Home
Welcome!
What
we'll cover
Course objectives
Structure
& grading
Schedule
& readings
Speakeasy
Other
links
Registration
DDP
Info
Academic
regs.
Library
support
Online
Writing Lab
Resources
The overriding goals of this course are for you to gain a general understanding of (1) the current and historical relationship between people and their food supply, and (2) the role of these relationships in society (past and present). In this course we will:
Situation Analysis SkillsExamine agriculture’s role as the material basis of world civilizations Explore the historical development and current state of world agriculture Study how agricultural systems and human cultures have been shaped by the world’s physical environments Use “thematic maps” to increase our understanding of the worldwide distribution of natural environments and agricultural characteristics. Examine the components of today’s major agricultural systems. Study the impacts of industrialization, urbanization, population growth, marketing, and transportation on the diversity and supply of food today. Discuss current world, national, and regional events (political, social, climatic, economic, etc.) that affect or are affected by agriculture.
The above topics will explore a variety of facts and theories related to agriculture. Learning these facts and concepts constitute the minimum set of new knowledge and skills that we hope you will gain from the class. In addition to this base of knowledge and skills, we hope you will also gain or refine several additional skills that will allow you to evaluate societal issues related to agriculture and civilization in the future. These skills include the ability to do the following:
We believe these skills are among the most important skills you can take with you into your jobs and lives as a citizens, before and after graduation. Several of the items on that list may at first seem a bit odd for a course on agriculture. However, if you haven’t already done so, you will find that discussions of agriculture involve a number of highly charged emotional issues—everything from environmental quality and natural resources, to property rights, family values, the ethics of genetic manipulation, and even to religion.Apply the principles and generalizations learned in the class to new situations. Synthesize various portions of the course material and integrate these into your own new ideas. Identify the likely multiple perspectives on a topic (most imporant topics have multiple perspectives!) Dig deeper into a topic by finding related information from a variety of sources (research) Separate fact from opinion (your own and other people's), including appropriately using and citing supporting evidence to express a point of view. See the whole as well as the parts. For example, see the role that agriculture plays in any civilization. Respect, listen to, and discuss (in a meaningful way ) issues with people who have different values or beliefs.
COURSE CONCEPTS
Each Unit in this course has a number of content-based facts, concepts,
or theories. At the same time, there are several concepts that span
across several units. Some of the most important of these concepts
include the following:
- Different isolated populations around the world went through essentially the same stages in developing agriculture from ancient to modern times. In other words, even though the locations and types of foods varied dramatically between these places, the same set of principles apply
- Nature is an important governor of agricultural systems, in many cases providing nearly endless potential, in others providing severe limitations
- The technological advances (including developments in mechanization, transportation, and communication) within the past couple of hundred years have had dramatic affects on our lives—including agricultural practices. (We don’t have to look too far, or too far back, to observe the agricultural practices that were used for thousands of years.
- Our history as humans is extremely rich, which is especially apparent when we explore civilizations from different places and times in history. (History is more than a series of endless details!) Within this history, the roles of agriculture and other facets of various civilizations have been inextricably linked
- Many of our current events (regional, national, and international) affect or are affected by agriculture. Having an informed historical perspective can give us the background to help us understand and possibly research further “the rest of the story.
- While several agriculture-related issues may initially seem very simple and straightforward, in fact they can be quite complex due to many ways our various systems for obtaining food are inter-related with other components of our society.
WSU
DDP