The Course aims to provide students with:

• The theoretical foundations underlying the concepts of sustainability, in relation to the use of natural, renewable, and non-renewable resources, with particular attention to the management of:
  • Biodiversity and ecosystem services;
  • Water resources;
  • Fishery and forest resources;
  • Soil, with reference to agricultural use, hydrogeological instability, and competition with alternative uses (natural and urban).
• Knowledge of the political and regulatory structure that influences the management of natural resources, particularly in terms of the management of protected areas and land zoning, climate change mitigation/adaptation, and agro-environmental policies.

1) Theoretical framework: the concept of sustainability, market failures and policies, management of renewable and non-renewable resources.

2) Topics: a. Ecosystem services and biodiversity: the value of ecosystems b. Land management and its value c. Management of natural resources in agriculture

3) Natural resource management policies: a. Policies for protected areas and land zoning b. Climate change mitigation and adaptation policies c. Common Agricultural Policy and agro-environmental measures

None.

Knowledge and Understanding

Students should have acquired the knowledge and understanding of the specificity of the agri-food system, with reference to the organization of supply and consumer expectations in terms of product safety and quality. In particular, they should know and understand the complexity of the relationships established between the companies operating in the supply chains and their reference environment, the role of the territory in creating value for consumers, and the European Union's policies for supporting the agricultural sector and quality protection.

Applying Knowledge and Understanding

Students should be able to appropriately and critically apply the acquired knowledge to analyze, understand, and address the issue of sustainability of natural resources.

Making Judgements

Students should be able to connect the knowledge of different elements acquired during the course into integrated and unified schemes and deal with the complexity of real problems independently and with their own judgment. Moreover, they should be able to assess the potential effects of public policies in relation to the sustainability of natural resources.

Communication Skills

Students should acquire clear, effective, and precise communication skills, with a good command of the vocabulary of the discipline taught during the Course.

Learning Skills

Students should have acquired the ability to undertake further study paths on the principles of sustainability of the natural resources examined and their application in other contexts. Additionally, they should have acquired the ability to provide proposals in this field.

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

Through seminars conducted by practitioners and scholars, in-depth analyses of case studies related to the general topics of the course will be offered.

Teaching

The course includes the following teaching methods:

• Lectures;
• Seminars;
• Presentation and discussion of case studies through group works.

Innovative teaching methods

Debate.

Attendance

Not obligatory.

Course books

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

Assessment

The assessment is carried out through a written test with multiple-choice questions during which the student must demonstrate having acquired full knowledge of the topics covered (both theoretical and practical) during the Course. The test will consist of 23 multiple-choice questions. The test will be deemed sufficient if at least 10 questions are answered correctly. Each additional correct answer is worth one point. The final evaluation is expressed in thirtieths.

Attending students can earn up to 4 bonus points towards the final evaluation through a group project focused on a chosen topic, which will be presented in class. These presentations will be evaluated based on:

• Coherence and logical sequence of the topics covered;
• Depth of analysis;
• Clarity of exposition and appropriate vocabulary.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Teaching

Individual study of the texts and of the reference teaching materials.

Attendance

Not obligatory.

Course books

The teaching material and communications from the instructor are available on the Moodle platform at blended.uniurb.it.

Assessment

The assessment is carried out through a written test with multiple-choice questions during which the student must demonstrate having acquired full knowledge of the topics covered (both theoretical and practical) during the Course. The test will consist of 23 multiple-choice questions. The test will be deemed sufficient if at least 10 questions are answered correctly. Each additional correct answer is worth one point. The final evaluation is expressed in thirtieths.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.