Agriculture, Environment, and Society

TPSS 200 / SUST 211

Section 003

Professor Noa Kekuewa Lincoln; nlincoln@hawaii.edu

ONLINE Asynchronous
Synchronous Meeting: Fridays @ 12:30PM – 1:20PM

Overview:
The goal of this introductory course is to establish foundational knowledge of agroecosystems and management
of these systems. Emphasis is on the interrelationship between crop plants, soils and nutrients, and societies and
cultures. Key goals are to introduce students to foundational knowledge in the broad range of topics covered
within the Tropical Agriculture and the Environment department, as well as systems thinking, writing in
agricultural science, and observation and assessment. In particular, we utilize examples from Hawai’i
specifically and the Pacific more broadly to illustrate the role and science of tropical agriculture.

Student Learning Objectives:

- To understand the range of topics that are encompassed with Tropical Agroecosystems and the
Environment
- To explain how plants interact with natural and artificial environments, how those interactions affect
development and productivity, and the feedback processes between plants, the environment, and societies
- To understand the role of cultural perspectives in perceived value
- To be able to acquire, evaluate, and synthesize information from technical and non-technical sources, with
an emphasis on scientific articles
- To develop writing communication of ideas
- To be able to apply the concept of system thinking to complex problems, ask critical questions, and
recognize the importance of cultural epistemology in thinking about solutions

Skills and Knowledge to be Acquired:

Understand the principles and processes underlying nutrient sources and limitations in agroecosystems and how
that relates to plant growth. Understand practices regarding crop production and manipulation in term of yield
to labor ratios and nutrient use efficiency. Interpret the multiple values of tropical crops to cultural, economic,
and social factors. Be able to access an array of agricultural information resources. Improve skills in gathering
and reporting information through oral presentation and writing. Gain basic working knowledge of systems
thinking and “wicked” problems.

Computer Requirements:
Word Processing, Excel Spreadsheets, and Internet Searches for technical and non-technical sources. If you do
not have access to a computer, please see me for access to these items. This class also have a photo journal
aspect and you will need access to a camera. Phone camera is fine. As with the computer please let me know
immediately if you do not have access to a camera.

Pre-requisites:
None

Texts:
Links to all the readings are provided in the online material

Policies:
Late assignments: Late assignments will be instantly marked down 50%. Assignments turned in more than 24
hours after the deadline will not be accepted and will receive a 0 grade. Real life has deadlines, and so does this
class. I am typically flexible and understanding if you reach out well ahead of time about an issue. Last second
exceptions will not be made.

Communication: You may communicate anything to me by email or phone. No texts. Remember that this is an
intensive writing class, so please write your emails correctly. Any emails starting with "Hey" or written in text-
speak or with massive grammar errors will be disregarded. I highly encourage communication, and am flexible
in timing and try to respond quickly to all inquiries.

Illegal or Illicit Activity: Any such activity such as cheating, plagiarism, derogatory behavior towards
classmates or teachers, or any other activity that breaks the students' code of conduct will not be tolerated, and
in addition to standard disciplinary action undertaken by the University of Mānoa may be considered grounds
for failing this course.

Plagiarism: This is an online course, and the opportunity to copy others’ work is rather easy. If ANY
plagiarism is detected there will be dire consequences for both parties. That said you are allowed to work
together to help figure things out, but that does NOT include one person copying from another. It also will
come through on your midterm and finals if you have not engaged in the material throughout the course.

Assignments:
All assignments should be submitted via Google Classroom site before midnight on the due date. Every
day late is a letter grade drop. There are four major types of assignments in this class:

Quizzes: There will be a quiz after each course module. These are relatively simple, quick, multiple choice
assignments that are meant to (1) keep you on track with the course schedule and (2) to ensure that you are
engaging in the reading and course material.

Photo Journals: Each week you will submit a photo journal. This consists of an original picture (one you take!)
within the topic, and a 200-word caption that discusses how the photo relates to the topic. The writing should
aim to capture the essence of the photo and topic, and communicate a key thought or observation that you had
relating to the photo. Each student must also provide constructive criticism on at least two other students’
writing, which will be revised based on the peer and professor feedback. Each week there is a different theme or
question that you are aiming for. These are judged largely on creativity, thought that went into them, and the
observations that were made. Try to be original in your pictures and think outside the box!

Labs: There are short lab-like activities that are assigned to help you have some hands-on experiences with the
material. This includes things like scavenger hunts, simple home experiments, and online activities. There is
one lab every-other week in the course.

Grading:
Standard grading will apply to assign a letter grade.

Course Section % Grade

Quizzes 15%
Photo Journal 20%
Labs 20%
Midterm exam 20%
Final exam 20%
Participation 5%
Extra Credit:
You can get 1% extra credit points for every day you go and participate in a farming activity (minimum half
day), for a maximum of 10% (full letter grade increase). There are many volunteer opportunities with various
farms around the island. If you are going to pursue this, please contact me ahead of time so we can discuss how
you can prove your participation. If you are interested but do not know of opportunities come to talk to me and
I can provide suggestions.