Posted: April 2, 2026
This fall semester, the Department of Food Science will offer FDSC 197G, The Gut Microbiome, with Dr. Darrell Cockburn. This course is open to all majors and counts as a 3-credit General Education Health and Wellness Course.
illustration of gut microbiome
The gut microbiome is increasingly being recognized as an organ in its own right within the human body.
We host as many microbes in our gut as there are human cells in our body and the metabolic capabilities of these microbes vastly exceeds what is encoded by the human genome. These microbes influence everything from the digestion of our food to our metabolism to our immune system to perhaps even our mood. Fostering a healthy gut microbiome is crucial for maintaining our health!
In this course we will explore all the ways that the gut microbiome influences us and our health as well as how we influence it with our diet and lifestyle choices.
FDSC 197G: The Gut Microbiome
- Open to all majors.
- No prerequisite required.
- Counts as a 3-credit General Education Health and Wellness Course
- Will be held 3:35 to 4:25 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in Fall 2026
