Course Syllabus

JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "SOSC/ITS 220-3"
COURSE NAME: "Italian Food Culture"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Spring 2024

SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Jenn Lindsay
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS: TTH 4:30 PM 5:45 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES:
OFFICE HOURS:

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Italy's deep-rooted network of local food knowledge is an excellent example for students to understand what food culture is, how food scenarios changed with industrialization, and how they are evolving further today. This course presents students with the basic tools necessary for better understanding Italian food culture. Its broad perspective encompasses traditional farming and processing techniques, the industrial and global food economy and changing consumption habits. Its anthropological approach draws from classical and modern writing. Italy is world-famous for its produce diversity and vibrant peasant traditions. By exploring the complex set of influences forming the Italian food culture, students will acquire an analytical approach enabling them to read through the other "foodscapes" that they encounter in their home country or abroad, and eventually choose, value and embrace career paths into the food sector. Even apparently simple, everyday food staples contain layers of significance connecting to the following topics: the peculiar man-nature relationship needed for their production; preserving and cooking techniques; the influences from foreign cooking philosophies and/or crops; the pressure of the global market; and the type of socialization involved during the meal.

SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:

The saying, “A tavola non s’invecchia” (“One doesn’t age at the supper table”) expresses the importance of food and eating for Italians. In this course, we will examine the relationship between food and culture in Italy, from the ancient world to the present, through a variety of readings, class discussion and some personal and practical experience (see syllabus below for details).
Because the study of food culture in Italy invites comparison with your own alimentary habits, we will examine the culture and meaning of food in Italy and in your own country. If “we are what we eat”, then “what” we choose to eat affects many aspects of our lives.

The study of food culture is an interdisciplinary study. Even though the historical point of view will be the main one, during our reading, class discussion and lecture we will touch upon a lot of different fields: anthropology, sociology, literature, art, philosophy.

Besides studying food culture through readings, written assignments, and class discussion, students will undertake a group-learning project around Rome that will enhance their classroom experience.
The course will be taught through a variety of readings, class discussions and presentations and there will also be some practical experiences.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Demonstrate knowledge of essential elements of contemporary Italian culture and society related to the topic of food using the historical and cultural studies frameworks.
Compare and contrast one’s own cultural values with those of Italian culture.
Critically analyze a cultural item, identifying key issues and themes, style and form.
Demonstrate information literacy skills that would enable them to conduct good quality bibliographical research, consult academic electronic sources and master citation techniques with competence and in accordance with anti-plagiarism standards and regulations.
Demonstrate written and oral communication skills with suitable accuracy and confidence.

TEXTBOOK:

Book Title	Author	Publisher	ISBN number
Why Italians Love to Talk About Food	Elena Kostioukovitch	Farrar, Straus and Giroux	978-0374289942
Only in Naples: Lessons in Food and Famiglia from My Italian Mother-in-Law	Katherine Wilson	Random House Trade Paperbacks	978-0812987652
Dinner in Rome: A History of the World in One Meal	Andreas Viestad	Reaktion Books	978-1789147827

REQUIRED RESERVED READING:

NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:

NONE

GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:

Assignment	Guidelines	Weight
Ethnographic Research Paper	Participant observation and research essay on a topic relevant to the course and with at least three academic sources. Handouts will be provided.	30
Final Exam	The Final Exam is cumulative.	15
Participation	Assessed qualitatively and quantitatively and includes such practices as actively participating in class debates/discussions, offering insightful comments, and asking pertinent questions.	10
Presentation and discussion leading	In a ten-minute presentation, students will critically analyze an aspect of food culture, presenting on a topic approved by the professor. A minimum of three academic, peer-reviewed sources are required; additional sources must be reputable. Discussion leader must engage peers in substantive discussion, offering two questions to peers that are not yes/no questions. Presentations are also assessed on whether the student is speaking out of familiarity with material, rather than merely reading the content from the slides.	15
Weekly reading journals	Due to your instructor very week via Moodle at 10 pm Friday. Submitted in a cumulative document with each new entry at the top. Personal reflections should be at least 300 words in length and focus on the week’s assigned readings. Graded cumulatively at the end of the course. REQUIREMENTS: 300 words minimum, no maximum. Submitted in .doc or .PDF (no Google/Microsoft drive links) You must directly address two readings from the week, named by title. You must watch 1 episode of your choice from the list of approved episodes on the course Moodle. You must describe one food experience you had this week, touching on the following: atmosphere and location; taste and texture experience; ingredients source and cultural significance. *You must record/reflect upon the following weekly challenges. Here they are: WEEK 3: Go to a food market and buy ingredients for a meal that you prepare and eat. See here for a list of some good ones: https://devourtours.com/blog/food-markets-rome/?cnt=IT. If you wish, you may substitute any of the readings in this week for Chapter 3 of Elizabeth Minchilli's "Eating Rome," which will greatly aid this adventure. It is in the readings folder. WEEK 6: Take a trip outside Rome and try a regional delicacy. Do some research about it. (This task can be switched to another week according to your travel plans.) WEEK 10: Compare pizza romana (thin crust), pizza napoletana (high crust), pinsa, and pizza a taglio/pizza alla pala. WEEK 14: Push yourself to eat something that you (think you) don't like. Eat something that scares you!	30

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course.
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised. There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluate theory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture and reference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material. Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included. In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.

-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Students may incur three unexcused absences without penalty. After that, each successive absence will result in a 2% deduction on the final course grade. Absences may be excused with a doctor's note or administrative approval.

ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.

STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.

SCHEDULE

WEEK/DAY	TOPIC	READING	NOTES
WK 1, DAY 1	Course introduction and overview.	E. D. Anderson, Everyone eats, Introduction (p. 1-9) and Chapter 4: The Senses: Taste, Smell, and the Adapted Mind (p. 70-81)	Homework: Google Form survey.
WK 1, DAY 2	Mindful eating.
WK 2, DAY 1	The sociological study of culture and identity. Food rules and deviance.	Severgnini: "La bella Figura": day 2, in Milan. The restaurant. M. Montanari, Food is culture; (p. 3-30)	Due Friday: Weekly reading journal
WK 2, DAY 2	Socialization; social identity and food (gender, race/ethnicity, stereotypes, belonging and exclusion).	Donna Gabaccia, What do we eat? Who are we? (From: Donna R. Gabaccia, We are what we eat)
WK 3, DAY 1	Socioeconomic status, class distinctions and food (upstairs and downstairs; thinness and obesity; protein)	Krebs, “The Gourmet Ape”	Due Friday: Weekly reading journal
WK 3, DAY 2	Italian history overview; regions, campanilismo, and terroir. Italian food stereotypes.	Montanari, Italian Identity in the Kitchen, p.1-40 of PDF, including “Translator’s Preface” up through “Macaroni-eaters: How a National Stereotype Arose.” Igiaba Scebo_Sausages.
WK 4, DAY 1	Roman food, then and now.	Pilcher, “The First World Cuisine” AND “The Columbian Exchange.” “Introduction” to Caldesi Katie and Giancarlo. Rome—Centuries in an Italian Kitchen.	Due Friday: Weekly reading journal
WK 4, DAY 2	Italian food after the Unification: Pellegrino Artusi: The science in the kitchen and the art of eating well.	Montanari, Italian Identity in the Kitchen, p. 41-62 of PDF. Introduction to the “The science in the kitchen and the art of eating well”
WK 5	Food, Fascism, and Miracles.	K. Moyer-Nocchi, Chewing the Fat, “Giulia” and “Renata” (pp 3-32). John Dickie, “Miracle Food,” pp. 280-300 in Delizia! PDF.	Due Friday: Weekly reading journal
WK 6, DAY 1	Religion and Food.	Chapters of Bynum’s Holy Feast and Holy Fast Stein and Isaacs, Let’s Eat: Jewish Food and Faith, “Introduction.”
WK 6, DAY 2	The Jews of Rome (in-class)	Traverso, Vittoria. “Has Rome Declared an Artichoke War?” “Introduction” (pp.9-21) of Cooking alla Giudia - Benedetta Jasmine Guetta.pdf Recommended (supplementary): Grescoe, “Culinary Detectives Try to Recover the Formula for a Deliciously Fishy Roman Condiment.”	Due Friday: Weekly reading journal
WK 7, DAY 1	The Jews of Rome (walking tour)	Stille, Alexander. Benevolence and Betrayal: Five Italian Jewish Families under Fascism. (Introduction.) -OR- Venzo, Manola Ida., and Bice Migliau. The Racial Laws and the Jewish Community of Rome, 1938-1945, excerpt.
WK 7, DAY 2	Catch up, review, film screening.		Due Friday: Weekly reading journal Due Sunday: Ethnographic Research Paper.
WK 8, Midterm paper presentations
WK 9, DAY 1	Overview of the basics	Mader Emily-Naples From Leaf-eaters to Pasta-eaters AND atlasobscura.com-Eating Spaghetti by the Fistful Was Once a Neapolitan Street Spectacle
WK 9, DAY 2	Pizza, pasta, bread		Due Friday: Weekly reading journal
WK 10, DAY 1	Olive oil
WK 10, DAY 2	Wine, coffee, and spirits	Tom Standage, A History of the world in 6 glasses”, chapter part 2, “Wine”	Due Friday: Weekly reading journal
WK 11	Globalization and industrialization. Food and advertising; The Mediterranean Diet.	Pilcher - the industrial kitchen and mcdonaldization AND migrant-spaghetti and meatballs Krebs -when food goes wrong K. Moyer-Nocchi, Chewing the Fat, “La cosidetta ‘Dieta Mediterranea’ – The So-called ‘Mediterranean Diet’” (pp 287-294)	Due Friday: Weekly reading journal
WK 12	The role of the state, criminals and corporations in the production and diffusion of food.	K. Moyer-Nocchi, Chewing the Fat, “The Pasta Industry” and “The Pizza Effect” (pp. 198-205 & 308-314) Beauchamp Danny-The Invisible Labor of Food by Annibale Carracci
WK 13, DAY 1	The internationalization of Italian food.	Introduction of How Italian Food Conquered the World - John F. Mariani
WK 13, DAY 2	The Slow Food Movement.	Wartman Kristin_Food Fight The Politics of the Food Industry
WK 14	Conclusions, Final exam review.	Final journal and all unfinished coursework submitted by midnight on the final Friday of classes. No extensions and no exceptions.
WK 15	FINAL EXAM.		In class, during the regularly-scheduled class time.