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

The teaching activity is structured on the premise of co-construction of knowledge and the inductive method, requiring an active role from course participants in re-elaborating and reorganizing knowledge.

The educational objective of this teaching perspective is the development of critical skills and the autonomous use of analytical categories.

The course schedule will be available on the first page of Aulaweb and will be constantly updated during the course. Slides and in-depth materials related to the lessons will also be available on Aulaweb.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

During the course, the languages and forms of communication that traverse, describe, and shape the gastronomic universe will be considered, from cinema to various artistic forms, from food and wine guides to cooking blogs, from television formats to social media. Case studies will be used to identify and describe the traces left by certain discourses and the way they influence the perception of reality, as well as the potential of the media in representing food and taste, particularly in their cultural dimension.

The monographic part of the course will focus on Food Porn Media. Food Porn, initially understood as the practice of sharing images of food on social media and later used to refer to the hyper-production of discourses on food, has progressively assumed the forms and functions of a language.

Today, the grammar of food pornography is used to discuss a wide variety of topics, and its application even extends into areas not immediately related to food. In this part of the course, we will try to understand how and why this specific language developed and consolidated, and how and why it is used to convey the most diverse contents.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Stagi L., Benasso S., Aggiungi un selfie a tavola, Egea

Sassatelli R., Sociologia dell'alimentazione, L’alimentazione: gusti, pratiche e politiche ( Aulaweb)

Benasso S., Stagi L., Ma una madre lo sa? La responsabilità della corretta alimentazione nella società neoliberale https://gup.unige.it/Ma-una-madre-lo-sa ( aulaweb)

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

LUISA STAGI (President)

MAURO MIGLIAVACCA

LESSONS

LESSONS START

First semester

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.

Exam schedule

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.