OVERVIEW

The course aims to analyze the trends that traverse the world of food. Food is at the crossroads of a large part of social behaviors and is assuming a plurality of meanings, far beyond sustenance. Nutrition represents a true system of communication, a language increasingly used in the work of identity construction. The course intends to reflect on the characteristics of such a language, its expressive forms, the changes this communication system has undergone over time, and the configuration it has taken on in the contemporary era.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course intends to introduce students to food studies, reflecting first of all on the link between food, culture and communication. The course aims to offer a general introduction to the sociology of food, eating and taste. The course addresses the main theoretical cores related to the study of the sociocultural dimension of food and the forms of communication that cross, describe and shape the media discourse around food.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

a. Knowledge and understanding. Students learn to use the categories of analysis of food consumption behaviors and to grasp the complexity of the interrelationships between individual and social dimensions.

b. Ability to apply knowledge and understanding. At the end of the course, students will acquire knowledge about the changes in food consumption and the ability to analyze current trends and the different discourses around food.

c. Judgment autonomy. The course aims to stimulate the autonomy of judgment necessary to understand food as a cultural object and as a metanarrative.

d. Communication skills. The variety of topics and sources used, as well as the practice of presenting case studies in class, allow students to interpret ongoing phenomena and propose analyses and reflections. The analysis of cases and active participation by students foster the acquisition of these skills. e. Learning skills. The proposed approach, based on discourse analysis and the deconstruction of narratives, aims to promote and develop judgment autonomy and interpretative skills.

PREREQUISITES

No specific prerequisites are required.

TEACHING METHODS

Teaching activities are designed according to a participatory and workshop-based approach, grounded in the co-construction of knowledge and in the use of a predominantly inductive methodology. For attending students, the course includes an interactive teaching format that requires active participation through discussions, collective exchanges, case study analyses, audiovisual materials, and critical reflection activities on the topics addressed during the classes.

The educational aim of this approach is to foster the development of critical and interpretative skills, encouraging the autonomous acquisition of analytical categories useful for understanding the social and cultural phenomena related to food and eating practices.

Information regarding the organization of the course will be available on the main AulaWeb page and will be continuously updated throughout the semester. Slides, supplementary readings, and additional teaching materials related to the topics covered in class will also be made available on the platform.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The course offers a sociological and anthropological analysis of food as a cultural, social, economic, and media-related phenomenon, highlighting the role of food in the construction of individual and collective identities, power relations, and contemporary processes of social transformation. Through an interdisciplinary approach, the course explores the social meaning of eating, the historical processes that have transformed food practices — from urbanization to the industrialization of food systems — and the symbolic, political, and cultural dimensions related to food consumption.

Particular attention will be devoted to the media representation of food, the aestheticization of eating, and phenomena such as food porn, digital visual culture, and online performative practices, analyzing the relationship between media, consumption, and the construction of food desire. The course will also examine diets and food regimes in contemporary society, focusing on processes of body discipline, self-tracking practices, cultures of thinness, and the social and cultural implications of eating disorders.

A specific module will address the relationship between food and gender, with attention to the gendered division of roles in food-related care work, the media representation of femininity and masculinity through food, and the cultural construction of the figures of the chef and the cook. The course will also explore the economic and global political dimensions of contemporary food systems, addressing issues such as overproduction, sustainability, labor exploitation, food inequalities, environmental impacts, and emerging alternatives, including short supply chains, food sovereignty, and novel foods.

Finally, the course will focus on the relationships between food, cultural identities, migration, and tourism, examining phenomena such as gastronationalism, the role of food in migratory experiences, the construction of national food cultures, and contemporary food and wine tourism practices. The aim of the course is to provide students with theoretical and interpretative tools to understand food not merely as a biological necessity, but as a central cultural, communicative, and political device in contemporary societies.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Stagi L., Benasso S., Sociologia del cibo e dell'alimentazione, McGraw Hill, 2026

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

LESSONS START

First semester, September

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

For attending students, the exam requires the submission of a written paper at the end of the course. For non-attending students, the exam will consist of an oral test during the official exam sessions.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The evaluation will be based on the scale of objectives and learning outcomes specified in the appropriate section.

FURTHER INFORMATION

For students with disabilities or specific learning disorders (SLD).

Students with disabilities or SLD are reminded that in order to request exam accommodations, they must first upload their certification on the university website at servizionline.unige.it in the “Students” section. The documentation will be verified by the University’s Services for Inclusion of Students with Disabilities and SLD (https://rubrica.unige.it/strutture/struttura/100111).

Subsequently, significantly in advance (at least 10 days) before the exam date, an email must be sent to the instructor with whom the exam will be taken, copying both the School's Inclusion Officer for students with disabilities and SLD (email of the officer) and the aforementioned service department. The email should specify:

• the name of the course
• the date of the exam
• the student's surname, first name, and registration number
• the compensatory tools and dispensatory measures deemed functional and requested.

The officer will confirm to the instructor that the student has the right to request exam accommodations and that these accommodations must be agreed upon with the instructor. The instructor will respond by indicating whether the requested accommodations can be used.

Requests must be sent at least 10 days before the exam date to allow the instructor to evaluate their content. Particularly, if the intention is to use concept maps for the exam (which must be much more concise than those used for studying), if the submission does not meet the required timeframe, there will not be enough time to make any necessary adjustments.