Ateneo - UPO

Introduction to cultural anthropology and to environmental anthropology, with particular attention to the relationships between food, culture and the environment.

A. GHOSH, 2021, The Nutmeg’s Curse. Parables for a Planet in Crisis, John Murray Publishers, London. Only chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 13, 15, 16, 18. A. L. TSING, 2015, The Mushroom at the End of the World. On the Possibility of Life in Capitalist Ruins, Princeton University Press, Princeton and Oxford. Only chapters: Prologue, 1, 3, 11, 14. R. W. KIMMERER, 2024, The Serviceberry: An Economy of Gifts and Abundance, Allen Lane, London.
The slides and the book chapters indicated will be provided in the DIR area of the course (www.dir.uniupo.it). All the corresponding books will also be available in the library, in electronic and/or paper format.

• Objectives -to acquire knowledge of basic notions and tools of cultural anthropology; to understand the existence of a plurality of worldviews and distance oneself from ethnocentric judgments; to acquire the capacity of critical thinking necessary to deconstruct the stereotypes related to the concepts of nature and culture; to understand and deepen the relationship between the anthropological dimension, ecological problems and the production and consumption of food. • Objectives -ability to apply the knowledge and understanding acquired in a more articulated reading of the complex relationships between food, culture and environment. • Objectives -communication skills: knowing how to communicate orally on the issues addressed with appropriate terminology.

Good knowledge and understanding of English; normal study and comprehension skills required by a university-level diploma.

The course includes frontal lessons, for a total of 24 hours. The lessons in class will be conducted with the help of Power Point slides, audiovisual materials and various methods of active teaching.
The teaching will be divided into two parts: 1. a general introduction to cultural anthropology and the anthropological concept of culture; 2. a second part of environmental anthropology with a specific focus on the production, distribution and consumption of food. Several case studies will be deepened and discussed in class.
Since the course involves a gradual and progressive introduction to the teaching content and the use of participatory methodologies, attending lessons from the beginning to the end is essential. Students are required to be punctual and have a participatory presence until the end of the lessons. Attending all classes is strongly recommended.
All students are invited to enroll in the DIR area of the course (www.dir.uniupo.it) where the teaching materials and possible notices will be available.

Email of the teacher: annalisa.dorsi@uniupo.it
Office: Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici, ground floor of Palazzo Tartara, via Galileo Ferraris n. 109, Vercelli.
Reception: Friday 9.30-10.30, by appointment.

Students with physical disabilities, Learning Disabilities or Special Education Needs can request specific services and tools via the Staff Sviluppo e Coordinamento Carriere e Servizi alle Studentesse e agli Studenti, consulting the University webpage: https://www.uniupo.it/en/services/services students-physical-or-learning-disabilities Students with disabilities, learning disabilities or special education needs, once they have contacted the University Staff, can refer to the tutor in charge of the course to define the examination modalities, concerning academic aspects.   

Oral exam.
To access the exam, students must have at least 50% attendance in the Anthropology course. Otherwise they will be required to attend the course again in the following academic year. A single exception will be made for students who have had serious and proven health problems. These students are required to contact the professor immediately after the end of the course and provide evidence of health problems they have had. ONLY IF their reasons are considered valid and adequate evidence is provided, these students may be admitted to the exam. However, they will have to study an additional book which will be indicated to them by the teacher and which will be added to the study materials for the exam.
On the oral exam: the student will be asked a variable number of questions, depending on the answers given. Through their answers, students will have to demonstrate that they have studied, understood and integrated the course content, and acquired the appropriate terminology.

The course is structured as follows:
Explanation of the innovative reading offered throughout the course on the problem of eating disorders from a socio-anthropological perspective, analyzing the complex interrelationships between food, culture and the environment. / Introduction to the history of the concept of culture. Anthropological and ethological definition of culture. Critical use of the concept of culture. Introduction on the relationship between food and culture. / Introduction to Cultural Anthropology. Definition of some key concepts and tools: ethnography, holism, anthropocentrism, anthropomorphism, reification, cultural relativism, ethnocentrism, racism. / Introduction to environmental anthropology and critical analysis of the nature/culture dichotomy. Introduction to the concept of sustainability and the sociocultural dimensions of the Anthropocene. Brief study of some native ecologies. / Introduction to the readings indicated on food, culture and environment. / Gender mainstreaming: approaches to grant equal benefits in actions and activities for women and mens and for eliminating gender inequalities.

Anthropological part: to demonstrate a good understanding and know how to apply some key concepts and methodologies of cultural anthropology; to develop a critical analysis of the nature/culture dichotomy; to develop a good capacity for critical analysis of food in a sociocultural perspective; to demonstrate a good understanding the texts indicated in the bibliography as study materials; to use the appropriate terminology.