Course description
Globalization, in particular economic globalization, has important impacts on the environment that have to be considered in order to achieve sustainable development.
The course aims at introducing the students to globalization and to its environmental implications. Environmental issues have gained center-stage in economic analysis and policy-making and their urgency has opened new opportunities in terms of technological innovation and entrepreneurship.
Through an interdisciplinary perspective, the course will provide students with key competences and instruments for the analysis of natural and environmental resources in a sustainable perspective and for the development of policies oriented towards the promotion of sustainable development processes both at a national and international level.

Introduction and objectives
The course focuses on environmental issues in a globalized contest within the framework of sustainable development. For this purpose the course will cover different themes, starting from the introduction of the concepts of economic globalization and of sustainable development, exploring then the new concept of Green growth and Circular Economy. The course will also explore the role of firms for the sustainable development, analysing practical case studies.

Course organisation and supervision
The overall structure of the course and its thematic organisation have been developed by prof. Ignazio Musu (Ca’ Foscari University, TEN Program - Venice International University) and Dr Ilda Mannino (TEN Program - Venice International University). Ilda Mannino is also coordinator of the course.
The course is organised around different thematic areas, each developed through classes, and lectures by experts and researchers with a different background.

Course requirements
Students will be expected to do the required readings and to attend class regularly. Attendance is compulsory for all students. Required readings will be designated on a weekly basis according to the themes listed in the course outline. Students will be also encouraged to find additional material for their papers by searching the Internet and accessing suggested websites.
Field trips and seminars related to the course will be arranged.

Ca’ Foscari students enrolled in Bachelor degrees - Management or Economics Department can attend this course and final exam (auditors are not admitted) however they cannot include it in their “piano di studi” as this course is equivalent to a Master degree course.

As this course is considered equivalent to the course “Pianificazione Strategica e Management della Sostenibilità” and awarded 12 CFU, Ca’ Foscari Master degree students – Management Department must integrate the 40 hours of in-class tuition with a minimum of 40 hours in seminars, field trips and VIULECTURES.

Evaluation method

Module Essays – There will be a short essay requested to each student for each module – 45% of the final grade.
Paper – There will be a group research paper required for the course – 45% of the final grade. 
Class participation – Overall class participation, in terms of both attendance and interaction, will count for 10% of the final grade.

Syllabus

Week 0 – February 18-22
Orientation Week

THEME I –INTRODUCTION TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Week 1 – February 25
Day 1
Interaction Between Society and Environment – part I
Dr Ilda Mannino (TEN Program, Venice International University)
Required Readings: Book Ecological Economics, by Michael Common and Sigrid Stagl, Chapters 3-4.
Day 2
Interaction Between Society and Environment – part II
Dr Ilda Mannino (TEN Program, Venice International University)
Required Readings: Book Ecological Economics, by Michael Common and Sigrid Stagl, Chapters 3-4. Economic Globalisation Origins and Consequences, by Jean -Yve Shuwart Loïc Verdier, pp. 108-126.

THEME II – INTRODUCTION TO GLOBALIZATION

Week 2 – March 4
Day 3
Globalization: an Historical Perspective – Part I
Prof. Ignazio Musu (Ca’ Foscari University and TEN Program, Venice International University)
Required Readings: R. Baldwin (2016), The Great Convergence. Harvard University press,
Day, 4
Globalization: an Historical Perspective – Part II
Prof. Ignazio Musu (Ca’ Foscari University and TEN Program, Venice International University)
Required Readings: R. Baldwin (2016), The Great Convergence. Harvard University press

THEME III – SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT CONCEPT

Week 3 – March 11
Day 5
Development of the SD concept – Rio92 and the Rio Declaration
Dr Ilda Mannino (TEN Program on Sustainability, Venice International University)
Required Readings: Book Ecological Economics, by Michael Common and Sigrid Stagl, Chapter 10: 10.4; UN (1992), Rio Declaration; http://www.undp.org/mdg/; http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/reports.shtml, The Millennium Declaration; http://unsdsn.org/
Day 6
Development of the SD concept: After Rio92
Dr Ilda Mannino (TEN Program on Sustainability, Venice International University)
Required Readings: UN 2012,The future we want; Final list of proposed Sustainable Development Goal indicators.

Week 4 – March 18
Day 7
The Sustainable Development Goals
Dr Ilda Mannino (TEN Program on Sustainability, Venice International University)
Required Readings:
https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/topics/sustainabledevelopmentgoals
Reid A.J. et al. (2017). Post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals still neglecting their
environmental roots in the Anthropocene, Environmental Science and Policy 77, pp 179–184; Lomborg B. (2017). The Mis-Measure of Development.
Day 8
Focus on SDGs 12: Sustainable Consumption and Production
Dr Ilda Mannino (TEN Program on Sustainability, Venice International University)
Required Readings: Frosch R.A., Gallopoulos N. (1989). "Strategies for Manufacturing", Scientific American 9/89; Jackson T. (2005); Lifset R. & Graedel T.E. (2002). Industrial ecology: goals and definitions in A handbook of industrial ecology, Robert . Ayres, Leslie Ayres (eds.).
Suggested Readings: Font D. V., McDowall w., Freire-González J., Kempd R., van der Voet E. (2016). The foundations of the environmental rebound effect and its contribution towards a general framework, Ecological Economics 125 (2016) 60–69.

Week 5 – March 25
Day 9
Focus on SDGs 12: Sustainable Consumption and Production – Part II
Dr Ilda Mannino (TEN Program on Sustainability, Venice International University)
Required Readings: Live Better by Consuming Less? Is There a “Double Dividend” in Sustainable Consumption?”, Journal of Industrial Ecology, Vol. 9, n. 1–2; Hertwich E. G. (2005). “Consumption and the Rebound Effect. An Industrial Ecology Perspective”, Journal of Industrial Ecology, Volume 9, Number 1–2; Weng M. L. (2017). Inside the sustainable consumption theoretical toolbox: Critical concepts for sustainability, consumption, and marketing, Journal of Business Research 78 (2017) 69–80.
Day 10
WS Enel Foundation

Week 6 – April 1
Day 11
Globalization, Economic Growth and the Environment
Prof. Ignazio Musu (Ca’ Foscari University and TEN Program, Venice International University)
Required Readings: I. Musu (2012), The difficult path to greening economic growth, VIU, 2014
Day 12
Globalization and the Environment The Challenge of Climate Change
Prof. Ignazio Musu (Ca’ Foscari University and TEN Program, Venice International University)
Required Readings: Stern N. (2015), Why Are We Waiting, MIT Press
Suggested Readings: Maslin M. (2018), Climate Change: a very short introduction, Oxford University Press

THEME V – SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN PRACTICE: CIRCULAR ECONOMY

Week 7 – April 8
Day 13
Circular Economy Part I
Dr Ilda Mannino (TEN Program on Sustainability, Venice International University)
Day 14
Circular Economy Part I
Dr Ilda Mannino (TEN Program on Sustainability, Venice International University)

THEME VI – SUSTAINABILITY IN PRACTICE – DESIGN THINKING LAB

Day 15
Introduction to Design Thinking Methodology
Design thinking experts

Week 8 – April 15
Day 16
Design Thinking case study: Circular Economy in Venice
Dr Ilda Mannino (TEN Program on Sustainability, Venice International University)

Mid-term break April 22 - 26

Week 9 – April 29
Day 17
Research Tools for the Design Thinking
Design thinking experts
Day 18
Design Thinking, Stage II: Define the Problem
Design thinking experts

Week 10 – May 6
Day 19
Presentation and Revision of Students’ work
Dr Ilda Mannino (TEN Program on Sustainability, Venice International University)
Day 20
Design Thinking: How to define the problem
Design thinking experts

Week 11 – May 13
Day 21
Presentation and Revision of Students’ work on Problem Definition
Dr Ilda Mannino (TEN Program on Sustainability, Venice International University)
Day 22
Design Thinking: How to develop the solutions
Design thinking experts

Week 12 – May 20
Day 23
Revision of Students’ work on solutions development
Dr Ilda Mannino (TEN Program on Sustainability, Venice International University)
Day 24
Revision of Students’ work on prototype
Dr Ilda Mannino (TEN Program on Sustainability, Venice International University)

Due - Design Thinking Lab project

Week 13 – May 27
- Presentation of the Design Thinking Lab projects

Site visits
Site visit to Port of Venice and MOSE – Mobile Barriers Project (compulsory for all students)