Sustainable Agriculture Courses
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
3 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.
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.
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.
Organizational Strategies for Diversified Farming Systems.
3 credits. Offered in Spring term, even-numbered years.
Prerequisite: SusAg 509. Exploration and evaluation of the organization and operation
of complex, diversified farming systems using tools and perspectives drawn primarily from ecology,
agronomy, and sociology. The course contains a significant component of fieldwork focused on an
Iowa farm. Cross-listed as SOC 546, HORT 546, and AGRON 546.
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 584X.
Organic Agriculture: Theory and Practice.
3 credits. Spring Semester 2008, experimental course. Delate, DeWitt.
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 484X/584X and AGRON 584X. Prerequisites: 9 credits in biological or physical sciences.
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.
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