Students after the completion of the course should be able to:

- handle different definitions of the rural and its uses

- Know the content of local development and rural development

- familiarized with rural development geographies and current changes

- familiarized with the most important rural development policies in the EU

- plan and evaluate a rural development programme

- write and present a paper

Introduction in theory and policy of rural development in Europe and Greece. Definitions of "the rural" and rural geographies (consumption, environmental nostalgia, multifunctionality, etc.), sustainable rural; Rural development policies in the EU: the CAP and its impacts; the future of rural areas in Greece and the EU.

The course is completed after 13 lectures:1 Introduction2 Rural areas and agriculture: definitions and symbols3 Post-productive rural4 Multifunctional rural households: broadening, deepening and regrounding5 Added value and rural development6 Quality and quality geographies7 Short and long food supply chains8 Rural development practices9 Rural development practices II10 From practices to policies: the CAP until the rural development policy11 Rural development policies in EU and their evaluation12 The future of Greek and EU rural areas13 Summary- papers - evaluation

• Woods M. (2011) Γεωγραφία της Υπαίθρου, Κριτική, Αθήνα.
• Σπιλάνης Ι., Ιωσηφίδης Θ. και Κίζος Θ. (επιμ) (2004) Στρατηγικές Ανάπτυξης σε Λιγότερο Ευνοημένες Περιοχές, Gutenberg, Αθήνα.
• Παπαδόπουλος, Α. (επιμ.) (2004) Η Ανάπτυξη σε μια Πολυλειτουργική Ύπαιθρο, Gutenberg, Αθήνα.