Food & Culture in Italy
Theology & Religious Studies Program
Rome, Italy
Dates: 8/26/25 - 12/13/25
Food & Culture in Italy
OVERVIEW
CEA CAPA Partner Institution: CEA CAPA Rome Center
Location: Rome, Italy
Primary Subject Area: Cultural Studies
Other Subject Area: Sociology
Instruction in: English
Course Code: CUL340FCO
Transcript Source: University of New Haven
Course Details: Level 300
Recommended Semester Credits: 3
Contact Hours: 45
Additional Fee: $100.00
Additional Fee Description:This course requires payment of an additional fee to cover active learning components that are above and beyond typical course costs, such as site visits, entrance fees and other expenses.
DESCRIPTION
This course introduces Italian gastronomy while focusing on the complex value codes and beliefs related to Italian local products and their consumption. The course is divided into four parts. In the first part, students will be encouraged to define the concepts of food and culture, explore the role of cuisine in collective and individual identities, and examine how cultural food habits are created and change. This part covers the broader context that includes and sustains the way food is produced, prepared and consumed in Italy: The Mediterranean diet.
The second part of the course explains the theoretical and ideological aspects of cuisine in Italy and identifies the particular characteristics of traditional Italian cuisine. The third part of the course presents historical events that have shaped the cultural food model in Italy by exploring the many influences of the modern Italian diet. The final part focuses on some of the foods that comprise the core of the Italian diet. The course includes a number of experiential learning activities that may vary from term to term. These range from visits to local markets and wineries to a variety of workshops, including olive oil tasting, a bread workshop, and a cooking workshop.
The second part of the course explains the theoretical and ideological aspects of cuisine in Italy and identifies the particular characteristics of traditional Italian cuisine. The third part of the course presents historical events that have shaped the cultural food model in Italy by exploring the many influences of the modern Italian diet. The final part focuses on some of the foods that comprise the core of the Italian diet. The course includes a number of experiential learning activities that may vary from term to term. These range from visits to local markets and wineries to a variety of workshops, including olive oil tasting, a bread workshop, and a cooking workshop.