Requirements
This half-unit course is graded on a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory basis. To receive a Satisfactory grade, each student must... 1. Maintain consistent attendance. We meet only 12 times over 6 weeks, so your presence and participation in each class session is crucial. You may have only one unexcused absence in this course. 2. Participate in the class diligently. Finish the readings and contribute to discussion forums posted on Moodle by the dates they are assigned. Prepare to ask our fieldtrip hosts and classroom visitors questions. 3. Be on time to our class meetings and throughout our fieldtrip itineraries. We'll travel to 1-2destinations each Friday, typically to meet Hudson Valley farmers taking time out of their busy days. To be courteous to them and efficient with our own time, please be punctual. 4. Cowrite a minimum 500-word essay with one other student about one of our six scheduled class fieldtrips. This essay will be published within one week of the fieldtrip on our course blog. For instructions on this assignment, click here. Bloggers will also help film and provide narration in short videos this class will produce about the farms we visit. 5. Write a minimum 500-word essay about an independent trip you make to a Hudson Valley farm or other agricultural destination (from an approved list). This essay will be published within one week of your independent trip on our course blog. For instructions on this assignment, click here. 6. Write a 3-5 page final paper about what you have observed, learned, and concluded from this course about sustainable agriculture in the Hudson Valley and elsewhere. Policy on student computers: You're welcome to use laptop computers or iPads for our Wednesday classroom meetings. However, you must turn off texting, e-mail, Facebook, and other social media. Violating this policy more than once will result in you being forbidden from bringing personal technology into our classroom again. On our Friday fieldtrips, you're also welcome to bring smart phones in order to take photographs; the same spirit of etiquette applies. |
Course suggestions1. Dress appropriately for fieldtrips. Wear boots or other durable footwear that can handle mud and water, and bring jackets or umbrellas when needed. 2. Take a digital camera, smart phone, or other picture-taking device on fieldtrips. You'll use these images in blog posts and social media. 3. Check yourself for ticks after each fieldtrip. Lyme Disease is no joke, and it's rampant in the Hudson Valley. Here's some guidelines for how to check yourself for ticks. 4. Have fun! You're about to visit some really innovative farm and agricultural operations, meet people doing impressive things, and commune with animals, nature and the local landscape. |
Special note:
Academic accommodations are available for students registered with the Office for Accessibility and Educational Opportunity. Students in need of ADA/504 accommodations should schedule an appointment with me early in the semester to discuss any accommodations for this course that have been approved by the Office for Accessibility and Educational Opportunity, as indicated in your AEO accommodation letter.