Study-unit AGRICULTURAL AND ALIMENTARY HISTORY

Course name	Economics and culture of human nutrition
Study-unit Code	GP000459
Curriculum	Comune a tutti i curricula
Lecturer	Andrea Polcaro
Lecturers	Andrea Polcaro
Hours	72 ore - Andrea Polcaro
CFU	8
Course Regulation	Coorte 2023
Supplied	2023/24
Supplied other course regulation
Learning activities	Affine/integrativa
Area	Attività formative affini o integrative
Sector	L-ANT/03
Type of study-unit	Obbligatorio (Required)
Type of learning activities	Attività formativa monodisciplinare
Language of instruction	Italian
Contents	The aim of the course is to analyze the evolution of agriculture and food traditions since their origins till the modern time, with a timeframe that goes from the ancient Orient to the contemporary Europe.
Reference texts	Chapters from: Storia dell'alimentazione, edit by Jean-Luis Flandrin and Massimo Montanari (Laterza 1997) ¿More texts will be given during the lessons
Educational objectives	General knowledge of the historical evolution of agriculture from ancient to modern age. The chronological framework of the course is extended since the first urban civilization of the ancient Orient, to the Classical Period and, through the Middle Age, till the modern and contemporary European History. The curse will give a basic knowledge on the nutrition and food¿through the ages, on eating habits, on the evolution of taste and about the textual sources. The students will learn to organize an event of historical kitchen and to develop skills useful for identify and comment the social and cultural aspects of food and to promote enhancement through compilation of dossiers, conducting presentations, organization of events and tastings. The last target is to stimulate curiosity about different cultures and food sensitivity and attention to the cultural, ethical and social condition that characterize the demand for food.
Prerequisites	Basic knowledge of roman, medieval and modern history is required.
Teaching methods	Lectures, seminars
Other information	Laboratory of historical cooking
Learning verification modality	The examination consists in a public presentation (to the class) of an individual seminar on a precise topic. It is foreseen to write a paper that have to be delivered, presented and discussed in the classroom by the end of the course. This part of the examination intends to verify the acquisition of skills of self-organization of a research process: to individuate a search theme, to find bibliography, to create a short paper to communicate to the others students through media.¿¿An oral examination will check critical acquiring of the concepts and processes of research presented during lectures (monographic course).¿¿The examination normally takes place at the headquarters of the teacher, in via Armonica, 3 - perugia. It takes about 20-30 minutes of conversation.
Extended program	Introduction: importance of the history of agriculture in the context of useful knowledge for the ECOCAL training course.¿The sources and the textual evidences. Archaeology and the methods of historical research on agriculture and nutrition. The born of agricolture and animal breeding in the ancient Orient, from the Sumerian to the Babylonian cultures. Agronomic characters of the treaties of Rome. The medieval textual sources and modern records.¿Outlines of agricultural history¿Possible forms of ownership and exploitation of the earth.¿Agricultural tools and techniques¿The problem of technical progress. Agricultural tools and techniques and their evolution.¿Agriculture and food: raw materials¿Cereals and "three civilizations" of wheat, rice and maize. The Mediterranean food culture and the impact of scientific discoveries and geographical evolution of the diets.¿Plant products and animal products, agriculture, livestock herding and contrasts between and integration.¿The Treaties of cooking, from the court of Babylon and the Yale cuneiform tablets to the Roman Apicius and the Maestro Martino.¿The luxury and hunger to the table: between sumptuary laws and famine.