Course Name: BSCI 30789 Feasts and Plagues: The Science of Italian Food, Wine and Disease
Description: This course explores the microbial mechanisms responsible for plagues such as the Black Death as well as for their positive roles in food and wine production. These costs and benefits are explored in Florence, Italy since each is ingrained in the city's history, culture, art, and biology. Course activities include food and wine tastings and field trips to historical sites and museums in Florence and Siena. This course is designed to appeal to students with a wide array of interests in human health and society. Students will analyze genomes of microbes responsible for human disease, discuss ecological and biological factors associated with disease transmission, construct cemetery life tables, discuss the impacts of disease on Italian art, architecture, and culture, master knowledge of the fermentation process, and compare and contrast the microbiomes and environments of vineyards in Tuscany vs. California.
Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: None