When Research Tells a Story Through Images:

A Video Project for THFS Master’s Students

How can complex concepts in the sociology and anthropology of food be explained to a non-specialist audience, in just a few minutes, and in English? This was the challenge taken up by the first-year Master’s students in Tourism, Hospitality and Food Studies (THFS) at ISTHIA, as part of the course Anthropology and Sociology of Food.

Throughout the first semester, students worked on key concepts and authors in the sociology and anthropology of food, before translating them into short, popular-science videos designed to bridge the gap between academic theory and everyday life.

Taught in English over roughly twenty hours by Sophie THIRON, Senior Lecturer in Food Sociology, the course provides an introduction to the main theoretical frameworks for analyzing food practices. Its goal is to give tools to students in the fields of tourism, hospitality, and food studies in order to understand the social, cultural, and symbolic dimensions of what they observe in the field.

In this context, assessment takes the form of a video production project, accounting for half of the semester grade. In groups of two or three, students have several months to choose a sociological concept from a provided list, analyze it using at least one scientific reference, and make it accessible through a three- to five-minute video.

Each production must combine:

• a clear presentation of the concept,
• a theoretical perspective,
• and a concrete illustration grounded in everyday life.

Communicating Science Without Oversimplifying

The videos demonstrate a genuine act of translation: turning sometimes abstract ideas into relatable examples, finding the right tone, planning a staging, writing a script, filming, editing, and above all, explaining. The exercise requires a wide range of skills, both theoretical, methodological, and communicative.

Beyond their knowledge of food sociology, students also practice teamwork, synthesis, science communication, and audiovisual content production, skills that are directly applicable in a variety of professional contexts.

Some videos stand out for their narrative flow, clarity, or the relevance of the examples chosen.