Italian Food and Culture

3 credits · Undergraduate

(3 hrs Lecture) This course examines the ways in which Italian food is constantly being reinvented. We use texts and video to explore socioeconomic trends that have influenced food production and consumption in Italy, such as the initiative of the slow food movement in the 1980s when fast food threatened the nature of Italian cuisine. We look at changes in family dynamics and the role of women over the years. Language and literature play an important role in the evolution and reinvention of Italian food culture. In an era of multiculturalism and globalization, we question the term authentic when describing foods and beverages. STUDIES KINESIOLOGY AND