The concentration in gastronomy exists under the liberal arts rubric because its subject matter encompasses thearts and humanities, as well as the natural and social sciences. It is recognized that our understanding of therole of food in historical and contemporary societies and its impact on world civilization is a serious and important pursuit, especially when undertaken within specific, well-defined fields of study such as culinary history, anthropology, archaeology, economics, and nutrition. As these studies of food, food science, and nutrition have grown, a consensus has developed that the study of food, under the category of gastronomy, requires a multidisciplinary approach. The concentration in gastronomy allows students to take advantage of the growing concern for promoting serious scholarship about food by drawing upon the resources and expertise of various Boston University faculty members and departments, as well as industry professionals.