design and environmental sciences. Dr. Zuniga-Teran studies human-landscape interactions in urban environments and works with stakeholders and community partners to answer questions related to water security, public health, urban resilience, and environmental justice, by focusing on greenspace/green infrastructure. Her scholarly work is demonstrated in 50+ publications and she has presented her research in 70+ public presentations in many countries. Her work has attracted the attention of the media and has been featured in 20+ media outlets. She has received 15+ awards/distinctions, including the 2018 Best Paper Award for Water International. Adriana is originally from Monterrey, Mexico. She did her undergraduate studies on architecture at the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM) in Monterrey. She worked as an architectural designer in Mexico for several years. She holds two advanced degrees from the University of Arizona: a master of architecture degree with a concentration in design and energy conservation, and a doctoral degree in arid lands resource sciences with a minor in global change.

*NEW* We also offer a MasterClass Architecture & Sustainability Series Bundle. Enroll in all three courses (Tucson Green Infrastructure, Adobe Oven Design & Construction and Industrial Hemp For Healthy Homes Masterclasses) for a discounted rate. This option is available when registering. This course is limited to 25 participants. 

Course Format

Masterclasses are a new feature of the SBS Community Classroom Program. Masterclasses are taught by an expert instructor as a one-time workshop-style class. The class will be interactive according to the subject matter and students will get the opportunity for Q&A with the instructor(s).

Attendance & Participation

This course will be delivered in-person at the University of Arizona Tucson Campus.

Registration

Online registration for this course will open December 7, 2022 at 10 AM. After registration, participants will receive a receipt of registration. Subsequently, participants will receive class instructions 1-2 weeks before the start of the course.

Refunds

Refunds are available. They must be requested at least 48 hours before the start of the class. Individuals who register for the Masterclass bundle and need to arrange for cancelation and/or refund, please contact Stephanie Noriega at communitymatters@arizona.edu.

A $10 administrative fee for each cancellation will apply.

Course Description

Oidag Himdag, the culture of growing food is an ancient practice passed down for thousands of generations. Although there are many aspects to growing food, it starts with good seed, soil and knowing how your seeds like to be taken care of. This experience will give you one on one classroom learning experience with seasoned O’odham/Indigenous Farmers to learn the solid basics for a successful start to growing food, especially desert-adapted seeds and food.

Students of this master class will be welcomed by San Xavier Farm staff with fresh farm-baked treats while given an opportunity to learn about the history of the San Xavier Cooperative Association Farm. Masterclass lecturers will focus on providing an introduction to O’odham/Desert Adapted Seeds/Foods while facilitating a hands-on seed processing activity, learning how to clean and prepare seeds for planting with discussions on how to grow each variety.                          

After the class concludes, the San Xavier Farm will offer Community Classroom students the opportunity to participate in optional activities at an additional cost. Activities include a farm tour ending with a traditional O’odham meal (lunch) prepared in-house by San Xavier Farm resident Chef, Phyllis Valenzuela. Payment and funds will go directly to the San Xavier Co-op Farm.

*NEW* We also offer a MasterClass Food Series Bundle. Enroll in all three courses (Crop to Cup Master Class, Xinachtli ~ Ancestral Cooking and Storytelling and It Starts With The Seed: An Introduction to Tohono O'odham Farming) for a discounted rate. This option is available when registering. This course is limited to 25 participants. 

Course Format

Masterclasses are a new feature of the SBS Community Classroom Program. Masterclasses are taught by an expert instructor as a one-time workshop-style class. The class will be interactive according to the subject matter and students will get the opportunity for Q&A with the instructor(s).

Attendance & Participation

This course will be delivered in-person at the San Xavier Co-op Farm. 

Registration

Online registration for this course will open August 1, 2022 at 10 AM. After registration, participants will receive a receipt of registration. Subsequently, participants will receive class instructions 1-2 weeks before the start of the course.

Refunds

Refunds are available. They must be requested at least 48 hours before the start of the class. Individuals who register for the Masterclass bundle and need to arrange for cancelation and/or refund, please contact Stephanie Noriega at communitymatters@email.arizona.edu
A $10 administrative fee for each cancellation will apply.