The concept of value is one of the key concepts in social sciences but also one of the most difficult to define and grasp for a student. The scenario aims at providing the student with an experimental example concerning the many elements of a product that contributing in defining its value in a social and economic perspective.
The scenario uses food and food quality as ground for experimentation.
On the basis of a structured questionnaire validated with university students of gastronomy at the University of Gastronomic Sciences, the students are asked to compare similar food products collecting information concerning their objective production and nutritional characteristics, their marketing and the students’ subjective experience linked to it. After the comparison, the students are asked to judge the products on the basis of their preference in case of a gift to a friend or for self-consumption. The discussion of these judgements and their motivations aims at raising awareness about the substantial characteristics that take part in the making of value.