Hello everyone!  Preparations are ongoing for a great semester.  In fact, just today I was filling in dates and other requirements on the course syllabus, and in the past few days I have been in touch with a number of folks that we will meet in Italy during our trip. 

It's hard to believe that we're almost ready to begin, but it's true.

Ci vediamo tra poco tempo! (See you soon)!

Overview of HHK 347

Welcome to the blog for Ohio Wesleyan University's Health and Human Kinetics (HHK) 347:  A Qualitative Examination of Food Philosophies and Traditions in the United States and Italy.  The Spring semester 2013 course will focus on developing qualitative, ethnographic research skills.  Students will learn and practice the skills of structured observation, semi-structured interviewing, focus group work, and thematic analysis.  All observations will be set in the context of the food environment and interviews will be held with older adults in the local community.  Students will examine their own food philosophies and traditions to assist them in understanding the themes in the oral traditions shared during interviews.

This project is also being conducted at The University of Gastronomic Sciences (originated from the Slow Food movement) in Italy and is titled Granai della Memoria or Granaries of Memory.  The completed research project involves a document and presentation that will be shared with students and professionals in the United States and in Italy!

The final component of the course involves travelling to Italy to share the OWU students research and do a cross-cultural comparison of the key cultural and environmental aspects of the food systems.

Watch future posts to learn more about this exciting course!