Liberal arts institutions, including Colgate University, take pride in the diversity of their educational offerings for students. Certain classes, including Professor of Education Studies Mark Stern’s course EDUC326: Fermentation and Multispecies Pedagogies, emphasize this ideal.
Senior Valeria Reyes agreed that this class is certainly not the traditional class.
“A lot of our classes don’t take place in the normal classroom setting,” Reyes said. “We usually will be in [Professor Stern’s] garage … we will cut pounds of carrots, pounds of beets and learn how to use our hands to squeeze all the water out, and learn how to make a fermented kraut, and [Professor Stern] will go over the process of that.”
Although in this way the class might seem unfamiliar to many students at Colgate, Fermentation also incorporates more traditional aspects of collegiate courses. Senior Jessie Han shared what the course workload is like.
“We have assigned readings for every class, and sometimes we will focus on a specific fermented item,” Han said. “A lot of the readings will be about the historical context of the item.”
Stern combined both aspects of the course, intermingling the traditional and slightly unorthodox to create something different, underscoring an important aspect of learning that is often underrepresented.
“I started fermenting in college and generally and over time … gained a sense of understanding as to how a class on fermentation,” Stern said. “‘Doing’ is often seen as a secondary process of education. I also wanted to try to create a space where using hands, mouths, noses and other tactile experiences took center stage.”
The fermentation class not only equips its students with valuable culinary skills, through providing information on fermentation and the food industry, but also lends itself to aid students in self-discovery and connection with classmates. Classes are often viewed in terms of how to get the best grade, and fellow students fade into the background. A class such as Fermentation and Multispecies Pedagogies allows students to step back, breathe and realize what lessons they should be taking from what is going on around them.
“I would also say one big emphasis that has been in [Professor Stern’s] class is how accessible and easy it is to ferment stuff. … We have talked about how there is a lot of discourse about how people think you only eat fermented items because it’s good for you, … so it’s also rethinking about foods, which is really important,” Han said. “I think my favorite part of the class is just how close we have gotten with all of our classmates. I don’t think I have ever had a class where I know every single person’s name, but … it just felt so natural. I think I have genuinely made friends with people in this class that I would not have otherwise. You’re bonding over making sauerkraut or something, and I think that’s very special and unique to this class.”
Reyes further echoed these sentiments, not only valuing the more scholarly lessons gained through the course, but also the personal ones.
“Another big thing I will take from this class is that it’s okay to mess up,” Reyes said. “I think this class teaches you that the first batch isn’t always going to be perfect, and that’s okay because you can just keep trying new things until you really like the flavor and are happy with the end product.”
Stern’s passion for the subject is seen and felt by his students. His class represents a place where students can feel comfortable and excited while also making great strides in their learning.
“I think the setup is really a breath of fresh air. Everybody has different learning styles, and sometimes people do benefit from a lecture style, but I think the way [Professor Stern] teaches the class really lets everyone be involved,” Reyes said. “You are sitting with your classmates and actually doing things, you’re getting your hands actually dirty, you’re picking onions from the ground, we’re walking in the woods, we’re reflecting. Doing things like that … gets the point across more because you’re in it rather than just talking about it.”
Stern’s class poses an interesting question on what should be considered normal in college education.
“While it’s maybe the case that Fermentation hasn’t been in the title of more humanistically learning courses, fermentation has long been in the margins of many classes, from archaeology to religion to anthropology,” Stern said. “I guess what this class does is a bit of rearranging of the locus of study and doing what I see as the important work of trying to show how writing poetry and making tempeh might have more in common than not.”
The sense of community and bonding that is produced through Stern’s class is not limited to his students but reaches outwards into both the Hamilton community and the communities of his students.
“I also think that we come out of this class with so many finished products, … and I think it’s so great to share that with people,” Han said. “I got to take the sourdough to my family, and we got to share it together. I think sharing the finished product is so different because it’s not like you can share a paper, but being able to share the products from this class has been so valuable.”
Although this course will not be offered in the spring of 2026, Colgate students should keep an eye out for Fermentation in the fall of 2026.
