"Food and Culture: The Mediterranean Lifestyle in Italy" A Science and Society Course for the New American University

Pizza, Pasta, Parmesan, this is Italian cuisine? What is conceived by many to be Italian cuisine and way of life is actually a glamorized and artificial unification of a multitude of different regional sub-cultures. The aim of my project was to provide a means through which other students can come to understand the diversity and complexities that make up the Italian culture and cuisine. The way in which this is to be accomplished was through the creation of a syllabus for a course here at ASU. The project aims to encourage students to think critically about the Italian lifestyle and how food and culture are interrelated. It is imperative that stereotypes surrounding the Italian culture are broken down and for the culture to be understood through a new lens. The manner through which Italian culture is examined rests upon the culture's impact on cuisine and the cuisine's impact on the culture. Italy's connections to the Mediterranean are explored through the cultural impacts of exchange and the scientific evidence behind the Mediterranean Diet. It is critical to consider cuisine when attempting to understand the history and culture of a location. Prezzolini's quote, "what is the glory of Dante compared to spaghetti?" was the starting point to which the questions surrounding the importance of cuisine were considered. One of the most important goals was to foster self-reflection and growth. As many of the texts challenge the preconceptions that most American maintain about Italian society, it is imperative that students reflect upon their own cultures and biases. For a course to have a meaningful impact upon the students the students must take something away from the course. The method of analysis was an analysis of the texts given the goals of the syllabus expressed through the learning outcomes. I concluded that the syllabus overall was sound. There was a wealth of texts which were unbiased or provided ample critiques to other readings. The texts also encourage students to reflect upon their own cultures and beliefs.