Food, Wine and Culture – (M.A.)

Contents

Course length

Full-time: 12 months
Part-time: 36 months

The modules taught in Oxford are:

* Food and Wine: the Cultural Context (7-10 day block)
* The Business of Food and Wine Consumption (7-10 day block)
* The Politics of Food
* Contemporary Issues
* Research Methods
* Dissertation

The modules taught in Dijon are:

* The Wine Product (7-10 day block)
* Food, Wine and Culture in Burgundy (7-10 day block)

As our courses are reviewed regularly, course content and module choices may change from those currently listed in the course entry.

Food and Wine: The Cultural Context - In this module students explore complex relationships between food and wine, and individuals and society. They analyse social conditions that shape these relationships and examine their consequences, not only for health, but also for the environment, the distinctiveness of cultures, and the cohesiveness of communities. The module focuses on specific aspects of social conditioning, including social class, cultural homogenisation, media (literature, film and television), fashion and ethics, to explain the emergence of dominant patterns of food and wine production, supply and consumption. A combination of theoretical enquiry and practical insight is used to reveal aspects of consumer behaviour, with specific reference to trends in taste, including preferences for products that are environmentally and culturally sustainable; food and wine tourism; the growth in reliance on standardised and processed products; and the use of restaurants and bars as theatres for conspicuous consumption and the display of adopted lifestyles.

The Wine Product - This module will provide students with a deep understanding of the principal wines of the world and their historical/commercial importance in the global marketplace. Students will develop an understanding of how wine relates to culture, starting from the consumer's various perspectives on wine, including social and personal dimensions. The module then progresses from cultivation of the vine, through to the vinification process, and then the diverse characteristics of the finished product. Case studies will be used to illustrate the differences in style and perception across global markets through to the unique appeals of a wine from one vineyard compared to the next. The module traverses the issues associated with production, legislation and health as well as culture.

The Business of Food and Wine Consumption - This module will provide students with a theoretical understanding of the inter-relationship between strategic business decision making; elements of the extended marketing mix; the role of tourism within wine and food businesses; and the importance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) within those industries. Through contemporary case studies, students will explore the issues and challenges of developing and implementing marketing strategy for food and wine. Specialist knowledge will be developed through the critical application of theory to practice by the in-depth analysis of recognised cases of successful and failing practices.

Contemporary Issues - This module enables students to develop a specialism in a particular discipline related to food, wine and culture. Whichever area of specialism a student chooses to pursue, this module will involve students in independently researching a contemporary thematic area, critically analysing theoretical models and literature to develop a series of analytical bibliographies, and developing an academic paper. In undertaking this module students will work on their own, using the resource pack provided as guidance and with support from a designated expert (tutor) in the chosen specialism. This is a resource-based module which contains no formal lectures. Students can have either a Dijon or an Oxford-based tutor for this module.

The Politics of Food - This module seeks to provide students with a critical understanding of the relationship between food and politics and how this relationship plays out in terms of the price and availability of food and the range of foodstuffs that are available. It will enable students to explore the complex relationships between the hospitality industry and its food suppliers. Development of such understanding will be firmly rooted in an over-arching theoretical context, incorporating contemporary thinking from a wide range of perspectives. This module will demonstrate how macro decision making can have a considerable impact throughout the food production chain.

Food, Wine and Culture in Burgundy - This module will provide students with a profound understanding of and expertise in the relationship between culture, history, food and wine in Burgundy. The module will integrate theoretical and practical dimensions including the analysis of wine representation in literature, poetry, painting and the film industry; the study of climate in Burgundy; the study of local food produce; the analysis of Burgundy Grands Crus and how they position themselves in a luxury context. Applied exercises will be carried out in evening sessions. There will be a visit to the Paul Bocuse Institute, where experiments on wine consumer behaviour will be conducted, and a data collection exercise will be based on the visit to various Burgundy vineyards.

Research Methods - provides you with an introduction to research methods so that you are aware of the approaches, methodologies and resources available for your dissertation. You will design a research project that ensures that you generate the information required to write the dissertation.

The Dissertation - develops your ability to critically review literature, to identify the gaps in knowledge and practise relevant research skills to facilitate data collection, analysis, interpretation, presentation and writing. The 20,000 word dissertation provides you with the opportunity to investigate in depth a food and wine topic of your choice, working independently and supervised by a specialist tutor. The topic can be the same as in your Contemporary Issues module, or in a different area. Dissertation field work can be undertaken in France, the UK or other countries.

It is available full-time and part-time and is suitable for those with an interest in food and wine, those working in food and wine professions, those with relevant work experience and those who aspire to careers in this exciting field.

After completion of this programme some students may choose an academic career by studying for a PhD.