ENV/FSST/SOC 330: Sustainable Food Production in Italy: Local Traditions and Global Transformations
Description What can we learn about Italian culture through an exploration of the history of food in Italy? By examining the radical changes that have occurred in Italian food-ways, the pronounced differences in eating habits of different socio-economic classes, and the important role played by
There are more than six billion humans on the planet, each of whom needs to eat every day: ever-higher food production is contributing to faster use of non-renewable fossil fuels and environmental degradation. What modes of food production and consumption may be viable, sustainable responses to this problem? What are some alternative models of food production? How are people responding to increasing inequalities relating to food availability? What can we learn from Italian food cultures in terms of sustainability?
This course focuses on the radical increase in food production over the last 70 years and the ecological and social problems it has created, as well as on some possible solutions: the organic movement, Slow Food, and the shift towards local food. A critical eye on these movements and analysis of their ability to change the trajectory of the global food production system, which is rapidly heading for collapse, will be casted. In addition to classroom lectures and discussions, a field trip to the world-famous Tuscan butcher Dario Cecchini will be taken.
Course Objectives By the end of the course, students will be able to:
consider the complex interplay of social and political factors in shaping food systems;
analyze aspects of production, distribution, and consumption of food to determine their sustainability;
compare the geneses of the alternative food movements in Italy;
integrate theory and practice as it applies to modern-day Italian foodways;
define sustainability on a local, national, and global scale using a multidisciplinary and multifunctional approach.
Service Learning Project Description You will continue building the Umbra sustainability synergistic orto, a type of organic gardening that uses plants that naturally protect and nourish each other. The Umbra orto is located in Perugia at a residency for individuals with mental health challenges where horticulture therapy is used as a technique to enhance their quality of life and generate positive emotions and social interactions. You will help with seasonal tasks, including tilling the soil; planting herbs, vegetables, and flowers; and harvesting. At the end of the semester, you will present your project to the Umbra community.
Course Materials Mandatory course reader
HIST/FSST/SOC 349: The History and Culture of Food in Italy
Note: Online courses will only run with sufficient enrollments.
Description What can we learn about Italian culture through an exploration of the history of food in Italy? By examining the radical changes that have occurred in Italian food-ways, the pronounced differences in eating habits of different socio-economic classes, and the important role played by food in shaping Italian national and regional identities, we will uncover various trends in Italian history and society. These trends include the gradual process of political unification, the effects of industrialization, as well as the contemporary rediscovery of “typical” foods as a response to globalizing processes and a way to construct new social identities. The purpose of this course is to use food as a means of exploring the political, social, cultural, environmental, and economic changes that have taken place in Italy through history. By the end of the course, students will have acquired a more sophisticated understanding of food history, an interdisciplinary approach to studying Italian culture and society, and a framework for analyzing important aspects of Italian history.
Objectives
Learn about the Italian history and culture of food through the ages;
Work with non-traditional historical texts;
To challenge students to examine unfamiliar food cultures with unbiased frameworks, applying an anthropological concept of culture to understand diversity;
Integrate theory and practice as it applies to Italian foodways;
Develop a more sophisticated understanding of how historical events are shaped by a combination of economic, political, social, and cultural factors.