Study Plan

A graduate of Gastronomic Sciences and Cultures, who operates as an expert in the area of food diversity and culinary cultures and the relationships between these cultures and the environment and the planet, fulfills roles in consultancy, in education, and in training on themes of environmental sustainability and the importance of biological and cultural diversity, as well as in the field of promotion and raising awareness on food diversity and its ties to local, inclusive, and sustainable production practices.

Module: “Molecular and Taste Sciences”

The “Molecular and Taste Sciences” module prepares students for the profession of Gastronomer by developing skills related to food composition, and to the nutritional and sensory relevance of macro- and micronutrients. The course focuses on applications in recipe and product innovation, quality control, and nutritional analysis of food offerings. By the end of the course, students will be able to identify the main classes of molecules present in foods and to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying the transformations that occur during the different stages of food production and gastronomic processing.

Module: “Food Microbiology and Fermentation”

The “Food Microbiology and Fermentation” course prepares students for various professional paths in research and in companies involved in the production, transformation, and preservation of food products. At the end of the course, students will be able to recognize the main sources of microbial contamination along the food production and distribution chain, as well as the mechanisms of infection and intoxication. They will also understand the role of microorganisms in fermentation processes for the production of food and beverages. In addition, students will acquire basic principles for preventing and controlling microbial presence, and for managing fermentation processes.

This course will prepare students to work as analysts and consultants in the fields of food politics within institutions, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, and private agencies. Upon completion of this course, students will be able to quantitatively analyze international markets and socio-economic contexts with the goal of identifying sustainable food policies.

The course History of Food Cultures examines the major transformations of food systems, diets, and food cultures from the sixteenth century to the present day, with particular attention to the transatlantic and Mediterranean areas. The course is divided into two modules: the first (Prof. Cinotto) offers a general introduction to the field, focusing on the mobility of food and the formation of the world's cuisines; the second (Dr. Sbuttoni) explores the intersections between food, migration, memory, and cultural heritage.

By the end of the course, students will be able to analyze the history of food in its productive, distributive, political, and consumptive dimensions, as well as in its relationships with identity (class, gender, nation, and race/ethnicity). They will also gain an understanding of how contemporary food systems are the result of historical choices, social dynamics, global exchanges, and the circulation of food cultures.

Graduates in Gastronomic Sciences and Cultures working in the field of food anthropology perform analytical functions on food systems understood as complex cultural phenomena in which social, historical, economic, environmental, and political dimensions intersect.

In particular, they are able to conduct cultural, social, and anthropological analyses of food production, distribution, and consumption practices; to identify, document, and enhance gastronomic heritage and local food cultures; and to carry out inter- and transcultural mediation in research, cooperation, and territorial development contexts.

The skills acquired enable graduates to work in social research applied to food, in cultural and gastronomic communication and promotion, in the design of food policies, and in consulting for public institutions, non-governmental organizations, and businesses oriented toward intercultural exchange, sustainability, and the protection of gastronomic heritage.

The course introduces students to the fundamental concepts, historical development, and ethnographic methods of cultural anthropology and food anthropology, analyzing key authors, approaches, and reference works. It then offers an in-depth focus on Indigenous food systems through a comparative examination of case studies from different geographical and cultural contexts. Finally, the course addresses major contemporary debates on food in today’s culture and society, exploring the interconnections among food practices, labor, intercultural dynamics, gender, health, and ecology, and promoting a critical, applied approach to the relationships between food, culture, and society.

Being able to understand, critique, and discuss the current legal framework is necessary in order to evaluate any option for redesigning the food system, its fairness, and its internal justice. The course aims to develop students’ cultural and critical attitude by helping them understand that the law is not a natural product but always corresponds to human will.

The course will focus in particular on the connection between political/economic power and rules. Students will gain awareness of the basic concepts and theories that shape the legal framework. They will be invited to apply the critical knowledge they develop to reflect on the possibility that a change in the legal paradigm may ultimately help prepare a future in which humans and the environment are no longer positioned as masters and servants.

Skills will be developed in the application of knowledge to:

• Interpretation of legal norms
• Identification of the most appropriate legal solutions to ensure the sustainability of food systems
• Interpretation of the European and international regulatory framework governing relations between multinational corporations and states

• Optional courses in 2022/2023.
• A complex Approach to Food Activism: the New Gastronome
• Agrobiodiversity Management
• Arabo-Mediterranean Food Plants and Cuisines
• Exploring Foodscapes
• Laboratory on Global Food Security
• Migrant Gastronomies
• Gastronomic Writing
• The Sweet and the Fragrant: New Theoretical Perspectives on Taste, Smell, and the Arts

The course entitled “Language Skills – Italian” will be comprised of several levels that will bring students from a skill level of A1 to B2 (European Framework Model, QCER), offering a preparation aimed both at grammar skills and communication (for the four abililities of speaking, writing, listening, and reading) and a skill level appropriate to the professional activities for which their course of study will prepare them.

The course entitled “Language Skills – English” prepares students to undertake work in any professional area by improving and reinforcing their communication skills in English. Upon completion of this course, students will improve the comprehension and communication of their own ideas concerning various subjects, in particular in the field of gastronomy. They will develop the necessary skills to analyze, understand, and discuss a wide range of topics and materials. This course will develop and improve the skills necessary for effective written and oral communication.

Study trips and field studies are learning tools that offer a unique and original way to approach the study and understanding of gastronomic cultures around the world. For this reason, the experiences are built around production, transformation, transportation, and consumption chains, through guided visits, workshops, meetings, and tastings. During the first year, through field studies and study trips within Italy, the curriculum focuses on gastronomic products within their environmental and cultural context. Each experience also gives equal attention to small-scale producers and industrial-scale production.

The course entitled “Agrosystems and Sustainability” will prepare students to connect the quantity and quality of raw food materials as a function dependent on soil and climate conditions (environment and production year), cultivation needs (genetic aspects), and management systems (human aspects) through the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices from a cultural, environmental, economic and social point of view. This course will provide a combined vision of the principles of animal and vegetal agricultural production among the following subject areas: agrarian ecology, agronomy, cultivation sciences, and zootechnology.

Module: Food Consumption and Social Dynamics
The course Food Consumption and Social Dynamics prepares students for careers as sustainable tourism promoters, managers of food and wine travel experiences, and coordinators of local socio-economic development and territorial enhancement.

Module: Historical Ecology and Food Landscapes
The course Historical Ecology and Food Landscapes prepares students to work in the field of gastronomic heritage enhancement and regeneration, developing a renewed understanding of the concept of “the local,” of environmental resources, and of their ecology through a historical approach.

The course prepares students for activities related to cultural promotion and the enhancement of food and gastronomic heritage, and for professions connected to the cultural sector (journalism, media entertainment, etc.), to tourism and gastronomic promotion, and to designing, producing, and promoting forms of territorial storytelling. Knowledge and the ability to interpret different types of sources (recipe books, newspaper articles, audiovisual materials, oral sources) enable an informed approach to contemporary issues in the sector. In this way, the student will understand how direct engagement with historical sources can become central to the creation of multimedia promotional tools.

The course “Gastronomic Communication and Cultural Industries”, divided into the two modules “Media and Food Narratives” and “Marketing and Strategies for Gastronomic Promotion”, provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the dynamics through which food becomes an object of communication, storytelling, and socio-cultural as well as economic valorization. It also offers both critical tools for analysis and practical skills for the creation of effective communicative texts.

In general terms, the learning objectives are as follows:

• Analyze contemporary media and cultural production systems. The course introduces the functioning of cultural and communication industries, examining their role in shaping imaginaries and defining social, economic, and consumption practices related to agri-food production and eating habits.
• Critically interpret agri-food representations. Particular attention is devoted to the analysis of symbolic, advertising, and audiovisual forms (films, TV series) in order to decode how agriculture, cuisine, and food are represented across different media—from advertising to cinema, from television series to social media.
• Provide tools for gastronomic promotion. Alongside the media aspects, the course offers theoretical and practical competencies for understanding and designing gastronomic promotion strategies, exploring marketing languages, the creation of territorial and product brands, and the processes of cultural and commercial valorization within the agri-food sector.

The knowledge acquired is put into practice through case study analyses (e.g. advertising campaigns, audiovisual products, communication strategies of gastronomic brands) and group presentations, with the goal of developing analytical, design, and communication skills applicable in professional contexts.

Module: Sensory Analysis and Consumer Science
The course Sensory Analysis and Consumer Science prepares students to become professionals responsible for assessing the quality and sensory suitability of raw materials, semi-finished goods, and final products. By the end of the course, students will be able to plan and conduct sensory tests, collect, organize, and process sensory data, interpret the results, and prepare analytical reports that provide useful insights for selecting raw materials and processed products, as well as for evaluating the quality of food products and the appropriateness of production technologies—also taking into account consumer needs and preferences.

Module: Food Technologies
The course Food Technologies provides students with knowledge of the main food processes and production technologies for raw materials, semi-finished goods, and food products. It offers fundamental skills for quality management within companies operating in food production, processing, and preservation, as well as in consortia and cooperatives of the agri-food sector. By the end of the course, students will be able to critically analyze and evaluate the stages of the production process and the technological factors that most affect food quality, and to assess the appropriateness of production methods and contexts to ensure product quality.

The Systemic Design course guides students in exploring the food system as a complex ecosystem made up of actors, flows, places, and relationships. It invites them to rethink products, supply chains, packaging, processes, and gastronomic experiences with a critical and creative perspective, introducing tools from Project Management, EcoDesign, System Thinking, and Circular Economy for Food to generate sustainable innovations in the food world.

• Dalle piantagioni all’agribusiness. Cibo, migrazioni e schiavitù
• Nature Tourism
• Food Innovation: a Methodological Approach
• Food Media Strategy
• Herbal Teas
• Mare e oceano
• Media and Visual Sociology of Food
• Novel food e sostenibilità: aspetti tecnologici e di governance
• Quali parole…per quali materie
• Retorica per la gastronomia

Study trips and field studies are learning tools that offer a unique and original way to approach the study and understanding of gastronomic cultures around the world. For this reason, the experiences are built around production, transformation, transportation, and consumption chains, through guided visits, workshops, meetings, and tastings. During the second year, through field studies and study trips to international destinations, the curriculum focuses on gastronomic products within their environmental and cultural context. Each trip also gives equal attention to small-scale producers and industrial-scale production.

The course entitled “Food and Health” will prepare students to bring together the knowledge acquired in their first two years of study with the scientific evidence available on the course subject area. Always maintaining a perspective related to gastronomic skills, it proposes keys to reading and deepening knowledge on the available data about the metabolism of nutrients, nutrition and food, and indicators of public health related to nutrition and lifestyles.

The course prepares students to operate within the governance of food systems, with particular attention to quality, sustainability, and related issues. At the end of the course, students will be familiar with the most relevant aspects of comparative food law and will be able to address the main legal issues concerning the food sector at both the local and global levels.

The course provides the philosophical and cultural foundations for critically reflecting on the use of the senses in the gastronomic experience and on the connection between gustatory aesthetics and food ethics. Its aim is to prepare students for the world of gastronomic promotion and enhancement, with particular attention to the fields of communication, training, education, and the cultural industry. The course contributes to providing tools for new strategies of valorizing agri-food quality by deepening the notion of taste as a multisensory and ecological perception. Special attention is devoted to the concept of quality, highlighting its complex nature between measurable standards intended to establish objective paradigms and non-measurable values (symbols, narratives, traditions, identities) connected to dynamic and diversified perspectives.

Data analysis

Management & Business Planning

The primary aim of the course is to provide an understanding of the theoretical and methodological foundations of food ethnobiology and food heritage, namely the study of local and traditional knowledge in naturalistic and gastronomic domains. The course develops interdisciplinary skills and reflections drawing on biological and anthropological knowledge necessary for documenting neglected traditional/local food products. A specific focus will be placed on the design and implementation of a food scouting project concerning species, varieties, plant-based products, or gastronomic products and preparations in inland and peripheral areas of the Mediterranean, in developing countries, and on the changing perception of these entities within migrant and diasporic communities, or from a diachronic perspective in response to climate change or sociopolitical transformations.

• Agricoltura intelligente per il clima e agroecologia
• Cibo, patrimonio e movimenti alimentari in America Latina
• Dati geospaziali open source per applicazioni in campo agricolo e alimentare
• Eating Netflix: il food e la nuova socialità audiovisiva
• Entrepreneurship for Food
• Food, Climate & Biodiversity: Regenerating Our Future
• Gastronazionalismo: storia e critica del concetto di origine
• Gender Studies
• Scientific Controversies on Living Beings and their Environments
• Sovranità alimentare e sostenibilità nel continente africano

Study trips and field studies are learning tools that offer a unique and original way to approach the study and understanding of gastronomic cultures around the world. For this reason, the experiences are built around production, transformation, transportation, and consumption chains, through guided visits, workshops, meetings, and tastings. During the third year, through field studies and study trips to both national and international destinations, the curriculum focuses on gastronomic products within their environmental and cultural context. Each trip also gives equal attention to small-scale producers and industrial-scale production.