cool class alert: tapping the apocalypse

this spring, novella carpenter returns to USF to teach two courses, including this exciting new class. spread the word.

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ENVA 390: Special Topics in Urban Agriculture: Tapping the Apocalypse
Mondays, 11:45-3:25
Novella Carpenter

Urban agriculture tends to take hold first in places that can be defined as apocalyptic. These damaged zones, in cities like Oakland or Detroit, have suffered from years of poverty and neglect, and are now hosting some of the most vibrant - and urgent - urban farms. This class will begin with an examination of how agriculture came about in the first place and how industrial agriculture (creating an apocalyptic landscape of its own) came to dominate our food system. The class will then delve into the revival of small-scale farms and urban farms, questioning what forces came to pass that allowed this turning point to occur. We will take field trips to urban farms and meet guest speakers who work on the ground. Students will create a food experiment loosely based around an apocalyptic or catastrophic event. We will also write personal essays based around a turning point in our lives where everything changed, when an old self was destroyed, allowing a new self to germinate.

Novella Carpenter is an urban farmer, freelance journalist, author of Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer, and co-author The Essential Urban Farmer.

wordpress assignment

for students enrolled in digital media production

1. sign up for a wordpress blog.

2. read three chapters of Simple WP Guide:

a. Writing Posts
b. Formatting Content
c. Using Images

3. write and publish a post using wordpress. the post should include 2-3 paragraphs of text, at least 1 photograph (one of your own!), and at least 1 hyperlink. hint: don't knock yourself out trying to write the best blog post ever. the key to this assignment is to get up and running in wordpress prior to wednesday's in-class workshop.

4. you are welcome but not required to share your post via twitter. if you do share, be sure to include #dmp13

5. wednesday's workshop will be on wordpress. bring a laptop or tablet to class.