RMST340

Italian Food Cultures

Italy is world-renowned for its food cultures and Italians put great care into food preparation, consumption, and appreciation. It is no wonder that Italian food-related themes permeate the country’s cultural life and beyond. Operating in the field of interpretive humanities, this course examines cultural representations of Italian or Italian-derived foods. We interpret the role that these representations play in articulating larger social issues in contemporary Italy, including regionalism, anti-globalization, family history, gender and sexual identities, Italian American food, tourism in Italy, and immigration to Italy. Through studying primary texts such as films and literature, students are encouraged to form a complex picture of Italy’s relationships with food cultures in a local-global context. Relevant empirical information and socio-historical contexts are often provided in lectures and through students’ readings. But the main task of the students is to interpret what the primary texts articulate about Italian(-style) food and foodways as they interact with the social world. The course assumes no prior knowledge of Italian. But it requires a passion for Italian food and culture! The course is particularly recommended to students at 2^nd year standing or higher.

Language of instruction: English

Instructor: Dr. Gaoheng Zhang

Prerequisites: No prerequisites