A Feast of Knowledge
The essence of a feast is found in what it makes possible: conversations that stretch us, traditions that ground us, and communities that sustain us. The liberal arts do the same, transforming what we bring to the table into deeper understanding and a shared sense of life’s abundance.
Wishing you a season of joyful gatherings and lasting happiness.
James Bullock
Dean, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Anna H. Bing Dean’s Chair
One Human Table
While the menus and utensils may differ, the act of gathering to share a special meal is universal. In her course “Food in Culture and Society,” anthropologist Xochitl Ruiz teaches students how celebratory meals are profoundly meaningful social and family rituals, essential to preserving community bonds and keeping food traditions alive.
Meal Memory
Food leaves trails in the brain, like footprints in fresh snow. Neuroscientist Scott Kanoski has uncovered “meal-memory” neurons that track what we last ate and when, helping us know when we’re full. Once those “tracks” fade, appetite returns. This milestone discovery reveals how the gut and brain work together to influence hunger.
The Hidden Ingredient
The best feasts often leave you wondering: What secret ingredient made this dish so extraordinary? In the cosmos, that mysterious ingredient is dark matter — invisible, but essential to the universe’s recipe. Cosmologist Vera Gluscevic, a preeminent scholar in dark matter research, is uncovering how it binds galaxies and shapes the cosmos, giving us a deeper understanding of the universe we call home.
A Feast Fit for a Pope
Medieval feasts combined exotic dishes with pageantry. Historian Jay Rubenstein cites a lavish banquet for Pope Clement VI held in Avignon, France, in 1343.
The 27-course menu featured wild boar, venison and peacocks. Dessert was displayed on two trees, one silver festooned with fresh fruit and the other green, adorned with candied fruit. Guests were entertained with music, jousting and the spectacle of a stag presented inside a model castle.
A Brighter Kind of Feast
Public Exchange has helped Los Angeles County get smarter about feeding Angelenos, using real-time data to spotlight food insecurity and strengthen assistance systems. Thanks to their food system dashboard, built with USC Dornsife’s Spatial Sciences Institute and other partners, local leaders can act faster to direct resources to those most in need.