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PLSC405 & 605 – 3 credits Instructor: Kate Tully kltully@umd.edu | 2108 Plant Sciences Building | 301-405-1469 Office Hours: Tues & Thurs 2-3 and by appointment Meeting Times: Tues/Thurs 12:30-1:45pm PLS 1162 Course Description: How can we balance the multiple, and often competing objectives of sustainable agricultural intensification to promote both agricultural productivity and human wellbeing? The answer to this question requires a transdisciplinary, agroecological perspective. Agroecology is the integrative study of the ecology of the entire food system, encompassing ecological, economic and social dimensions. This course is designed to introduce various topics in agroecology – organic agriculture, biodiversity, the Farm Bill. We will take an ecosystems approach to the study of agriculture that will enable students to analyze the environmental, social, and economic interconnections within various types of agricultural systems locally and globally. Goal: To give students a basic understanding of the interactions between agriculture and the surrounding environmental matrix. Students will integrate concepts across agronomy, ecology, biogeochemistry, soil science, and hydrology. By the end of the class, students will be equipped to apply knowledge to the so-called wicked problem of how to feed 9 billion people while minimizing environmental harm. Learning Outcomes: Course-Specific

1. Ability to define, describe and apply basic ecological principles to agroecosystems. 2. Understand the impacts and interrelationships between agricultural systems and associated

ecosystems. 3. Ability to identify holistic relationships between the major ecological, social and economic factors

affecting agroecosystem sustainability. 4. Understand the diversity of agroecological systems in terms of scales, dimensions, diversity and

value systems. 5. Integrate and synthesize knowledge to inform the design of sustainable food systems.

General

1. Demonstrate competence in independent research and problem solving. 2. Demonstrate written and oral communication skills. 3. Improved ability to work efficiently in teams and independently research relevant information 4. Demonstrate critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, including an ability to access, retrieve,

evaluate and utilize relevant information from a wide range of sources including primary and secondary scientific literature sources, and also from personal observations.

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Materials Agroecology: the Ecology of Sustainable Food Systems, 3rd Ed. 2014. Gleissman, S.R. CRC Press There will additional required and recommended readings on ELMS. Check ELMS often, as not all readings are listed on the syllabus. Questions for quizzes and exams will come from the textbook as well as the ELMS readings. Assignments and Projects Short, in-class writing assignments or quizzes pertaining to readings for that week or past lectures and discussions may also be given without warning. Commentaries on current events Each student is required to write two commentaries (in the format of a newspaper editorial) on current events in the news (radio, TV, newspapers or news magazines) related to agroecology and sustainable agriculture/food systems (NOTE: Current means published during the semester, so between 24 Jan and when the commentary is due). Commentaries should be a maximum of 400 words in length (about 1 page, single spaced), and should be accompanied by a copy of the news story, which you are commenting on (include source and date). Note that a commentary is NOT a summary!! The first commentary is due Thursday Mar 3, the second on Tuesday Apr 19. Due Dates and Extensions Time management is an essential skill of professionals. It is required in this class. Submitting work on time also assures fairness and reduces delay for feedback to the whole class. Assignments are due at the start of class time on the due date, and late work will not be graded except under the circumstances described below. To request an extension for an excused reason, you must contact your instructor by email 24 hours in advance of the due date. Extensions will only be given without advance notice if the circumstance (e.g. sudden hospitalization) makes advance notice impossible. Assignments due on dates of excused planned absence must be turned in before the due date. Attendance Each class will involve activities and in-class work that cannot be made up. Excessive absences will therefore affect your final grade. If you must miss an exam or major assignment due date because of illness, religious observance, participation in university activities at the request of university authorities, or compelling circumstances beyond your control, request an excuse in writing and submit appropriate documentation 24 hours in advance (excepting extreme circumstances). Exams and major assignments missed for excused reasons with documentation must be made up within one week of the exam or quiz date, during office hours. Being present is not only physical. If your body is in the room but your mind has wandered, you’ll have to do extra work to catch up. Save time by focusing on the task at hand. Switch electronic devices off. Avoid distracting others by walking in and out of the room. Religious Observances The University System of Maryland policy on religious observances states that students should not be penalized in any way for participation in religious observances and that, whenever feasible, they are allowed to makeup academic assignments that are missed due to such absences. However, the student must personally hand the instructor a written notification of the projected absence within two weeks of the start of the semester. The request should not include travel time. Instructors should take the validity of these requests at face value. In addition, due to the inconvenience that would be caused as a result of the large number of other students who participate in particular religious observances, tests and due dates of other significant assessment will not be scheduled for the dates listed below. Tues 26 Apr Passover Thurs 28 Apr Passover

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It is the student’s responsibility to inform the instructor of any intended absences for religious observances in advance and that prior notification is especially important in connection with examinations, since failure to reschedule a examination before the conclusion of the examination period may result in loss of credits during the semester. Disability Support Services The University of Maryland is committed to making reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities that have been documented by Disability Support Services (0126 Shoemaker Hall). Any student seeking accommodations must register with Disability Support Services. If you wish to discuss academic accommodations for this class, please contact Professor Tully as soon as possible. To make meaningful accommodations this must be done prior to the first exam. Exam Policies Missed exams. Missed exams cannot be made up until the end of the semester. Students who have missed Exam 1 and/or 2 will take their make-up exam during the final exam period. Students will be given an hour to complete each make-up exam. Discussion materials represent a major component of this course. Consequently, information in discussion will be covered in the examinations. Students are not allowed to keep exams. Any dispute(s) about a grade on an exam must be given in writing, within one week of the time the exam was handed back. The exam will be reviewed by the professor and all appropriate grading changes will be made—be they positive or negative for the total exam grade. Assignments and Grading – PLSC405 Component Points Percentage Class participation 60 10 Discussion participation 70 11 Exam 1 100 16 Exam 2 100 16 Quizzes and Assignments 75 12 Final research paper 150 24 Final presentation 75 12 Total 630 100

Assignments and Grading – PLSC605 Component Points Percentage Class participation 60 8 Discussion participation 90 11 Discussion Leadership 100 13 Exam 1 125 16 Exam 2 125 16 Quizzes and Assignments 75 9 Final research paper 150 19 Final presentation 75 9 Total 800 100

Special notes for PLSC605

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As graduate students in this course, you will be graded more rigorously on assignments, quizzes, and exams. You will also be expected to participate heavily in class and lead discussions throughout the semester. I expect you to serve as role models for undergraduate students and apply your experience and expertise to classroom activities. Integrity, Cheating and Plagiarism Academic integrity is fundamental to learning and scholarship. At its simplest, this means that the work you submit must be your own unless collaboration is specifically allowed, that you express yourself in your own words unless you are quoting, and that you properly acknowledge and cite the ideas, information, and other work that you used or that contributed to your understanding. As we engage in research, we will discuss how to correctly acknowledge others’ work to avoid misuse of sources. The University of Maryland Library page Academic Integrity and You contains resources on avoiding plagiarism and other pitfalls in research and writing. The University of Maryland Code of Academic Integrity provides fuller discussion of academic integrity and clear definitions of plagiarism, misuse of sources, and cheating. Communicating outside of class meetings Office Hours Dr. Kate Tully | Tues & Thurs 2-3 and by appointment | 2108 Plant Sciences Building My door is open for you. Please stop by during office hours to ask questions, clarify ideas, better understand assignments, or talk about how class is going for you. Email to schedule an appointment.