UH300-20: Agrarianism (W)

Fall 2010
Nott Hall 283
TR 2:00-3:15 pm

INSTRUCTOR: Mr. Brad Tuggle, bdtuggle@bama.ua.edu

OFFICE: Nott Hall 277
PHONE: 348-7052
OFFICE HOURS: T 3:15-4:45, W 9-11

I. Course Description:

The subject of this course is Agrarianism, a particular way of living that emphasizes
proper land use and traditional agriculture. As you will see, though, this lifestyle choice is
applicable to almost all aspects of modern life. Each text this semester offers a different way to
think about the earth and our place on it. As we move through the semester, we will be thinking
about who owns the earth, who or what controls it, what our responsibilities toward it are, and
how we might begin to renew our relationship with it. Each student will be assessed on the basis
of class participation, three short essays, a midterm exam, and a final exam.

IIa. REQUIRED TEXTS (at Supe Store):

Berry, Wendell. The Art of the Commonplace. Ed. Norman Wirzba. Emeryville, CA: Shoemaker
and Hoard, 2002. Print. 1593760078
Emerson, Ralph Waldo, and Henry David Thoreau. Nature and Walking. Beacon Press, 1994.
Print. 0807014192
Frost, Robert. Poems. Ed. Louis Untermeyer. New York: St. Martin's, 2002. Print. 0312983328
Kerouac, Jack. The Dharma Bums. Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition. New York: Penguin, 2006.
Print. 0143039601
Shakespeare, William. As You Like It. Ed. Albert Gilman. Signet Classics. New York: Penguin,
1998. Print. 0451526783
---. A Midsummer Night's Dream. Ed. Wolfgang Clemen. Signet Classics. New York: Penguin,
1998. Print. 0451526961
Snyder, Gary. Turtle Island. New York: New Directions, 1974. Print. 0811205460
Twelve Southerners. I'll Take My Stand: The South and the Agrarian Tradition. 75th Anniversary
Ed. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State UP, 2006. Print. 080713208X

IIb. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TEXTS

Strunk, William, Jr., and E. B. White. The Elements of Style. 4th ed. New York: Longman, 2000.
A good, print dictionary, preferably Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary.

III. Goals

The student who completes this course should be able to:

1. Understand the concept of agrarianism in its many manifestations.

2. Apply agrarian thought to ethical and political issues.
3. Write a well-constructed, grammatically correct, and syntactically appealing essay.

IV. Policies and Requirements:

 Each student is expected to be in class on time every day. Each student is allowed two
absences. Two tardies equal one absence. IF YOU ARRIVE LATE IT IS YOUR
RESPONSIBILITY TO ASK ME TO CHANGE ABSENCE TO TARDY. After two absences,
each additional absence will lower the semester grade by one-third of a letter grade (e.g. A-
becomes B+). This does not include University-sponsored absences. If you are an athlete, or you
otherwise represent the University, and expect to miss days, please let me know on the first day
of class.
Essay assignments must be turned in as WORD-processed, double-spaced, 12-point,
paper copies printed on a legible printer. You should use proper citation and documentation,
which we will review before the first assignment is due. All essays must be turned in at the
beginning of class on the date due. Papers turned in after the beginning of class will be penalized
10 points out of 100, and 10 points more for each 24 hours that goes by.
All cell phones must be turned off during class. No electronic devices of any kind
(including laptops, iPods, and blackberries) are allowed to be used in class, unless you have a
verifiable, official reason for doing so, and such use has been cleared with me in advance. You
should put all such devices away before class begins each day. If I catch you texting, checking
messages, listening to headphones, or otherwise breaking this rule, I will mark you tardy for the
day.
Academic dishonesty of any kind will not be tolerated and will lead to swift disciplinary
action according to University policy. For a full description of this policy, see the Code of
Academic Conduct, found in both the Student Handbook and the Undergraduate Catalog. If you
have any questions or if you are having difficulty with the assignments, see me as soon as
possible.

V. Statement on Plagiarism:

Plagiarism is a serious violation of University policy that compromises the integrity of

the academic mission of this institution. There is only one rule for avoiding plagiarism: NEVER
PRESENT ANOTHER'S WORK AS YOUR OWN. When you put your name on a paper, an
exam, or a quiz, the assumption is that everything in it is your information and your expression,
unless otherwise indicated. If any information or expression is not your own, and it is not
indicated as such, that is plagiarism. Scholars must use each other's work on a daily basis, but
must also clearly indicate such borrowing.
How do you avoid plagiarism? There are at least two steps, and in some cases a third. 1)
Put a proper entry for the source in your Works Cited page. If you are not sure how to cite a
certain source, you can always ask me or consult the MLA Handbook on your own. 2) Any
quotation, paraphrase, or use of other information from the source must be clearly indicated in the
body of the paper with an in-text citation. 3) If you directly quote even a few words from a
source, you must put the words in quotation marks.
Electronic sources are especially prone to being plagiarized. Most of you are accustomed
to getting information very quickly from the Internet, with no consideration of the source or
reliability of the content. You must break yourself of that habit however you can. Many of you
will be tempted this semester to look up readings online for summaries, notes, or evaluations.
There may be a time and place for doing online research (on a research essay, for example), but in
general I warn you against relying on the internet for two reasons: 1) You compromise your
education by allowing others to think for you, and 2) You potentially compromise your education
by committing plagiarism. Anytime you use an electronic source in any way on any assignment,
you must properly indicate such use. You can always ask me if you do not know how to cite a
particular source.
Finally, it is possible to plagiarize yourself by turning in work you did for another class
or at another time as if it is completely new work. This is called self-plagiarism. Any time you
use your own previous writing in this way, you should first clear it with me, and, if given
permission, indicate the borrowing in your essay.

VI. Course Assignments and Grading:

Very Short Essay 5%

Short Essay 15%
Research Prospectus 10%
Research Paper 30%
Midterm Exam 15 %
Final Exam 15%
Participation 10%

I assign final grades at letter value or plus or minus. The cutoffs for plus and minus are 7
and 2. This means a final average of 86.6 would equal, after rounding up to 87, a B+. Quizzes and
short responses will be graded out of 25 possible points rather than 100, but if you know how to
work with fractions and percentages, then you can at any time determine your overall average
using the rubric above.
At the end of the semester, I will assign a grade for class participation. By class
participation, I mean attending class, contributing in meaningful ways to class discussion, and
treating your classmates with respect.

VII. Schedule

R Aug 19 Intro to Course

T Aug 24 Wirzba, "Introduction;" Berry, "A Native Hill"

R Aug 26 Berry, "The Unsettling of America," "Think Little," "People, Land, and Community,"

T Aug 31 Berry, "Why I am Not Going to Buy a Computer" and responses [online], "Feminism,
the Body, and the Machine," "The Whole Horse"

R Sep 2 Berry, "The Gift of Good Land," "Christianity and the Survival of Creation," "The
Pleasures of Eating"

T Sep 7 ITMS: "Introduction: A Statement of Principles," Ransom, Owsley

R Sep 9 ITMS: Lytle, Young

T Sep 14 Frost, "To a Young Wretch" (121-22), "West-Running Brook" (168-71), "Evening in a
Sugar Orchard" (180-81), "October" (242-43), "For Once, Then, Something" (185-86)

R Sep 16 Frost, "Fire and Ice" (237), "Design" (208-209), "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy
Evening" (189-90), "Mending Wall" (95-97), "The Death of the Hired Man" (158-65)

T Sep 21 Frost "The Gift Outright" (250-51), "Birches" (90-92), "Mowing" (93-94), "Home
Burial" (27-31), "Directive" (266-68), "Good-Bye and Keep Cold" (253-54), "Once by the
Pacific" (269)
R Sep 23 Shakespeare, As You Like It, Act 1

T Sep 28 Shakespeare, AYLI, Acts 2 and 3

R Sep 30 Shakespeare, AYLI, Acts 4 and 5

T Oct 5 Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Acts 1 and 2

R Oct 7 Shakespeare, MND, Acts 3 and 4

T Oct 12 Shakespeare, MND Act 5

R Oct 14 MIDTERM EXAM

T Oct 19 Emerson, Nature

R Oct 21 Emerson, Nature

T Oct 26 Thoreau, Walking

R Oct 28 Snyder, "Introductory Note," "Anasazi," "The Dead by the Side of the Road," "I Went
into the Maverick Bar," "Steak," "Front Lines," "Control Burn"

*Monday November 1, 5:00 pm: "Buddhism in Motion"

T Nov 2 Snyder, "The Call of the Wild," "Prayer for the Great Family," "Facts," "Pine Tree
Tops," Night Herons," "By Frazier Creek Falls," "It Pleases"

R Nov 4 Snyder, "Hemp," "The Wild Mushroom," "Mother Earth: Her Whales," "Affluence,"
"Ethnobotany," "Straight Creek-Great Burn," "Two Fawns That Didn't See the Light this Spring"

T Nov 9 Snyder, "Avocado," "One Should Not Talk . . .," "LMFBR," "Tomorrow's Song," "What
Happened Here Before," "Four Changes"

R Nov 11 Kerouac, Dharma Bums 1-5

T Nov 16 Dharma Bums 6-12

R Nov 18 Study Break -- No Class

T Nov 23 Dharma Bums 13-20

R Nov 25 -- No Class

T Nov 30 Dharma Bums 21-26

R Dec 2 Dharma Bums 27-34

FINAL EXAM: Thursday, December 9, 8:00-10:30 am