99676 - Environmental Sustainability and Urban Contexts

Learning outcomes

The course aims to provide knowledge of the basic concepts of the relationship between society and nature, environment and development. At the end of the course, the student will be able to: a) analyse, interpret and problematise the relationship between environment and society; b) critically analyse the ecological impact of patterns of development, urbanisation, production and consumption; c) use statistical sources to study socio-environmental phenomena; d) identify and examine models of environmental and territorial governance.

Course contents

Starting from a theoretical framing of the concept of environmental sustainability, with reference to its social and economic dimensions, and a conceptualization of urban space, the course aims to provide students with tools useful for interpreting the relationship between environment and society. Sustainable development will be studied and problematized through the analysis of sustainability documents and indicators, the lifestyles and consumption of the population, policies implemented at the local level, and best practices disseminated nationally and internationally.

The course is articulated in two parts (lectures and seminars) and implements a teaching methodology partly inspired by the logic of the inverted classroom.

Lectures (16 hours) aim to provide students with basic conceptual and theoretical tools related to the topic of urban sustainability.

The topics analyzed in this part of the course are as follows:

- Environmental, Social and Economic Sustainability

- The Study of Cities: Urban Areas and Populations

- Sustainable Development Documents and Indicators

- Methods and models for urban impact assessment

- Urban regeneration policies and best practices

Topics covered in the seminars will be presented during the lectures.

 

The second part (24 hours) is organized in a mixed mode (Lectures and Seminars) and is designed to give students the opportunity to deepen and apply previously acquired knowledge through class discussion of practices, empirical experiences and analysis of sustainability policies, starting from the theories and concepts analyzed in the first part of the course. The seminars will be enriched with new teaching materials: students are expected to read them carefully, as their active participation will be required during the seminar lectures.

The dimensions that will be explored in this part of the course are as follows:

- Urban space and population
- Housing
- Mobility
- Urban greenery
- Waste management
- Participation and the role of the local community

Each week, one of the topics listed above will be presented in class by the professor, followed by an in-depth seminar discussion led by attending students during the next class.

Readings/Bibliography

The bibliography is differentiated according to the sections in which the teaching activity is organized.

Lectures section:

• Vicari Haddock, S. (a cura di) (2013), Questioni urbane, Bologna, il Mulino.

Seminar section:

Readings will be communicated by the professor during the first part of the course: readings will be uploaded on the "VIRTUALE" platform (https://virtuale.unibo.it/).

 

Non-attending students are required to read in addition to the books listed above:

• Nuvolati, G. (a cura di) (2011), Lezioni di sociologia urbana, Bologna, il Mulino.
• Carrosio, G., Landi, A. (2023), Spazio, ambiente, territorio, Roma, Carocci editore.

Teaching methods

Lectures section (16 hours): bi-weekly conventional lectures (using Power Point) during which the course content is presented and discussed. The first part of the course is aimed at acquiring knowledge of facts/events, concepts, theories.

Lectures and Seminar part (24 hours): the active participation of the students is very important. Students will be asked to carry out a structured activity of comparison and verification of the knowledge acquired through the reading of the proposed bibliography: they will therefore be required to have already read the assigned material before the seminars. In particular, the professor will explore a particular topic in class each week; during the following seminar, at least one presentation by a student on one of the readings suggested by the professor is scheduled. At the same time, a discussant for each presentation will be identified and asked to comment in depth on the presentation. For this reason, it is important to send the presentation to the professor (and the discussant) a few days in advance.

Assessment methods

Attending students

Attending students must ensure consistent attendance in lectures and all 6 seminars. The examination consists of:

1. Presentation during the seminars and active participation in class discussion. The following aspects will be evaluated: accuracy and clarity of presentation, ability to synthesize and make connections between topics covered during the course, ability to make critical interventions and/or ask pertinent questions will be assessed (50% of the final grade). The grades will be as follows:

Unsatisfactory: approximate presentation, lack of clarity, lack of participation in class discussion;
18-21: adequate completeness, synthesis and clarity of presentation, limited participation in class discussion;
22-25: good synthesis and clarity of presentation; moderate participation in class discussion;
26-29: good synthesis and clarity of presentation; active participation in class discussion;
30: very good synthesis and clarity of presentation; active participation in class discussion and ability to make connections between different topics;
30 cum laude: excellent presentation, excellent ability to synthesize and explain clearly; active participation in class discussion, ability to make connections between different topics, and relevant personal development.

2. Short essay (max. 4,000 words, including footnotes and references), take-home (open book), related to one of the thematic tracks proposed by the professor. The essay must be submitted at the end of the seminars and emailed to the professor at least seven days before the exam. The following aspects will be evaluated: completeness of the paper, ability to summarize, clarity of exposition, and ability to make connections between the various topics covered (50% of the final grade). The grades will be as follows:

• Competence in a very limited number of topics discussed in the course and/or textbooks, limited ability to analyze the topics, overall correct language: grade 18-19;
• Competence in a limited number of topics discussed in the course and/or textbooks, sufficient ability to analyze the topics, correct language: grade 20-24;
• Competence on a large number of topics discussed in the course and/or textbooks, ability to make autonomous choices of critical analysis, mastery of specific terminology: grade 25-29
• Comprehensive competence in the topics discussed in the course and/or textbooks, ability to make autonomous choices of critical analysis and ability to make connections, full command of the specific terminology and ability to argue and self-reflect: grade 30-30 L.

 

Non-attending students:

The exam consists of:

1. A written test (70% of the final grade) consisting of 3 open-ended questions covering the entire program of the course for non-attending students. Students will have 45 minutes to complete the exam. The use of auxiliary materials (textbooks, notes, computer support) is not allowed during the exam. Grades are based on the following criteria: knowledge of the topics covered, expository ability, and use of appropriate technical vocabulary. Specifically, grades will be as follows:
Unsatisfactory: approximate or incorrect knowledge of subject matter, inadequate expository ability, and inappropriate use of concepts.
18-21: elementary knowledge of the subject, not always correct, sufficient expository ability, sufficiently appropriate use of concepts
22-25: satisfactory knowledge of the subject, fairly accurate exposition, adequate use of concepts
26-29: good knowledge of the subject, good exposition, good use of concepts
30: precise knowledge of the subject, very good presentation skills, very good use of concepts
30 cum laude: precise knowledge of subject matter, very good presentation skills, very appropriate use of concepts, and relevant personal revision of knowledge.

2. Non-attending students are also required to submit a short essay (max. 4,000 words, including footnotes and references) related to one of the topics proposed by the professor. The essay should be emailed to the professor at least seven days before the exam. The essay will be graded on completeness, ability to summarize, clarity of exposition, and ability to make connections between the various topics covered (30% of the final grade). Grades will be as follows:

Grading of final mark:

• Competence in a very limited number of topics discussed in the course and/or textbooks, limited ability to analyze the topics, overall correct language: grade 18-19;
• Competence in a limited number of topics discussed in the course and/or textbooks, sufficient ability to analyze the topics, correct language: grade 20-24;
• Competence on a large number of topics discussed in the course and/or textbooks, ability to make autonomous choices of critical analysis, mastery of specific terminology: grade 25-29
• Comprehensive competence in the topics discussed in the course and/or textbooks, ability to make autonomous choices of critical analysis and ability to make connections, full command of the specific terminology and ability to argue and self-reflect: grade 30-30 L.

Teaching tools

The course uses slides in powerpoint, which will be made available to the attedning students at the end of each lesson. Additional material (readings, papers) will be uploaded to the Virtuale platform.

Office hours

See the website of Alessandro Bozzetti