News & Events

UW study abroad program explores sustainable food systems in Italy in summer 2023

The University of Washington Study Abroad program will offer a 4-week intensive course, La Dolce Vita: Comparative Food Systems in Italy in Summer Term-A in 2023. This interdisciplinary program explores sustainable food systems using systems thinking and a variety of perspectives to understand how factors, such as culture, policy, diet, and market structure interact to create environmental, economic, health, and social/equity outcomes.

Information Session January 11

UW students interested in applying to the program are encouraged to attend the upcoming information session:

  • January 11, 2023
  • 8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
  • UW Health Sciences Building T661

About the Program

Earn 10 credits while traveling in Bologna, Rome, Tuscany, Sardinia, and Sicily

Students in the 2020 La Dolce Vita program enjoying a meal
View more images: UW La Dolce Vita Instagram Page

The program begins in Bologna, considered Italy’s “City of Gastronomy”, followed by sustainable farm stays in Tuscany. Here we will learn about sustainable agriculture practices, explore how practices compare with U.S. systems, and will taste and cook
sustainable foods. We will study artisanal Italian products and the role of labeling in preserving these, including understanding the advantages and limitations of such systems for both producers and consumers.

Then, students will move to Rome where we will access the UW Rome Center and will meet with individuals from international food agencies (e.g., Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, based in Rome) focused on sustainability and food security. We will compare the Italian regional orientation with the more commodity-based food system that dominates in the United States. We will survey a variety of retail outlets, will shop for food and prepare meals, setting the stage for a discussion on how these factors influence human and planetary health.

La Dolce Vita: Comparative Food Systems in Italy - preview of PDF flyer
La Dolce Vita: Comparative Food Systems in Italy Handout (pdf)

Finally, the program will travel to two Italian islands, Sicily and Sardinia, to learn about how food supply chains, farming practices, and market structure differ in the Italian islands compared to the mainland, as well as make comparisons to the islands of the Pacific Northwest. Along the way, we will connect with locals to learn the role of food in Italian culture and health. Throughout, we will survey a variety of retail outlets, contrast production methods and policies in the E.U. and the U.S., and discuss how to evaluate the evidence to make sustainable personal and political choices.

This 4-week intensive, interdisciplinary program uses systems thinking and a variety of perspectives to understand how factors, such as culture, policy, diet, and market structure, interact to create environmental, economic, health, and social/equity outcomes.

Instructors and Credits

  • Sustainable Food Systems in Italy – 5 credits
    Instructor: Jennifer J. Otten, PhD, RD
    Nutritional Sciences Program, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, UW School of Public Health
  • Health in the Context of Culture – 5 credits
    Instructor: Kerryn W. Reding, PhD, MPH, RN
    UW School of Nursing, UW School of Public Health

Important Dates & Information

This program is sponsored by UW School of Public Health, UW School of Nursing, and UW Study Abroad .

January 5, 2023