COURSES
HIST 350
45 contact hours, 3 credits
Professor Fabrizio Novellino, Ph.D.
The course examines the history of food from a variety of points of view. Food is not just nourishment; food is part of mankind and its evolution. Without food, history could not be possible. Food is like a book: it tells us who we are and where we are from, and it describes our habits, religion, and traditions. The course aims to explain how food has influenced history, including religious prescriptions, class identity, borders, and drawing the line between the rich and the poor. History of Food will attempt to explain how nourishment has changed throughout the ages, how we have shifted from the “symposium” to McDonald’s, and how, still today, food is a strong element of identity.
JU 330
45 contact hours, 3 credits
Prof. Alessandro Buffa
In this course, students will discover the historical link between New York City and Naples. Students will understand these two cities within wider currents, moving across time and space, and trace multiple histories that connect past, present, and future in both a local and global sense. Topics will include the early slave rebellions in the Americas, the 1648 rebellion of Naples, the U.S. military presence in Naples during World War II and Cold War era, Italian immigration to New York City, and the urban crises of Naples and New York in the 1970s and 1980s.
In this course, music, cinema, and other cultural expressions are not considered as a background but become central narrative devices. Sustained by the saxophone sound of James Senese, the electro funk of Afrika Bambaataa, the echo chamber effect of Sha-Rock, the poetry of Sandra María Esteves, and the blue maps of Bobby Womack and Mario Merola, we will study unexpected and critical connections between New York City and Naples.
In addition to music, films, and poems, we will use other primary sources collected at the archives of the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture of the New York Public Library, the Bronx County Historical Society, and the National Library of Naples.
JU 330
45 contact hours, 3 credits
Prof. Alessandro Buffa
In this course, students will study the economic and political causes and histories of migration from the Mediterranean region. They will examine the historic legacies of Mediterranean migration through the twentieth century with the mass emigration from the Southern Mediterranean to the Americas. Through the lens of international economics, demographics, and geopolitics, students will understand the phenomenon of Mediterranean migration. Additionally, students will analyze the effects of this mass migration on the stability of the European Union and the Euro zone and will propose solutions to ongoing, systemic pan-European political and demographic challenges.
JU 330
45 contact hours, 3 credits
Prof. Alessandro Buffa
Inspired by Paul Gilroy’s book The Black Atlantic, this course focuses on the traditionally repressed and hidden Black history of the Mediterranean region. Through the examination of primary historical documents and the accounts of historians, students will discover a range of topics such as the Masaniello Revolt of 1648 in Naples, the Haitian Revolution of 1799, the international dimension of Black Power, the racialization of urban space, and the contemporary migration from Africa to the Mediterranean.
Faculty
Fabrizio Novellino
Chair of Humanities - Area: mafia studies and food studies
Alessandro Buffa
Area: American StudiesCOURSE HIGHLIGHT
HISTORY OF ITALIAN FOOD AND CULTURE
HIST 350
Professor Fabrizio Novellino, Ph.D.
The course examines the history of food from a variety of points of view. Food is not just nourishment; food is part of mankind and its evolution. Without food, history could not be possible. Food is like a book: it tells us who we are and where we are from, and it describes our habits, religion, and traditions. The course aims to explain how food has influenced history, including religious prescriptions, class identity, borders, and drawing the line between the rich and the poor. History of Food will attempt to explain how nourishment has changed throughout the ages, how we have shifted from the “symposium” to McDonald’s, and how, still today, food is a strong element of identity.
INTERNSHIP POSITIONS AVAILABLE:
- Quanto basta cooking school
- Mozzarella factory
“My class is not just about food. It’s about tradition, it’s about the economy, it’s about experiencing what you are going to study…because you have the chance to join a class in the best place in the world with the best food in the world. So you are not just going to read the book, but also touch and eat and see with your own eyes all the wonderful food, the tradition and the history behind it”
– Fabrizio Novellino
Discover Sant'Anna
Mission and GoalsAt Sant’Anna we strive to provide students from across the world a unique, hands-on learning experience where they can cultivate real world skills and knowledge.
Because the school is located in Sorrento, one of the most harmonious cities southern Italy has to offer, our students are truly able to gain a global awareness and appreciate diversity while studying abroad. Our goal is to help guide participating students into becoming responsible, open-minded members of society.
Our hope is that each student can leave Sant’Anna with an appreciation of the Italian culture as well as the knowledge acquired through their academic courses.
We are so passionate about the importance of international education and training in a student’s academic career, and we are dedicated to doing whatever it takes to providing students with a life changing experience.
