Do#not#copy#without#the#express#written#consent#of#the#instructor.#1 | Sust. Agr.- Dr. Shetty ## EVR 4274: Sustainable Agriculture Syllabus for Spring 2017 (3 credits) Instructors: Dr. Kateel Shetty VH 210, Phone: (305) 348-0178 Email: [email protected] Office Hours: Dr. Shetty: Mondays and Wednesdays 2:30 – 4 PM, Walk-ins are okay but call me first. Class Schedule: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 12:00 - 12:50 PM Class Room: TBA Texts: ü Toward Sustainable Agricultural Systems in the 21st Century. National Research Council, Washington, DC: The National Academic Press. (e-book) Course Description: Ø This course provides an overview of sustainable agriculture. The course looks at the sustainability of food production at multiple levels: farm resources, community, regional, national and global. Students will gain basic understanding of the environmental problems caused by conventional agriculture/horticulture and understand the challenges to alternative forms of sustainable agriculture.Do#not#copy#without#the#express#written#consent#of#the#instructor.#2 | Sust. Agr.- Dr. Shetty ##Ø This class is intended for students with a general interest in sustainable food production systems. There are no pre-requisites. We will discuss a variety of ecological, social, and economic topics within the framework of sustainability. Students from a variety of backgrounds are welcome. Ø The course will be of interest particularly to students from the environmental studies, biological sciences, nutrition and health sciences, international relations, political science, sociology, and business. The course work involves hands-on experience working at the Campus Organic Garden once a week. In addition, for an on-farm experience the students are required to spend minimum of 14 hours during the semester towards a Community Engagement project at selected farm and/or community sites, relating to food and agriculture. The details of the project will follow. v This course is one of the required courses for the Agroecology Certificate program housed in the Earth and Environment Department. ü At the end of this course, students will: - Learn how issues at various levels--farm, community, regional, national and global--influence agriculture sustainability and future food supply. - Gain a basic understanding of agricultural/horticultural practices at the farm-level, including agroecological management principles and practices used to reduce environmental degradation. - Learn to think critically about where their food comes from, and be able to analyze the environmental, economic, and social costs and benefits involved in delivering food from farm to market. - Become knowledgeable of agri-environmental policies used to keep farmland in production as well as integrating farming priorities into the urban and rural interface. - Gain knowledge about the pros and cons to global trade, and what forms of sustainable agriculture will best suit the needs of a growing global population.Do#not#copy#without#the#express#written#consent#of#the#instructor.#3 | Sust. Agr.- Dr. Shetty ##COURSE DESIGNATION This course is a Discipline-Specific Global Learning course that counts toward your Global Learning graduation requirement. GLOBAL LEARNING OUTCOMES AND ASSESSMENTS Students will be assessed for the following Global Learning Outcomes with specific course outcomes listed below them. Global Awareness — Demonstrate understanding and the awareness of the interrelationship of human food systems and natural systems; global human population growth and ecological foot print, human activities and technologies connected with food systems, their various environmental impacts, and the economic and social factors that favor the use of one technology over another. Assessments for Global Awareness will include combinations of one or more of the following: a computer based formative assessment activity or assignments or take-home quizzes or in-class exams. These assessments will be based on videos, national and international case studies, lectures and reading assignments. Global Perspective — Students will be able to articulate the perspectives of multiple stakeholders involved in the complex local, regional, national and international agriculture/food system sustainability issues and how those perspectives interact and influence policy decisions. Assessment for Global Perspective will include student participation in class discussion and sharing of their ideas and perspective on food system sustainability issues and solutions. Students will submit a summary of their perspective including analysis and concept map connecting issues. Grading for these activities will be done using the appropriate rubrics that will be provided to students. Global Engagement — Students will collaborate in groups to devise/propose solutions to local, global and intercultural problems related to agriculture/food systems and sustainability. Assessment for Global Engagement will take the form of a reflection posting to the course discussion forum regarding their assessment of various types of food system footprintDo#not#copy#without#the#express#written#consent#of#the#instructor.#4 | Sust. Agr.- Dr. Shetty ##calculations and sustainability indicators. In addition, students will participate in a community service/co-curricular activity in a local farm. Students will describe their experience in a report and make a class presentation. Both the postings and the report will be evaluated using the appropriate rubrics that will be provided to students. Active Learning Exercises: Students will participate in in-class discussions on resource, conservation and sustainability issues presented in the class. Students will be evaluated on the basis of their participation in the discussions and Blackboard Learn webpage forum input. Co-curricular Activities and Group learning exercise: Student groups will be able to participate in various on and off campus co-curricular activities; (1) On-campus activity at FIU organic garden will include experimental and experiential learning activities. (2) Off-campus community service activity will include hands-on learning activities (groups of 4 to 5 students) in a local sustainable or organic