Study Plan

Module 1 – Epistemology of food and health

This course prepares students to work in the field of human and planetary health promotion, with particular reference to philosophical, scientific and communication skills and gastronomic education, within contexts that require the ability to interpret the philosophical (epistemological and ethical) value of food in a non-reductionist way. At the end of the course, students will have developed the ability to analyse food practices through the epistemology of food systems and the philosophy and history of science, recognising their cultural, symbolic, operational and material meanings. They will have acquired knowledge of the interactions between epistemology, ethics and sustainability from a One Health perspective, with particular attention to the interconnections between human, animal and environmental health. They will be able to foster participatory and transformative learning processes in communities using case studies that explore the relationship between science, knowledge, culture and sustainability, and will develop skills in designing interventions, initiatives or products that promote sustainable food behaviours.

Module 2 – Human wisdom, food and life values

The course prepares students to work in the field of human and planetary health promotion, with particular emphasis on philosophical and communicative competencies and gastronomic education, specifically in contexts that require the ability to interpret the philosophical value (ethical, aesthetic, and ontological) of food in a non-reductionist way. At the end of the course, students will develop the ability to analyze food practices through the aesthetics of taste and the philosophy of perception, recognizing their cultural and symbolic meanings. They will acquire knowledge about the interactions between aesthetics, ethics, and sustainability within the One Health perspective, with specific attention to the interconnections among human, animal, and environmental health. They will be able to foster participatory and transformative learning processes in communities using case studies that explore the relationship between taste, perception, culture, and sustainability, and will develop skills in designing interventions, initiatives, or products that promote sustainable food behaviors.

The course Agroecology and Sustainable Food Production will prepare students for improve agriculture and food production systems using Agroecology principles and practices.
After finishing the course, students will be able to:

• recognize farming systems as complex natural/social systems
• understand the role/impacts of different agricultural managements.
• understand agroecological concepts and principles
• apply the agroecology practices in the agroecosystems
• improve their competence of exploring such systems in an experiential and action-oriented mode.

The course Taste and Health will prepare students:

• to face the nutritional sciences with knowledge on advanced sensory nutrition and a broad ecological perspective on the sense of taste
• to operate and contribute in the food design and processing area to promote healthy and sustainable food innovation

After finishing the course, students will be able to:

• to know the main nutritive and non nutritive class of molecules in food
• to know the role of chemoreception in nutrition
• to know the role of extra-oral taste receptors on metabolism and microbiota cross talk
• to know the organization of the nervous system in relationship with food choice
• to know the role of taste education on health

Module 1 – Local Knowledge and Green Innovation

At the end of the course, the students will be able to:

• Understand the conceptual and methodological foundations of Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK) in ecological and socio-cultural terms.
• Analyse local knowledge systems within biocultural landscapes.
• Assess the potential of ethnobotanical and ethnoecological practices for sustainable innovation and regenerative approaches.
• Design green innovation strategies rooted in local ecological knowledge.
• Work ethically and collaboratively with communities in intercultural contexts.

Module 2 – Food Systems and Marine Ecology

The module "Food System and Marine Ecology" within the course "Blue and Green Regeneration" prepares students to:

• Describe the structure and functioning of marine and coastal ecosystems.
• Understand the role of marine ecosystems in climate regulation, nutrient cycling, and as a source of food resources, analyzing the connections between ecological functioning, productivity, and planetary health.
• Identify and explain the main anthropogenic pressures that compromise the health of ecosystems, such as overfishing, pollution, and climate change.
• Understand and discuss the concept of environmental regeneration in marine contexts, distinguishing it from sustainability and ecological restoration, and applying it to food systems and marine resource management.

At the end of the course, students will be able to:

• Understand and analyze the main ecological processes underlying the functioning of marine and coastal ecosystems.
• Recognize the value of biodiversity and the ecosystem services provided by the oceans.
• Reflect in an interdisciplinary and critical way on topics such as human impact on ecosystems and the principle of environmental sustainability in food production.
• Contribute to the design of circular and regenerative supply chains related to marine ecosystems.

The Human Nutrition course prepares students to understand the basic principles of human nutrition, to assess nutrition as a tool for prevention and care, to promote healthy and sustainable eating habits, and to explore new frontiers in nutritional research.

At the end of the course, students will be able to:

• Understand the biochemical and physiological foundations of nutrition
• Analyze the historical evolution of dietary habits
• Recognize the role of diet in preventing major chronic diseases and across different stages of life
• Understand the role of nutrition in linking human health and planetary health
• Promote sustainable and conscious eating practices
• Be familiar with scientific innovations in the field of personalized nutrition

The "Microbiota and Human Health" course prepares students to address, through an interdisciplinary approach, topics related to the interactions between diet, microbiota and the health of humans, animals and the environment, in accordance with the principles of the One Health paradigm.

The course provides theoretical and practical tools to understand how diet influences the composition and function of the gut microbiota and how this microbiota contributes to metabolic, immune and neurological health in organisms and ecosystems.

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

• analyze the main communication pathways between microbiota, metabolism and the immune system.
• evaluate the impact of specific dietary patterns on the microbiota and on health from both preventive and therapeutic perspectives.
• interpret scientific data and experimental results from clinical, nutritional and environmental studies.
• discuss, from a One Health perspective, the links between sustainable diets, human well-being and environmental protection.
• work together in multidisciplinary teams to design nutritional and environmental interventions based on scientific evidence.

The course “Livestock Systems and the One Health–One Welfare Approach” prepares students for an integrated perspective on food production. It explores the role of livestock farming and animal sciences within the framework of Planetary Health, analysing the interconnections between animal, human, and environmental health, and addressing the three dimensions of sustainability — social, economic, and environmental. Students will acquire knowledge and skills related to sustainable production systems, animal welfare, the fight against antimicrobial resistance, nutrition, genetics and biodiversity conservation, as well as the development of short supply chains and their impact on public health and consumers.

The course focuses on the main livestock species (cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry, rabbits, including elements of aquaculture), addressing the topics in a cross-cutting and transdisciplinary manner.

At the end of the course, students will be able to understand the relationships between animal production and global health, with a particular focus on animal welfare and consumer science. Furthermore, they will gain practical skills in assessing animal welfare on farms, using tools to reduce antimicrobial use, and developing virtuous value chains that enhance the quality and value of animal-derived foods.

TBD

The “Ecological Foot(d)print” course explores how food systems influence planetary sustainability and human well-being. It examines the environmental, ethical and social dimensions of food production and consumption, focusing on the ecological footprints of diets, agriculture and the global food trade. Students will learn to assess and design sustainable, equitable and health-promoting food systems that respect planetary boundaries.

By the end of this course, students are expected to be able to:

• explain the concept of ecological footprint and its application to food systems.
• analyze the environmental impacts of food production, distribution and consumption patterns.
• evaluate trade-offs between nutritional quality, sustainability and social justice.
• assess how individual and collective dietary choices affect ecosystems, climate and biodiversity.
• identify strategies to reduce the ecological footprint of food through innovation, policy and behavioral change.
• integrate systems thinking to propose sustainable and resilient food solutions within planetary boundaries.

This course prepares students for careers in:

• Sustainable food systems and environmental policy
• Corporate sustainability and supply chain management
• Public and global health with a focus on nutrition and environment
• Research and innovation in sustainable agriculture and food transitions

The emerging field of planetary health explicitly accounts for the importance of natural systems in terms of averted cases of disease and the potential harm that comes from human perturbations of these systems. The “Planetary Health” course introduces students to key planetary health concepts and how the health and sustainability of our Earth systems and human health are intrinsically linked.

By the end of this course, students will be expected to be able to:

• discuss planetary health as part of the broader discussions about the Anthropocene and planetary boundaries.
• analyze the basic mechanism and the underlying connection between the health of our planet, nature, animals and humans.
• identify the key physical and mental health impacts related to the functioning of Earth’s natural systems.
• evaluate different perspectives on planetary health, including Indigenous perspectives.
• evaluate planetary-health-friendly and resilient systems and potential adaptation strategies, including (intergenerational) inequities and vulnerabilities.
• identify strategies that foster hope and collaborative action to mitigate or adapt to climate change.
• develop an integrated systems perspective of planetary health, which requires exploring methods and concepts such as nature-based solutions.

This course prepares students for careers in environmental health, sustainability science, public health policy, climate change adaptation, planetary health research, nature-based solutions design and other interdisciplinary fields that integrate human and ecological well-being.

When it comes to nutrition, the global health perspective provides interesting insights. While one region of the world is trying to fight an obesity pandemic, another part of the world has trouble feeding its population with nutritious food. Very different problems, but both with severe outcomes. In the “Global Health Nutrition” course, you will dive into the topic of nutrition and health around the globe. By identifying the vulnerable groups, existing problems and previously executed interventions we will improve the understanding of the differences around the world. By combining this knowledge with existing governmental bodies and policies, students will learn to also view these known issues from the governance side. And what about the future? We already know some things that are coming towards us (climate change), but what if it is suddenly here (crisis management)?

Students will approach the topics within public health nutrition and global health from an interdisciplinary perspective. As in traditional public health, they will combine biology, epidemiology, behavior change and policy.

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

• discuss global health nutrition issues in critical need for attention and identify determinants of nutrition inequities and global food security.
• distinguish nutritional needs of different vulnerable groups (e.g. mothers, infants, adolescents) and related adverse health outcomes of global public health relevance.
• differentiate between existing governmental and non-governmental organizations involved in global health nutrition and their responsibilities.
• critically appraise existing policies and action frameworks on global health nutrition issues.
• apply existing knowledge and theories on future challenges that may impact the field of global health and global nutrition thereby distinguishing between the different regions of the world and relating relevant policies to this.
• evaluate how global health nutrition interventions are planned and discuss what factors may obstruct successful implementation.
• explain a current global health nutrition issue to a non-scientific audience and demonstrate how nutrition interventions could prevent, manage and/or eliminate said issue.

The course Food Governance and Law prepares students to address the global challenges of food systems in terms of environmental and social sustainability, adopting an interdisciplinary and holistic approach based on Planetary Health, as professionals in the fields of design, management and impact assessment of the activities of national public and private bodies, NGOs and international organizations, with the aim of contributing to the transition toward healthy, equitable and sustainable food systems.

At the end of the course, students will be able to analyze and understand the tools and dynamics of international governance of food systems and global value chains, in their international and regional dimensions, and will be able to identify issues and critical aspects of related policies, including in relation to the participation of state and non-state actors in the formation and compliance with relevant international norms, identifying obligations and instruments for the protection of the environment, climate and human rights, including from an environmental, social and governance perspective (ESG – Environmental, Social, Governance). Students will be able to understand the environmental and social impacts of global food systems and their interconnections, acquiring tools to consistently assess and guide the policies and actions of state bodies, international organizations, NGOs and private companies.