No requirements

. Understand about the major and serious problems afflicting the world. . Understand the concept of sustainable development in its three dimensions: economic, social and environmental. . Analyze the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their targets. . Develop a critical and interdisciplinary view of the major global challenges: poverty, inequality, governance, climate change, environmental justice, migration, peace, economic growth, etc. . Foster an ethical and professional commitment to equitable, inclusive and sustainable development models.

TOPIC 1 Approach to sustainable development and its evolution 1.1 Institutional architecture of sustainable development: The United Nations and its role in its development 1.2 Origin and evolution of the concept 1.3 Main international agreements 1.4 From the MDGs to the SDG -2030 Agenda 1.5 International cooperation and sustainable development TOPIC 2 The multifaceted challenges we face: the complexity of sustainable development. Fundamental concepts. 2.1 Anthropocene 2.2 Vulnerability 2.3 Inequality 2.4 Global South and Global North 2.5 Adaptation and mitigation 2.6 Planetary boundaries 2.7 Population growth. Regional differences 2.8 Food and land use: diets and agriculture 2.9 Energy 1.10 Climate crisis TOPIC 3 The 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals 3.1 Content, structure and targets of the 17 SDGs 3.2 Compliance monitoring plan 3.4 Difficulties in implementation TOPIC 4 Interlinked dimensions of sustainability 4.1 Environmental sustainability 4.2 Economic sustainability 4.3 Social sustainability 4.4 Cultural sustainability: Diversity and human development. TOPIC 5 How did we get here? 5.1 The idea of progress Did it all start with steam? Energy use since the Industrial Revolution 5.2 The notion of development. Development as economic growth. 5.3 Development as the satisfaction of basic needs. 5.4 Global economic integration and development. 5.5 The paradigm shift: sustainable human development. TOPIC 6 Global governance of sustainable development 6.1. Concept of global governance 6.2 Key principles of governance 6.3 Structure of global governance 6.4 Structural challenges and tensions 6.5 Tensions and challenges of global governance TOPIC 7 International agents of sustainable development (I) 7.1 States 7.2 International organisations: universal, regional and specialised 7.3 Political actors: political parties and movements at different levels: national, regional, supranational and global. 7.4 NGOs and civil society committed to sustainability. Sustainable activism. TOPIC 8 International agents of sustainable development (II) 8.1 Businesses: sustainable corporate practices. 8.2 Indigenous peoples, traditional communities and Afro-descendants 8.3 The role of academia and researchers TOPIC 9 The legal framework of sustainability 9.1 Soft law and hard law 9.2 The right to development 9.4 Environmental law 9.5 Human rights TOPIC 10 How to measure sustainability and why it is necessary to measure it? 10.1 Sustainability indicators 10.2 International frameworks and indices 10.3 Measurement in the business sphere 10.4 Tools, systems and innovation for sustainability TOPIC 11 Measuring progress in the sustainability process in different dimensions 11.1 Case studies: multidimensional, between regions of the world and countries 11.2 Behavioural change in the context of the climate crisis: is it possible? 11.3 Behavioural economics and environmental policy. 11.4 Acceptance of sustainable development policies 11.5 The vision of the new generations TOPIC 12 Who pays the cost of transitions (current and future)? 12. 1 A geographical divide: the Global South versus the Global North 12. 2 Climate crisis, poverty and climate refugees 12.3 Green transitions in the Global North: a new colonialism in the Global South? TOPIC 13 Rural and urban sustainability and technology and sustainability 13. 1 Agriculture, livestock farming and the climate crisis 13. 2 Urbanisation and resilient cities. 13.3 Green and clean technology 13.4 Sustainable digitalisation 13.5 Circular economy TOPIC 14 The counterpoint and the future of sustainable development 14.1 Forms of opposition to sustainable development (denialism, scepticism, economic interests, populism, etc.) 14.2 Actors and strategies of the discourse against sustainable development 14.3 Impact of opposition on sustainable policies 14.4 Responses to opposition

. Reading the assigned material before each class. . Forming groups to work on a topic (provided on the first day of class) to be presented in class. . Mid-term multiple-choice exam. . Final exam at the end of the course.