Agroecology — Sustainable Agriculture at Penn State
Sustainable Agriculture Science and Policy, AGECO 134 / PL SC 135
- Instructor: Dr. Heather Karsten
Dr. Clare Hinrichs - Credits: 3
- Semesters Offered: Fall
- Texts:
- All course readings available via Electronic Reserve
- Prerequisites: None
- Syllabus: Link to PDF file
Course Description:
What exactly do we mean when we speak of “sustainable agriculture”? What ecological processes and environmental impacts of agriculture matter most? How does scientific knowledge about sustainability in agriculture influence agricultural policymaking and implementation? Why is such scientific knowledge sometimes minimized, misused or even ignored? This interdisciplinary course combines study of agricultural science with a broad overview of socio-economic issues and public policymaking, as they relate to agriculture, food and farming. We will focus primarily on the situation of U.S. agriculture, while also taking account of its important global context. Overall, the course stresses that the contributions of both science and policy are crucial, though sometimes at odds with one another, in efforts to make the food and agricultural system more sustainable. By developing students’ ability to think more critically about the sustainability challenges facing contemporary agriculture and to evaluate possible solutions, this course prepares students for more engaged and informed citizenship. The course also provides a practical, interdisciplinary introduction to the food and agricultural system that will support students considering careers in the agricultural or environmental sciences, in non-profit or public policy organizations, or in agri-business.
Course Objectives:
By the end of this course, students will be able to—
- Identify key issues in debates about the sustainability of agriculture;
- Specify and justify their own definition of sustainable agriculture;
- Apply both agricultural science and social science principles and concepts in assessing historical and current problems of the food and agricultural system;
- Identify agriculture’s diverse interest groups and explain their roles and concerns in the agricultural policymaking process;
- Evaluate the intended and unintended consequences of specific farm and agricultural policies.
Course Materials:
Unless otherwise indicated, all other assigned readings can be found on the library’s Electronic Reserves under AGECO / R SOC 134. [Note: Some other readings can be found on the Web at the URLs indicated in the syllabus.] Some of the issues and topics we will study this semester are likely to generate news articles reporting the latest developments. Therefore, we will occasionally assign supplemental articles and editorials from the New York Times to link class content to “real world” outcomes and policy. You can get the New York Times from one of the newspaper boxes on campus using your student ID.
Additional information regarding this course can be found in the course syllabus.