Food Studies Program at Umbra

Program Description

The Food Studies Program at the Umbra Institute is a new curricular concentration that applies an interdisciplinary approach to the study of food – history, sociology, cultural studies, business practices, literature, politics, science, agriculture, and sustainability – to discover how the individual, the community, and society relate to food in Italy, America, and elsewhere. The program consists of three courses in food studies, a course in Italian language, and an optional elective (15-18 credits).

Each thematic course includes a series of co- and extra-curricular activities that are an integral part of the curriculum; they include guest lectures, site visits and hands-on experience. These activities will allow students to observe directly the concepts studied in the classroom and analyze issues surrounding Italian food culture from varied approaches and perspectives with emphasis on history, culture, production, sustainability, and business and industry. Students who complete all three food program courses will receive a certificate from the Umbra Institute documenting their participation and satisfactory completion of the Food Studies Program.

The Courses

HSIT 350 – History and Culture of Food in Italy
History/Italian Studies

The core course of the Food Studies Program, this class presents a history of food culture in Italy from Roman times through the Renaissance to the present. Students learn that far from being stable, Italian culinary “traditions” have been in a state of constant flux, the result of an ever-changing combination of political, economic, and social variables. Students participate in seven practica with local experts to learn about Italian foods: olive oil, coffee, wine, cheese, chocolate, gelato, pizza, and salamis. These graded workshops incorporate a knowledge of production, quality evaluation, and biochemical information.

Activities, Seminars and Workshops
• Olive Oil     • Wine     • Aperitivo     • Gelato

• Coffee    • Cheeses      • Meats and Insaccati

Field Trips
• Day Trip to Florence and its Environs: Renaissance Culinary Experience
• Overnight Trip to Tuscany/Emilia-Romagna (Parmesan and Balsamic Vinegar Co-Ops)
• Olive Picking in the Umbrian Countryside (Fall Only)
• Truffle Hunting Day Trip to the Apennines (Fall Only)

STFS 330 – Sustainability and Food Production in Italy
Sustainability/Food Studies

This course focuses on the radical increase in food production over the last 50 years and the ecological and social problems it has created, as well as on some possible solutions: the organic movement, Slow Food, innovative food technologies, and the shift towards local food. This course will explore the range of Italian food production, from foraging to the hyper-modern and even futuristic. These direct experiences will reinforce classroom assignments and provide valuable data for student presentations.

Field Trips
• Daytrip to Umbrian Organic Vineyard and Sustainable Meal in Chianti

BUFS 380 – The Business of Food: Italy and Beyond
Business/Food Studies*

 This course seeks to give students a rich understanding of the feedback loops between consumption and production of food in Italy, the US, and worldwide. Topics include not only the business of production, technology, distribution, and sale of food, but also food-related industries in the areas of marketing, journalism, television, travel, and entertainment, and how these businesses have expanded exponentially in the last twenty years. This course will include a workshop in which students create and operate their own trattoria (restaurant) dealing with everything from advertising to menu choices, from local sourcing to pricing, from presentation to cooking, integrating the local community into their endeavor to make a successful and sustainable business venture.

Field Trips
• Day Trip to Olive Oil Plant in Spoleto
• Trattoria Umbra Workshop

ITAL 101-420 – Italian Language
All student who attend the Umbra Institute must take an Italian language or a course taught in Italian as part of their semester curriculum. All levels of study are available from beginner to advanced in both 4- and 6-credit options.

ELECTIVE – Optional
Students who take the three food courses and Italian language may also take an additional course if desired. They may choose from any of the Umbra Institute’s offerings in areas such as history, literature, studio art, art history, creative writing, business, politics, and psychology. As an alternative or additional elective for Spring Semester students, a limited number of program participants may participate in an academic internship (3 credits) during the month of May, hosted by a local olive oil company in nearby Spoleto. (Additional costs apply)

Summary of Course Activities exclusively for FSP Students

Co- and Extra-Curricular Activities
Community Engagement*

Those students who enroll in all three of the program’s food courses will be able to participate in all the co-curricular and extra-curricular activities listed below.

Food Practica (Seminar and Workshops)
• Olive Oil     • Wine     • Aperitivo     • Gelato
• Coffee        • Cheeses    • Meats and Insaccati

• *Student-run restaurant “Trattoria Umbra”

Field Trips
• Weekend Trip to Tuscany/Emilia-Romagna
Barilla/Parmesan & Balsamic Vinegar Co-Op/Organic Vineyard (Fall & Spring)

• Visits to Local Farms and Factories
Costa D’Oro/Montevibiano Wine (Fall & Spring)
• Truffle Day Trip to the Apennines (Fall Only)
• Olive Picking Umbrian Countryside (Fall Only)

Optional End-of-Semester Academic Internship (May)
Students have the option of remaining in Italy after then end of the spring semester and participating in a full-time internship for the month of May at the either the Costa D’Oro Olive Oil Company located in nearby Spoleto, or at the Lungarotti Winery in Torgiano. Students will be housed locally in Spoleto near the factory or (for Lungarotti) in Perugia. The 4-week internships include 160 hours of work: the skills to be developed are corporate communication and search-engine optimization. Each student will complete weekly observational reports and two papers based on the readings, seminar discussions, and internship experience. Limit: 4 students maximum (Extra Charges apply)

Food Studies Library & Research Resources

The Umbra Institute Library holds a large offering of books, journals, newspapers, and magazines covering a wide range of subjects. Students will also have access to online journals. Wireless internet access is provided for student use in both the library and classrooms, and ethernet ports are also available. Recent acquisitions make the Umbra Institute’s food history section Italy’s largest collection in English. The strength of the selection relies not only on its volume but also on the breadth of topics covered. Umbra’s library has most of the latest food classics – Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Slow Food founder Carlo Petrini’s Slow Food Nation – but also many other lesser known works.

 Student Life in Perugia

The Food Studies Program is based in the living, breathing classroom that is the city of Perugia. As the capital of the central Italian region of Umbria, Perugia owes much of its appeal to its thriving student scene, making it an ideal place for a study abroad program. Often referred to as Italy’s “university city,” Perugia is home to over 35,000 students who attend both the Università degli Studi di Perugia, one of the oldest universities in the world, and the Università per Stranieri, a school that boasts a large number of international students. The result is a city rich in cultural flavor, one that is constantly injected with new life and vigor from its diverse population.

As a student in Perugia, you will have the chance to truly engage yourself in Italian life and culture. Opportunities to learn the language and mingle with the locals are everywhere. Whereas students who study in more popular destinations often find themselves unable to move beyond the tourist sphere, you will have daily opportunities to come face to face with the real Italy. The city of Perugia is your home and classroom, and by taking advantage of all it has to offer, you can ensure that you will have a unique and rewarding experience.

The Instructors

The Umbra Institute is committed to the highest standard of academic excellence. Umbra professors are experts in their field and have a history of excellence in teaching. Our faculty deliver engaging, challenging and worthwhile material to students, employing on-site and experiential learning as part of the curriculum. The food studies program instructors are:

Simon Young, Ph.D. – History and Culture of Food in Italy

Ray Shaw, Ph.D. - The Business of Food: Italy and Beyond (Team Taught)

Zachary Nowak, M.A. – Food Studies Program Coordinator
Sustainability and Food Production in Italy & The Business of Food: Italy and Beyond

Program Costs

  The Food Studies Program (FSP) consists of the core course, History and Culture of Food in Italy (HSIT 350), Sustainability and Food Production in Italy (STFS 330), and The Business of Food (BUFS 380). All FSP students will also enroll the appropriate level of Italian language study, and may choose to enroll in a 5th elective course for an additional lab fee. FSP students for Spring and Fall 2012 will be charged according to the listed at-cost lab fees for the 3 courses:

*Each semester, the Food Program includes:
7 Food seminar/workshops (practica) including Running a Trattoria in Perugia
Overnight trip in Tuscany/Emilia Romagna
1 day trip to local Olive Oil factory and Vineyards

Fall semester also includes:
1 day trips – 1 day olive picking and truffle hunting


The Fees Do Not Include: Transatlantic Airfare, Meals
Please note that all student apartments have well-equipped kitchens for cooking at home.

In future semesters, a single all-inclusive Food Studies Program Fee will replace the individual lab fee costs.

Discover More!

If you have any questions about the Semester Food Studies Program at Umbra, please contact us at info@umbra.org. We will be glad to assist you with any information or documentation you may need.

Seeing is believing! In addition to the Overview above, we have two videos that show some of the co-curricular trips.

Food Studies Program–Pizza Workshop

Food Studies Program–Chianti Trip