Professor reveals tasty research into globalization by looking at Italian food production

NEW WILMINGTON, Pa.--  Traveling to Italy and carrying out research on the slow food movement in that part of Europe offers some tasty challenges for a Westminster political science professor studying globalization and the impact it has on food production.

Dr. Michael Aleprete, Westminster assistant professor of political science, presented "Italian Food Production and Culture in an Era of Globalization" at the Faires Faculty Forum on Oct. 3.  As a bonus for the audience, Dr. Aleprete offered a classic Italian panna cotta for everyone to sample.  This was the Faculty Forum presentation to feature a research-inspired dessert.

Aleprete attended the seminar "Food from a Glocal Perspective: Italy, the Mediterranean and the Globe" in June at the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo and the Orientale University of Naples. He will discuss what he learned, including: the progression of the slow food movement in Italy in reaction to the globalization of food production and consumption, and the movement's impact on modern Italy's food production.

You can listen to his presentation here or download it from iTunes University.

Aleprete, who joined the faculty in 2007, earned an undergraduate degree from Duquesne University and master's degree and Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh.  He teaches a wide range of International Relations and Comparative Politics courses for the College .His writings have appeared in a variety of publications including International Interactions,  Journal of International Relations and Development, Democracy and Security, Russian History, The Russian Review, Operant Subjectivity and The American Review of Canadian Studies. 

Our slideshow of images from the presentation via Flickr:

ABOUT FAIRES FACULTY FORUM
The Faculty Forum was established in 1990 by Dr. Barbara Faires, Westminster professor of mathematics emerita, during her term as dean of the college and vice president for academic affairs.  It is a unique venue that celebrates faculty teaching, research and passion for scholarship while also serving as platform for peer review and reflection.

Faculty members from all disciplines volunteer to present lectures on their current research, artistic productions, and scholarship of teaching and learning.  Each forum presents new ideas with innovative lecture techniques.