1. The direct method in the calculus of variations -- 2. Minimum problems for integral functionals -- 3. Relaxation -- 4. ?-convergence and K-convergence -- 5. Comparison with pointwise convergence -- 6. Some properties of ?-limits -- 7. Convergence of minima and of minimizers -- 8. Sequential characterization of ?-limits -- 9. ?-convergence in metric spaces -- 10. The topology of ?-convergence -- 11. ?-convergence in topological vector spaces -- 12. Quadratic forms and linear operators -- 13. Convergence of resolvents and G-convergence -- 14. Increasing set functions -- 15. Lower semicontinuous increasing functionals -- 16. $$ \bar{\Gamma } $$-convergence of increasing set functional -- 17. The topology of $$ \bar{\Gamma } $$-convergence -- 18. The fundamental estimate -- 19. Local functionals and the fundamental estimate -- 20. Integral representation of ?-limits -- 21. Boundary conditions -- 22. G-convergence of elliptic operators -- 23. Translation invariant functional -- 24. Homogenization -- 25. Some examples in homogenization -- Guide to the literature