The purpose of this course is to introduce the multidisciplinary world of soil science and sustainable agriculture and land use. We will spend the first 6 weeks of the course learning/reviewing basic terminology, soil science, and basic plant nutrition. We will spend 2 weeks on understanding destructive processes. For the next 5 weeks, we will look at case studies that combine land use policy and its effect on soil and agriculture. The remaining weeks will be student presentations. The main goal of the course is to understand the real impact of land use policy on soils.
soil formation/maturation
LECTURE: intro and standard concepts about soil formation
HANDOUT: basic soil terminologysoil formation/maturation
DISCUSSION: physical soil formation (wind, water, energy, heat, etc.)soil formation/maturation
DISCUSSION: chemical soil formation (soil maturation, etc.)nutrition
DISCUSSION: Nutrient cycling: C, N, P, S
HANDOUT: agriculture terminologynutrition
QUIZ: soil terminology
DISCUSSION: bio-geo-chemistrynutrition
DISCUSSION: fertilization; organic farmingerosion
QUIZ: agriculture terminologyDISCUSSION: Erosion/desertification/landslides
contamination
DISCUSSION: contaminationcase studies
Venezuela, California, Jamaica, Tanzania, Houston
1. 2 announced quizzes on terminology (students MUST retake quizzes until scoring 100%)
2. weekly 1-page papers that address or ask critical questions inspired by readings
3. everyone must ask one GOOD question at the end of every class meeting
4. individual final presentations: prepare a 10-15min critical presentation on some topic related to soils, sustainability, policy, etc. e.g. NAFTA/Mexico, Transamazonica, etc.