KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING: Know the basic different theories of Economic Growth, the concept of Sustainable Development, in its multidisciplinary meaning and the concept of Circular Economy, and how agricultural activities and the natural capital relate to and interact with these.
APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING: Know how to understand and interpret a) the complexity of the sustainable development concept according to its multidisciplinary approach, including economic, social and environmental aspects, and b) the related debate on the sustainability of agriculture in the global context with respect to the goal of food security.
MAKING JUDGEMENTS: Students must demonstrate, at the end of the course, that they have not only acquired knowledge and concepts, but that they are able to carry out autonomous critical analyses of specific case studies, presented in scientific papers provided by teachers.
COMMUNICATION SKILLS: The written exam on the main topics analyzed during the course and on one of the case study assigned by the teacher, aims to verify the student's ability to communicate the concepts learned during the course using the proper disciplinary lexicon.
LEARNING SKILLS: At the end of the course the student will have to demonstrate that they have acquired the knowledge and skills described in this syllabus, and a capacity for critical analysis that will allow them to independently study further specific topics or take more advanced courses.

Fundamentals of microeconomics and macroeconomics.

1. Sustainable Economics: an overview
2. Theories of growth
3. Sustainable Development
4. Economic Growth, Sustainable Development, and Agriculture
5. The circular economy

Study materials will be provided by the teacher. Course slides and additional materials (book chapters, lectures and scientific articles) will be available on Moodle 2 and the Course Teams.

1 Sustainable Economics: an overview 1.1 Population Growth 1.2 Climate, pollution and habitat 1.3 Water and energy 1.4 Global Food Security 1.5 Case studies 2 Theories of growth 2.1 An overview of the main theories 2.4. Limits to Growth 2.5 Agriculture in the theories of growth 2.6 Case studies 3 Sustainable Development 3.1 Sustainable Development: current schools of sustainable thinking 3.2 The Measurement of Sustainability 3.3 Natural Resources and Climate Change 3.4 Markets and the Role of Government 3.5. Policies and Practices for Sustainable Development 3.6 Case studies 4 Economic Growth, Sustainable Development, and Agriculture 4.1 Sustainability of Agricultural Systems 4.2 Challenges of Sustainable Agriculture in Developing Countries 4.3 Challenges of Sustainable Agricultural Development in High-Income Countries 4.4 Pathways to Sustainable Agricultural Development 4.5 Case studies 5 The circular economy 5.1 Key concept 5.2 Life Cycle Thinking in a Circular Economy 5.3 Circular Economy and Food System 5.4 Case studies

Lectures, discussions on economic reports and scientific articles, individual and possibly cooperative learning activities.

The final exam aims to verify the students’ knowledge and understanding of the topics presented during the course, their ability to apply knowledge and understanding, to make critical judgments, their learning and communication skills.
The final exam consists of two parts:
1. Written exam including closed and open-ended questions on the topics covered in class
2. Written report on a specific case study, related to the course topics. The evaluation will take into account clarity of exposition, originality, coherence with writing guidelines (which will be presented during the course).
The grading system ranges from 18/30 to 30/30. The final mark will be the weighted average (60% written exam; 40% report) of the two parts. In order to pass the exam, students must get the minimum grade (18/30) in each of the two parts. To earn the highest mark (30/30 cum laude), students must demonstrate not only extensive and complete knowledge of the topics covered in class, but also distinguished ability to critically apply theoretical knowledge to the analysis of real-world scenarios.
Students who attend at least 2/3 of the total course hours in-class may take intermediate tests on parts of the topics, through individual or team work, as an alternative to the final written test on the whole course programme.
Specific indications on the organization of intermediate tests will be provided during the course, taking into account the calendar and timetable of lectures.
Students in mobility programmes: the course syllabus and examination procedures outlined above also apply to Erasmus students or students participating in other international mobility programmes.

This course focuses on some topics closely related to one or more objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of the United Nations SDGs: