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Sus Ag Programs at ISU

Please note:  The titles of the core courses and the colloquium also serve as links to the latest syllabus (when available) for each.

Core Courses

SUSAG 509.
Agroecosystem Analysis

4 credits.   Offered each Fall term; field component meets for two weeks in August, prior to beginning of term.  Prerequisite:  6 credits in social sciences, 6 credits in natural, biological or engineering sciences and senior or above classification.  Experiential, interdisciplinary examination of Midwestern agricultural/ food systems, emphasizing field visits, with some classroom activities.  Focus on understanding multiple elements, perspectives (agronomic, economic, ecologic, social, etc), and scales of operation.  Cross-listed as AGRON 509, SOC 509, and ANTHR 509.  Special course fee of $300.00 is required.

SUSAG 600.
Sustainable Agriculture Colloquium
.
1 credit.  Offered each Fall and Spring term.   Weekly seminar for graduate students in sustainable agriculture; program includes guest speakers and discussion of key issues in the field.

SUSAG 610.
Foundations of Sustainable Agriculture.

3 credits.  Offered each Fall term.   Prerequisite:  Graduate classification.  Historical, biophysical, socioeconomic, and ethical dimensions of agricultural sustainability.  Strategies for evaluating existing and emerging systems of agriculture in terms of core concepts of sustainability and their theoretical contexts. Cross-listed as A E 610, AGRON 610, ANTHR 610, and SOC 610.

Additional Available Courses

SUSAG 515.
Integrated Crop and Livestock Production Systems
.
3 credits.  Offered in Fall term, odd-numbered years.  Prerequisite:  SusAg 509 or permission of instructor.  Managing productivity and minimizing ecological impacts of agricultural systems by understanding nutrient cycles, crop residue and manure management, grazing systems, and multispecies interactions.  Consideration of crop and livestock production within landscapes and watersheds.  Cross-listed as A E 515, AGRON 515, and AN S 515.  Special course fee of $60.00 is required.

SUSAG 530.
Ecologically Based Pest Management Strategies.

3 credits.  Offered in Fall term, even-numbered years.   Prerequisite:  SusAg 509. Durable, least-toxic strategies for managing weeds, pathogens, and insect pests, with emphasis on underlying ecological processes.  Cross-listed as AGRON 530, ENT 530, and PL P 530.

SUSAG 546
Strategies for Diversified Food and Farming Systems.

3 credits.  Offered alternating Spring terms.   Prerequisite:  SUSAG 509. Project-focused engagement in food and farming systems using tools and perspectives drawn from multiple disciplines.  Includes a field component. Cross-listed as AGRON 546 and HORT 546.  Special course fee of $40.00 is required.

SUSAG 571
Agroforestry Systems

3 credits.  Offered each Fall term.  Prerequisite:  6 credits in biological science at 300-level or above. Concepts of sustainable land use, agroecological dynamics, and component interactions of agroforestry systems.  Agroforestry systems in temperate and tropical regions.  Design and evaluation techniques for agroforestry systems.  Ecological, socioeconomic and political aspects of agroforestry. Cross-listed as NREM 571.

SUSAG 584
Organic Agriculture:  Theory and Practice

3 credits. Offered alternating Spring terms.  Delate, DeWitt.  Prerequisite:  9 credits in biological or physical sciences.  Understanding of the historical origins and ecological theories underpinning the practices involved in organic agriculture. Interdisciplinary examination of crop and livestock production and socioeconomic processes and policies in organic agriculture from researcher and producer perspectives. Cross-listed as HORT 584 and AGRON 584.

SUSAG 590
Special Topics

1-3 credits.  Offered in Fall, Spring, and Summer terms.  Prerequisite:  graduate classification, permission of instructor.  For students wishing to investigate a specific topic or problem in sustainable agriculture.

SUSAG 599
Creative Component

Variable credits.  Offered in Fall, Spring, and Summer terms.  Pre-enrollment contract required.  Advanced topic for creative component report in lieu of thesis.

SUSAG 699
Research

Variable credits.  Offered in Fall, Spring, and Summer terms.  For MS and PhD thesis and dissertation research.