Course Descriptions

The following courses are required for the LAND major:

BIOL 160/161: General Biology I

Principles of molecular, cellular, and organismal biology, emphasizing the physiology of vertebrates. Introductory course for BIOL, NATS, MEDT, APBI majors. Preparation for most 200 level courses, including botany and entomology. Laboratory exercises demonstrating the principles of cellular biology, genetics, and vertebrate systems.

BIOL 162/163: General Biology II

Topics in taxonomy, evolution, animal behavior, and ecology. Preparation for most 200 level courses. Laboratory exercises and field trips demonstrating the principles of evolution, animal behavior, and ecology, with emphasis on scientific writing.

SUST 370/371: Agroecology I

This course will examine the various ways that biological, chemical, and human systems influence agriculture. Agroecology is a whole-systems approach to agriculture and food systems development based on traditional knowledge, alternative agriculture, and local food system experiences.

ACCT 200: Introductory Financial Accounting

A foundation course that provides an introduction to fundamental concepts and to financial statements.

BIOL 250/251: Ecology

The relationships between organisms and their living and non-living environments. Laboratory and field exercises to illustrate ecological principles. Local aquatic and terrestrial habitats are investigated.

ECON 200: Microeconomic Principles

Principles governing the efficient allocation of the nation's scarce resources. Economic behavior of consumers, producers, and resource owners.

Historical Perspectives

Students will choose an introductory thematic history course with a focus on the environment. Instructors should be either Smythe or Fairfield.

HIST 398: History of Agriculture

The course begins with a consideration scavenging, gathering and hunting, exploring the social, economic and environmental implications of these practices. Then the course considers the long, slow, difficult, and varied processes of developing agriculture and the keeping of livestock in different areas of the world and the attendant social, economic and environmental implications. The course explores biologist A. Duncan Brown's contention that agriculture has been the most powerful biological event of recent times.

THEO 389: Theologies of Food and Farm

This course will examine the interface of theology/religion and the practice of agriculture. We will focus on several key historical periods and developments, the biblical era, the Christian/Jewish schism, the emergence of monasticism, Catholic and Protestant colonization of the Americas, to build a historical context for an ethical and theological consideration of the relationship between Christianity and agriculture in the United States today.

ECON 320: Environmental and Natural Resource Economics

A survey of basic concepts and models in the related fields of natural resources economics, environmental economics, and ecological economics. Students will relate economic decision-making to environmental quality and human well-being (now and in the future), and will contrast questions of efficiency with questions of distribution, equity, and scale.

ENTR 311: New Venture Planning

Identification and screening of business opportunities; analysis of personal, marketing, financial, and operational factors for start-ups; writing a business plan.

MGMT 300: Managerial Behavior

Lectures, cases, and experiential exercises are used to introduce the management functions of planning, organizing, staffing, leading, improving and controlling.

MGMT 305/ENTR 305: Creativity and Innovation

Covers techniques and process of innovation and creativity that leads to new business development as an independent new venture or in existing organizations. Lectures, experiential learning, discussions and guest speakers.

BIOL 210/211: General Botany

The morphology, physiology, and reproduction of representatives of each plant division are studied with emphasis on the seed plants. Observations of living and preserved plants, experimentation, and field trips to illustrate structure and life processes in various plant groups. LAND students may also substitute CHEM 102/103 (Envronment and Energy) for this requirement.

BIOL 270: Introduction to Entomology

Introduction to the taxonomy, morphology, physiology, behavior, ecology, and evolution of insects and related arthropods. LAND students may also substitute CHEM 102/103 (Environment and Energy) for this requirement.

ECON 421: Environment, Economics and Policy

Students will analyze and extend the basic concepts and models learned in previous courses, and apply these to policy questions concerning economics and the environment. Applications will involve project work, with reference to a particular natural resource or ecosystem service

MKTG 300: Principles of Marketing

Marketing involves exchanges. The activities involved in marketing products, services, and ideas are examined within a framework of customer management are explored. Topics include global marketing environment, market analysis and segmentation, consumer behavior, product development and management, pricing, promotion, and distribution. Marketing is examined from its role as a central function of business and non-profit organizations, and from its dominant role in a market economy.

SUST 391/393/399: Land, Farming and Community Practicum

These courses represent fieldwork placement. Hours and type of work will vary depending on the site and the semester but will range from 20-30 hours/week and will include a wide variety of agricultural work, including but not limited to, planting, weeding, harvesting, composting, tilling and preparing beds, putting planting beds to rest, cover cropping, distribution, marketing, and planning and preparing for another growing season.

SUST 400: Land, Farming and Community Capstone

This is a discussion-based course, drawing on the practicum work that students are engaged in and readings and course work from previous semesters. Each course will end with a paper or project that establishes a preferred, revised or new method for agricultural production or policy.

Courses in Sweden:

Students enrolling for the semester in Sweden will take the following:

Development within Planetary Boundaries (Use for ECON 320)

Philosophy class (for Philosophy Perspectives)

Theology class (for THEO 389)

Swedish Environmental Policy and Practice