Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Fall 2008
Instructors
Joe Brown
Office: Carmichael 101A
Office hours: Tues. 2:00 – 4:00 & by appointment
Email: joebrown@bama.ua.edu
Phone: 205 348 0418
Carol Eichelberger and Jean Mills
Email: caroleich@aol.com and jeanmills@aol.com
Phone: 205 333 8504
Course mee=ng =mes
SecKon 1: Tuesdays 3:00‐4:50 pm at the farm, or
SecKon 2: Thursdays 3:00‐4:50 pm at the farm
Both secKons meet together every Wednesday from 11:00‐12:50 pm on campus in Carmichael 101
Field Loca=on
Tuscaloosa Community Supported Agriculture Organic Farm, Coker AL
DirecKons (about a 30 minute drive from the university):
Take University Blvd. or Jack Warner Parkway away from the university and toward downtown.
Turn RIGHT onto Lurleen Wallace Blvd and cross the river.
Turn LEFT onto US Hwy 82 WEST (McFarland Blvd.). Go approx 4‐5 miles on US Hwy 82W.
Turn RIGHT onto COUNTY ROAD 21/UPPER COLUMBUS RD. (at the Lake Lurleen sign). Go approx 6 1/2
miles.
Turn RIGHT onto JACKSON TRACE ROAD. Go approx 1/2 mile.
Veer LEFT onto the slag driveway at 14430 Jackson Trace when the road curves to the right. Follow the
driveway LEFT across the dam. Park at the shed just across the dam.
Course Descrip=on
This is an intensive, hands‐on, pracKcal course in organic farming. Teaches students the basics of
organic farming (healthy soil life, composKng, cover crops, seedling transplantaKon, insect control,
harvesKng, etc.) while also addressing fundamental quesKons behind organic farming: Why do it? What
is the problem with the industrial agriculture model? How does our food producKon fit into an analysis
of current environmental problems and soluKons? What is the role of food in culture, especially in light
of the growing “food revoluKon” represented by the slow food movement, the “eat local” movement,
and the growth of organics?
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Course Objec=ves
By the end of the course, students will have a grasp of the basics of organic farming and gardening. This
grasp is twofold:
• They will know why organic farming is important as a sustainable and environmentally‐
responsible form of agriculture. They will learn about land stewardship, local farming, and the
slow food movement.
• They will know how to start and maintain a small organic plot of their own, including:
• how to prepare the soil and the importance of healthy soil life
• how to create and maintain a healthy compost pile
• what seeds and plants are appropriate for Alabama growing condiKons and how to opKmize
growth for such condiKons
• how to start seeds and transplant seedlings
• how to use cover crops and “green manure”
• how to manage insects organically
• how and when to harvest
Course Set Up
This is an experien=al learning course. The course takes place on a working organic farm that is one of
the oldest Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms in the country. CSA is an internaKonal
movement with the basic principle of pairing local consumers who want fresh organic produce with local
growers who want a stable market for their produce. Jean Mills (a New College graduate) and Carol
Eichelberger own and run the farm. They have twenty years of experience growing organically in
Alabama and producing the highest quality vegetables for their co‐op shareholders. This experience has
allowed them to develop specialized organic growing techniques that have brought their farm regional
and naKonal recogniKon.
For the four months of the course, the students are acKvely involved with the planning, growing, and
harvesKng of produce at the organic farm. Half of the class Kme will be spent in the fields and
greenhouse of the farm, learning how organic farming works by doing the work itself. We will work in
the greenhouse, start seeds, plan the garden, make compost, evaluate soil, prepare beds, plant seeds,
transplant seedlings, weed, hoe, and harvest.
Fairly extensive readings—in the philosophy and how‐to’s of organic farming—also form an important
part of the course. Our on‐campus discussion secKon every Wednesday is devoted to discussion of the
readings. In order for such discussion to be producKve, all students are required to read and reflect on
the assigned passages before each class (see appendix on how to do the reading). Note that
parKcipaKon in discussion involves amenKve listening as well as offering thoughoul comments and
quesKons. Good class discussion is not a series of interchanges between students and a professor, but is
a sustained, wide‐ranging yet focused, collecKve inquiry. Informed par=cipa=on in discussion is
required to earn any final grade over a “B.”
To facilitate learning, each student will write response papers on the readings, due via Blackboard by
noon on the Tuesday before each Wednesday’s discussion class (see appendix on how to write a
response paper). Response papers will be graded “high pass,” “pass,” or “low pass.” As the purpose of
this exercise is to prepare for class discussion, late papers cannot be accepted, but can be revised and
resubmiQed for higher grade.
Required Texts
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• Brenda Limle. The Prac6cal Organic Gardener. Silverleaf, 2006.
• Michael Pollan. Omnivore’s Dilemma. Penguin, 2007.
• Barbara Kingsolver. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life. HarperCollins, 2007.
This required text is available as a free download from the course website.
• Fred Magdoff and Harold van Es. Building Soils for BeIer Crops, 2nd ed. Sustainable Agriculture
Network, a program of the US Dept. of Agriculture, 2000.
We will also hand out photocopies of or provide electronic access to a number of other arKcles and
books. Some of these will be required reading.
AQendance Policy
Because this is a seminar and experienKal‐learning field course, aQendance is mandatory at on‐campus
and farm classes. I understand that people get sick and life someKmes gets complicated, so a couple of
missed classes and response papers will not lower your grade, but beyond two missed on‐campus
classes or two missed farm classes, more absences than that will quickly lower your grade (see “How
you will be evaluated” below for details). You are responsible for tracking your own absences; I don’t
need to see doctors’ excuses, etc. Moreover, you must arrive at the farm on =me. Two late farm
arrivals (15 minutes or more late) equal a missed day of class.
Other Policies
• Academic honesty is expected of all students. All acts of dishonesty (plagiarism, cheaKng) in any
work consKtute academic misconduct. The Academic Misconduct Disciplinary Policy will be
followed in the event of academic misconduct.
• If you have needs related to a disability, please contact DisabiliKes Services (348‐4285). Arer iniKal
arrangements are made with that office, I will be happy to accommodate you. If you have any other
special concerns, please contact me about the situaKon.
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How You Will Be Evaluated
The method of evaluaKon used in this course is contract grading and self‐evaluaKons. Contract grading
works as follows. You decide what grade you want to earn in the course. If you meet all the
requirements for that grade, then you will receive it upon compleKon of the term; if not, your grade will
be adjusted according to requirements met. For each assignment, a grade of high pass, pass, or low
pass will be given; these grades roughly correspond to A, B, and C. Any response paper can be re‐
submiQed once for a higher grade.
Requirements are:
• Amendance and engaged, skillful parKcipaKon in fieldwork at the farm.
• Amendance and engaged, thoughoul parKcipaKon in the class discussions. Includes one short
in‐class presentaKon on a web‐based course resource.
• Ten response papers, due for most classes, indicaKng that you have done the assigned readings
and providing the basis for your prepared and engaged parKcipaKon in class discussion.
• An in‐class wrimen exam on the how‐tos of organic farming.
• A final essay on sustainable agriculture.
Grade profiles are as follows. You will earn the grade whose profile most closely matches your work for
the term.
A Completes fully at least eight of the ten response papers, with high pass on all or most.
Excellent parKcipaKon in class discussion and farm work. High pass on final essay. Pass or high pass on
the wrimen exam. Misses no more than three classes (on‐campus classes and farm classes combined).
ParKcularly meritorious work earns final grade of A+; weaker work earns an A‐.
B Completes fully at least seven of the ten response papers, with mix of pass and high pass. Good
parKcipaKon in class discussion and farm work. High pass on final essay. At least a pass on the wrimen
exam. Misses no more than two on‐campus classes and two farm classes. ParKcularly meritorious work
earns final grade of B+; weaker work earns a B‐.
C Completes fully at least six of the ten response papers, with mainly pass. Lower parKcipaKon in
class discussion and farm work. Pass on final essay and wrimen exam. Misses no more than three on‐
campus classes and two or three farm classes. Grade here can range from C+ to C‐.
D Does not fully complete response papers or fails to hand in at least five response papers.
Missing or very low parKcipaKon in class discussion and farm work. Pass or low pass on final essay and
wrimen exam. Misses more than three on‐campus classes and/or three farm classes. Grade here can
range from D+ to D‐.
F Fails to amain low pass in requirements.
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Farm course schedule
Every week, you will be at the farm for a field class on either Tuesday (secKon 1) or Thursday (secKon 2).
Class will take place, rain or shine. If there is severe weather, check the course website for noKces. If
there is no announcement on the website, assume the class is happening.
WEEK 1 No farm class
WEEK 2 No farm class
WEEK 3 2 or 4 September Intro to the Farm
WEEK 4 9 or 11 September Planning a Garden
WEEK 5 16 or 18 September Star6ng From Seed
WEEK 6 23 or 25 September Greenhouse Plan6ng
WEEK 7 30 September or 2 October Soil Basics
WEEK 8 7 or 9 October Garden Prepara6on
WEEK 9 14 or 16 October Digging the Soil
WEEK 10 21 or 23 October Feeding the Soil
WEEK 11 28 or 30 October Plan6ng Out
WEEK 12 4 or 6 November Compost
WEEK 13 11 or 13 November Running an Organic Farm Business
WEEK 14 18 or 20 November Harvest
WEEK 15 THANKSGIVING BREAK
WEEK 16 2 or 4 December Planning for the Future
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Appendix I: Take Home Exam
Answer the following quesKon, in a paper that is typed, 4‐6 pages total, double‐spaced.
What are the main barriers to creaKng and nurturing a viable, local, ethical, and sustainable food
economy in the Southeastern United States? Make sure you define what you mean by viable, local,
ethical, and sustainable in your argument. These terms, as we have seen, can have different definiKons,
and can be understood as a range of pracKces (represenKng smaller changes from the industrial model
to more radical ones) on such issues as: soil care, diversity of planKngs, who does the harvesKng, how
one sells one’s produce, the type of relaKonship between farmers and consumers, distance from farm to
table, local vs. organic, how one cooks and dines, etc. What type and degree of changes do you think
are pracKcal and necessary? Draw on material from at least two of our texts, as well as on our farm
experience, to crar an essay addressing some of the above issues. Include specific references to our
readings, but develop your own ideas as well.
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Appendix II: How to Do the Reading
One purpose of this class is to develop further your skills in criKcal reading or acKve reading. By this, I
mean that you should be self‐consciously reflecKng on the text as you read. Reading should not be a
passive exercise of passing your eyes over a page, but an acKve and passionate endeavour in which you
culKvate your response to the reading.
I call the endeavour "passionate" because learning involves passions. Respond to the readings; get
involved with them. Be amenKve to how you feel as you read: confused, annoyed, excited, angry, bored,
surprised, moved. Note these feelings and all quesKons or protests or agreements that sKr inside you as
you read. Ask yourself right away (and conKnually): why does this text make me feel this way? What do
I think about this text and why? Try to make your reading into a dialogue and debate you hold between
yourself and the author. Note down your responses as you go along, either in the margins of the text or
in your notes. Then flesh out these notes and organize 1‐2 main points in your response papers. BRING
YOUR TEXTS TO CLASS and COME READY TO DISCUSS THE READING.
To read acKvely and criKcally, ask yourself quesKons and take notes as you go along:
• What is the author's point? Summarize key parts of the author's argument.
• With whom or what is the author siding? Whom or what is the author against?
• Do you agree with the author? Why or why not?
• What does this make you think of? How does this make you feel?
• What quesKons or confusions do you have about the text?
How to Write a Response Paper
A response paper is a short essay (1‐2 pages, typed, double‐spaced) focused on a specific quesKon,
reading assignment, or topic. It involves no outside research, but asks you to respond with your own
thoughts, quesKons, comments, agreements, disagreements, or confusions.
Response papers are a tool of "acKve learning," designed to encourage your creaKve engagement in the
ideas and texts the course explores. The purpose of response papers is to help you think through the
issues in advance of our class sessions, to enrich our class discussion, to give you pracKce in the written
analysis and construcKon of arguments, and to allow me to provide you with early and constant
feedback. You may iniKally find them to be annoying and a lot of work, but students almost invariably
end up agreeing that response papers make the class easier by helping them understand the material
and their own response to it.
Specific instrucKons for wriKng the paper:
• Structure your response paper with a brief introducKon (1‐2 sentences), a body, and (opKonal in
a paper of this length) a conclusion.
• Be specific. Provide references to the text, short quotes, examples, details, or illustraKons to
back up your point(s), but avoid quoKng at length. Give the page reference.
• Aim to be coherent, clear, and concise. Write in full and correct sentences.
Upload your response paper to the course website by noon on the Tuesday before our class mee=ng.
I will read the papers before class and use them to plan our discussion. Late papers cannot be
accepted, but can be revised and resubmiQed for higher grade.
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Response papers
Response 1 How has the development of industrial agriculture contributed to the rise of obesity in
America? How has the “plague of cheap corn” contributed?
Food journal Keep a food journal from Thursday, Aug. 28th‐Tuesday, Sept. 2nd. Write down what
you eat, when, with whom, and in what seyng. If possible, idenKfy the origin of your
food—where it was grown or raised. There is no formal response paper this week,
but bring your food journal to class and be prepared to discuss it.
Response 2 ConKnue to keep your food journal from Thursday, Aug 28th‐Tuesday, Sept. 9th. For
your response paper, based on your food journal and the readings, to what extent are
you a “fast food” person, a “slow food” person, an “organic food” person, and/or a
“local food” person? Why?
Response 3 Which aspects of the concept of “organic” or “sustainable” seem most important to
you, and why? Focus on the readings in your paper.
Response 4 How do organic farmers seek to work with nature and to “grow” soil? Why is soil so
important? Discuss several ways to maintain or improve the quality of your soil.
Response 5 Write at will on whatever interests you from this material, keeping in mind the
following quote: “The key to the future of the world lies in gardening.” Explain,
elaborate, refute, or illustrate.
Response 6 This class involves you in a different type of learning oren called “experienKal” or
“hands‐on.” When you spend two hours transplanKng broccoli or beet seedlings,
what exactly are you learning? How would you arKculate the value—if any—of such
work?
Response 7 What is your take on Berry’s vision for a return to the “local economy”? How,
according to Berry, have we gone wrong? Draw on any of the Berry readings or other
texts from the course to date.
Response 8 Write at will on whatever moves you in this material. Make specific reference to the
text, although you may draw in other material as well.
Response 9 Write at will on whatever moves you in this material. Make specific reference to the
text, although you may draw in other material as well.
Response 10 Write at will on whatever moves you in this material. Make specific reference to the
text, although you may draw in other material as well.