Enrollment priority to nutrition/food studies majors who may request two of the following: FST 300-Vine to Table, FST 304, FST 402, NSD 452; non-majors may register for only one.
In this course, we explore key features of the food system, from farm to fork. Using both in-class learning and hands-on engagement we develop a better understanding and appreciation of efforts to build community-based food systems in Italy and the United States. We address current debates on alternative food systems, i.e. the various efforts of consumers, producers and other food system actors to build networks that embody alternatives to the industrial food system. The aim is to provide students with the critical tools to analyze these issues by developing comparative frameworks of analysis that move between Italy and the United States and between the past and the present. During the semester, we become active participants in the local food system as consumers by buying local, fresh and seasonal produce and as cooks by learning about Tuscan cuisine. Cooking laboratories allow students to learn the culinary skills necessary to participate in alternative food systems and to better understand the complexities of such systems.
This course has an associated course fee. See the Course Fees webpage for more information.
Department: Food Studies
Location: Florence
Semester: Fall
Credits: 4