Biology 295 syllabus

Sustainable Agriculture

Biology/ENTS 295 - Winter 2003

Course Syllabus

The major theme of this course will be developing a working definition of 'sustainability' in agricultural systems. Agriculture comprises the greatest single type of land use on the planet – as such, what happens on farms will have large and far-reaching effects in all other systems on the biosphere. Furthermore, with world human population continuing to grow at an exponential rate, the search for sustainable agricultural systems will become more and more urgent. This task is not as easy as it may at first seem - I find that everyone I talk to has a different definition of "sustainable agriculture," based in part on a variety of ideals, ethics, and views of agriculture. I hope that by looking at agricultural issues from a variety of perspectives, we can see the issues through the eyes of many types of people - a scientist, an environmentalist, a ‘conventional’ farmer, an organic farmer, etc. I am an organic farmer myself (my wife and I have a farm called Big Woods Farm) and I have my own opinions about a whole host of agricultural issues. However, my goal is to provide a balanced view of all issues – please let me know if my biases get out of hand (and also feel free to ask what my opinions are!).

Course Format

The class will meet during the 4A time slot (MW 12:30AM-1:40PM; F 1:10PM-2:10PM) in Olin 02. The class meetings will consist of a mix of lecture, discussion, and outside speakers, as noted on the course schedule. I will use my lectures to present background information, for example on agricultural practices. Most discussions will focus on several assigned readings. About 1/3 of the class meetings will have guest speakers, most of whom are farmers.

The first half of the course will be a "crash course" in agricultural methods. Through my lectures and readings I hope to provide everyone with a common foundation of what techniques are involved in farming. Since the sustainability of an agricultural system depends on what practices are used, it’s important to understand the set of possible practices from which to choose. During the second half, we will address several specific topics, including biotechnology, farm policy, and alternative models (such as Community Supported Agriculture).

Assigned Readings

Required texts for the course:

The Art of the Common Place by Wendell Berry.

Fatal Harvest: The Tragedy of Industrial Agriculture, edited by Andrew Kimball.

As mentioned above, the discussions will focus on several assigned readings, as listed on the class web page. In addition, I will also assign material for most of the lectures and for speaker visits.

Instructor

David Hougen-Eitzman

Office: Hulings 104

Office Hours: Wed 2:30-3:30pm; Thurs 9:00-10:00am

Phone: x4378

e-mail: deitzman

Farm Models

There is a bewildering diversity of farms and farming methods used throughout this country and the world. In order to allow for discussion and analysis of alternative methods, we will focus our attention in the course on two farming ‘models’. By narrowing the discussions in this way, we can hopefully deal with particular situations and reduce the immense diversity in the types of farms and farming practices to a manageable level. For both of these models, I chose farms that occur in southern Minnesota. The first model is a standard midwestern farm - a farm where the farmers derive most of their income from the farm, grow row crops that primarily include corn and soybeans, and may raise either hogs or dairy cows. If the farm has dairy cows, the farmers also will probably raise hay on some of the acreage. The second model is a midwestern vegetable farm. Again the farmers derive most of their income from the farm and here grow a variety of vegetables that are either sold through wholesale or direct marketed to stores, co-ops or farmer's markets. I am an organic vegetable grower myself, so I hope you will excuse my bias towards this model.

Though we will focus on midwestern farms, there will be times when our readings discuss farms in other parts of the country, or our discussions deal with issues of a national or international nature. By giving ourselves a grounding in a specific area (i.e., the two Midwestern farm models), we will all have a common basis both for learning concepts and from which we can broaden our discussions to include more complicated (and hence more real) situations.

Grading

The class grade will be based on two essays, a mid-term exam, a group project and poster, and participation in the Caucus conference and discussions. Since participation in discussions and interaction with the speakers are both integral parts of the course, attendance at all class meetings is mandatory (two unexcused absences are allowed).

Graded work:

40% two essays

20% mid-term exam

30% group project (including peer evaluation)

10% Class participation

Essays

There will be two graded essays due during the term (see class schedule for exact dates). For each essay I will hand out a list of possible topics one week before the essay is due. This list will draw on the material covered during the previous three or four weeks. For your essay, you may choose a topic or issue from the list, or you can discuss with me an idea you have for an alternative topic. If your topic differs from the possibilities included on the list, you must talk with me about your idea. In any case, the topic for the essay must deal with issues discussed in class during the previous three weeks (either from assigned readings, in-class discussions, a visiting speaker, or lectures). Refer to the essay stylesheet for information about the format of the essays. After I return your essay with a grade and my comments, you may rewrite the essay and receive up to one letter grade increase in your grade.

Mid-term Exam

There will be one take-home exam due before mid-term break (due on Fri. Feb. 7). This exam will cover material in my lectures, as well as assigned readings up until Fri. Jan. 31. The exam will be both open-book and open-notes - that is, you can use whatever notes you have taken in class or whatever readings we have used in class to work on the exam. However, you must work independently on the exam.

Group Project

Each student will conduct a group project with one or two other students. This group project should deal with a topic related to sustainable agriculture (see list of possible topics). A study topic should be chosen that draws on the expertise and/or interest of each of the group members. During the last week of the term, each group will present a poster during a poster session that occurs during class (see the class schedule). The posters will be evaluated by both me and our teaching assistant, as well as by half of the class. Refer to the poster stylesheet for information about the format of the poster, the presentation during the poster session, and the grading of the poster.

After the class poster session, we will ask each member in the group to evaluate the other members in his/her project group in terms of how much each person participated. The score you give to your group members should reflect how you feel about the extent to which the other members of your group contributed to your group's work and performance. This score will be used to alter the group project score for each group member – up to one letter grade up or down. See the peer evaluation handout for a description of how this process will work.

Participation

Two types of participation are required for this course. First, as much of the course material is presented and discussed in class, I expect all students to attend all classes and take part in all discussions (see handout on class discussions). Part of my expectation for your attendance in class is that you have completed the assigned readings before class begins. Second, each student should respond to all class speakers on Caucus. To get full credit for participation on Caucus conference, you must respond to each class speaker within one week of the speaker’s visit.

Class Conference on ‘Caucus’

I have set up a Caucus conference for this course called ‘Sustainable Agriculture.’ This conference will serve two purposes. First, I hope that it will serve as a medium for online discussions about issues raised in the course (in lectures, readings, and discussions) and other current agriculture-related issues about which you have an interest. Second, the conference will provide a location for you to enter comments on visits from speakers.

The class conference is an online bulletin board of sorts. It is structured as a series of topics, with a set of replies attached to each topic. Comments or replies about the topic are then attached to the topic. For example, you should enter your comment/response to a speaker as a reply to the topic. Additionally, I welcome you to post comments on sustainable agriculture or the course here.

To access Caucus, go to the Sustainable Agriculture Class Web Page and click on ‘Caucus’. Then click the box that says ‘Log in to Caucus’. You should then join the 'Sustainable Agriculture' class conference. The easiest way to do this is to type ‘Sustainable Agriculture’ in the box for joining a conference. Alternatively, you can look at the list of all conferences and click on the one titled ‘Sustainable Agriculture’. Once you are on the ‘Sustainable Agriculture’ Caucus page, you should make yourself a member of the conference and add the conference to your personal list by clicking on the appropriate ‘Yes!’ box. Reading and responding to messages is relatively straightforward – follow the directions on the screen. If you have questions, contact me or someone at the computer help desk in CMC.

Class web page

I have created a web page for the course. This page can be found by clicking 'Courses' on the Carleton Biology Department home page. There are quite a few resources available related to agriculture on the World Wide Web and I hope the course web page will help you in your search for information. I will put useful and interesting links to agriculturally-related sites on the course web page as I find them: if you find any good sites, let me know so I can add them to the page. In addition, I will put copies of the class handouts on the web page so you can refer to them on-line.

I encourage anyone with special needs to talk to me after the first class period or come visit with me in my office.

Return to class home page



Sustainable Agriculture Biology/ENTS 295 - Winter 2003 Course Syllabus Return to class home page The major theme of this course will be developing a working definition of 'sustainability' in agricultural systems. Agriculture comprises the greatest single type of land use on the planet – as such, what happens on farms will have large and far-reaching effects in all other systems on the biosphere. Furthermore, with world human population continuing to grow at an exponential rate, the search for sustainable agricultural systems will become more and more urgent. This task is not as easy as it may at first seem - I find that everyone I talk to has a different definition of "sustainable agriculture," based in part on a variety of ideals, ethics, and views of agriculture. I hope that by looking at agricultural issues from a variety of perspectives, we can see the issues through the eyes of many types of people - a scientist, an environmentalist, a ‘conventional’ farmer, an organic farmer, etc. I am an organic farmer myself (my wife and I have a farm called Big Woods Farm) and I have my own opinions about a whole host of agricultural issues. However, my goal is to provide a balanced view of all issues – please let me know if my biases get out of hand (and also feel free to ask what my opinions are!). Course Format The class will meet during the 4A time slot (MW 12:30AM-1:40PM; F 1:10PM-2:10PM) in Olin 02. The class meetings will consist of a mix of lecture, discussion, and outside speakers, as noted on the course schedule. I will use my lectures to present background information, for example on agricultural practices. Most discussions will focus on several assigned readings. About 1/3 of the class meetings will have guest speakers, most of whom are farmers. The first half of the course will be a "crash course" in agricultural methods. Through my lectures and readings I hope to provide everyone with a common foundation of what techniques are involved in farming. Since the sustainability of an agricultural system depends on what practices are used, it’s important to understand the set of possible practices from which to choose. During the second half, we will address several specific topics, including biotechnology, farm policy, and alternative models (such as Community Supported Agriculture). Assigned Readings Required texts for the course: The Art of the Common Place by Wendell Berry. Fatal Harvest: The Tragedy of Industrial Agriculture, edited by Andrew Kimball. As mentioned above, the discussions will focus on several assigned readings, as listed on the class web page. In addition, I will also assign material for most of the lectures and for speaker visits. Instructor David Hougen-Eitzman Office: Hulings 104 Office Hours: Wed 2:30-3:30pm; Thurs 9:00-10:00am Phone: x4378 e-mail: deitzman Farm Models There is a bewildering diversity of farms and farming methods used throughout this country and the world. In order to allow for discussion and analysis of alternative methods, we will focus our attention in the course on two farming ‘models’. By narrowing the discussions in this way, we can hopefully deal with particular situations and reduce the immense diversity in the types of farms and farming practices to a manageable level. For both of these models, I chose farms that occur in southern Minnesota. The first model is a standard midwestern farm - a farm where the farmers derive most of their income from the farm, grow row crops that primarily include corn and soybeans, and may raise either hogs or dairy cows. If the farm has dairy cows, the farmers also will probably raise hay on some of the acreage. The second model is a midwestern vegetable farm. Again the farmers derive most of their income from the farm and here grow a variety of vegetables that are either sold through wholesale or direct marketed to stores, co-ops or farmer's markets. I am an organic vegetable grower myself, so I hope you will excuse my bias towards this model. Though we will focus on midwestern farms, there will be times when our readings discuss farms in other parts of the country, or our discussions deal with issues of a national or international nature. By giving ourselves a grounding in a specific area (i.e., the two Midwestern farm models), we will all have a common basis both for learning concepts and from which we can broaden our discussions to include more complicated (and hence more real) situations. Grading The class grade will be based on two essays, a mid-term exam, a group project and poster, and participation in the Caucus conference and discussions. Since participation in discussions and interaction with the speakers are both integral parts of the course, attendance at all class meetings is mandatory (two unexcused absences are allowed). Graded work: 40% two essays 20% mid-term exam 30% group project (including peer evaluation) 10% Class participation Essays There will be two graded essays due during the term (see class schedule for exact dates). For each essay I will hand out a list of possible topics one week before the essay is due. This list will draw on the material covered during the previous three or four weeks. For your essay, you may choose a topic or issue from the list, or you can discuss with me an idea you have for an alternative topic. If your topic differs from the possibilities included on the list, you must talk with me about your idea. In any case, the topic for the essay must deal with issues discussed in class during the previous three weeks (either from assigned readings, in-class discussions, a visiting speaker, or lectures). Refer to the essay stylesheet for information about the format of the essays. After I return your essay with a grade and my comments, you may rewrite the essay and receive up to one letter grade increase in your grade. Mid-term Exam There will be one take-home exam due before mid-term break (due on Fri. Feb. 7). This exam will cover material in my lectures, as well as assigned readings up until Fri. Jan. 31. The exam will be both open-book and open-notes - that is, you can use whatever notes you have taken in class or whatever readings we have used in class to work on the exam. However, you must work independently on the exam. Group Project Each student will conduct a group project with one or two other students. This group project should deal with a topic related to sustainable agriculture (see list of possible topics). A study topic should be chosen that draws on the expertise and/or interest of each of the group members. During the last week of the term, each group will present a poster during a poster session that occurs during class (see the class schedule). The posters will be evaluated by both me and our teaching assistant, as well as by half of the class. Refer to the poster stylesheet for information about the format of the poster, the presentation during the poster session, and the grading of the poster. After the class poster session, we will ask each member in the group to evaluate the other members in his/her project group in terms of how much each person participated. The score you give to your group members should reflect how you feel about the extent to which the other members of your group contributed to your group's work and performance. This score will be used to alter the group project score for each group member – up to one letter grade up or down. See the peer evaluation handout for a description of how this process will work. Participation Two types of participation are required for this course. First, as much of the course material is presented and discussed in class, I expect all students to attend all classes and take part in all discussions (see handout on class discussions). Part of my expectation for your attendance in class is that you have completed the assigned readings before class begins. Second, each student should respond to all class speakers on Caucus. To get full credit for participation on Caucus conference, you must respond to each class speaker within one week of the speaker’s visit. Class Conference on ‘Caucus’ I have set up a Caucus conference for this course called ‘Sustainable Agriculture.’ This conference will serve two purposes. First, I hope that it will serve as a medium for online discussions about issues raised in the course (in lectures, readings, and discussions) and other current agriculture-related issues about which you have an interest. Second, the conference will provide a location for you to enter comments on visits from speakers. The class conference is an online bulletin board of sorts. It is structured as a series of topics, with a set of replies attached to each topic. Comments or replies about the topic are then attached to the topic. For example, you should enter your comment/response to a speaker as a reply to the topic. Additionally, I welcome you to post comments on sustainable agriculture or the course here. To access Caucus, go to the Sustainable Agriculture Class Web Page and click on ‘Caucus’. Then click the box that says ‘Log in to Caucus’. You should then join the 'Sustainable Agriculture' class conference. The easiest way to do this is to type ‘Sustainable Agriculture’ in the box for joining a conference. Alternatively, you can look at the list of all conferences and click on the one titled ‘Sustainable Agriculture’. Once you are on the ‘Sustainable Agriculture’ Caucus page, you should make yourself a member of the conference and add the conference to your personal list by clicking on the appropriate ‘Yes!’ box. Reading and responding to messages is relatively straightforward – follow the directions on the screen. If you have questions, contact me or someone at the computer help desk in CMC. Class web page I have created a web page for the course. This page can be found by clicking 'Courses' on the Carleton Biology Department home page. There are quite a few resources available related to agriculture on the World Wide Web and I hope the course web page will help you in your search for information. I will put useful and interesting links to agriculturally-related sites on the course web page as I find them: if you find any good sites, let me know so I can add them to the page. In addition, I will put copies of the class handouts on the web page so you can refer to them on-line. I encourage anyone with special needs to talk to me after the first class period or come visit with me in my office. Return to class home page