summer undergraduate research assistantships with the USF community garden

The Urban Ag minor at USF is looking to hire three undergraduate research assistants to manage the USF Community Garden this summer. The RAships run from May 19, 2014 - August 8, 2014.

RA duties include:

1. Plan and plant summer garden beds;
2. Maintain garden - weeding, watering, oversee irrigation, manage compost;
3. Plan, manage, and implement weekly community work days - publicize work days, organize group tasks, and hold open garden hours;
4. Work on monthly community dinners at St. Cyprian's;
5. Work with Upward Bound students teaching garden skills;
6. Harvest and deliver fresh produce to Booker T. Washington Community Service Center's food pantry;
7. Maintain @USFGarden's multiple social media platforms;
8. Start starts for fall classes; and
9. Keep the garden kitchen clean.

Ideal candidates have experience in the USF Garden (either through workdays and/or classes), work well in collaborative situations, are self-directed, and enjoy working with the public. Each summer research assistant will work a total of 100 hours over the summer and be paid $10.55/hour. Undergraduate RAs will report to Novella Carpenter.

Interested USF students must email David Silver (dmsilver [ at ] usfca [ dot ] edu) no later that 5 pm on Wednesday, May 7. In your email, please describe your qualifications, state your availability for summer, and tell us why you want the job. After consulting with Novella Carpenter and Justin Valone, David will notify all candidates by Friday, May 9. Good luck!

urban ag course offerings (summer & fall, 2014)

URBAN AG COURSE OFFERINGS
Summer and fall, 2014

Summer 2014

ENVA 390: Urban Agriculture Intensive
Professor Novella Carpenter
MWF 9:50 am – 4:45 pm, July 22 – August 8

Fall 2014

ENVA 130: Urban Ag: Fall
Professor Novella Carpenter
Wednesdays, 11:45 am – 3:25 pm

ENVA 145: Community Garden Outreach
Professor Rachel Brand Lee
Thursdays, 11:45 am – 3:25 pm

ENVA 220: Intro to Urban Agriculture
Professor Rue Ziegler
MW 4:45 – 6:25 pm

 
ARCD 400 (section 01): Community Design Outreach
Professor Seth Wachtel
TTH 9:55 am – 12:40 pm

ARCD 400 (section 02): Community Design Outreach
Professor Seth Wachtel
TTH 12:45 – 3:30 pm

BUS 389: Fundamentals of Culinary Skills
Professor Jean-Marc Fullsack
TH 12:45 - 3:30 pm

HIST 341: Feast and Famine: A History of Food
Professor Heather Hoag
TTH 8:00 – 9:45 am

For more information, please contact Professor David Silver (dmsilver [ at ] usfca [ dot] edu)

homework assignment for golden gate park first-year seminar

Homework assignment for Golden Gate Park first-year seminar

Last week, we read the preface and two chapters of Gary Kamiya's Cool Gray City of Love: 49 Views of San Francisco. In one of the chapters, we learned that the Human Be-In took place in Golden Gate Park on January 14, 1967.

For class on Tuesday, please research some element of the Human Be-In and be ready to share your findings in class. Also, please tweet your findings, or a portion of your findings, prior to class. Be sure to use our class hashtag #fysggp in your tweet.

Finally, bring a typed draft of your paper one - at least one page, more if you got it - to class and be ready to share it with classmates.

twitter assignment

twitter assignment for golden gate park first-year seminar students:

1. if you have not yet joined twitter, join twitter.

2. create a profile. you are not required to use your real name in your profile but you certainly can.

3. make your profile public. if you already have a twitter account that is private and wish to keep it that way, create a new account for this class.

4. find and follow all members (students and professor) of our class.

5. also follow @GoldenGatePark, @GleesonLibrary, @itweetUSF, and @usfca.

6. get into the habit of checking twitter at least once a day.

paper 1 for golden gate park first-year seminar

Paper 1 for Golden Gate Park

1. For the last five weeks, we have been reading about, discussing, and visiting Golden Gate Park. We have learned about the park's history and early hurdles, the California Midwinter International Exposition of 1894, and the Japanese Tea Garden. We have taken field trips to the Horseshoe Pits, The Conservatory of Flowers, the de Young Tower, the Fuchsia Dell, and the Japanese Tea Garden.

 
2. Now it's time to write. Select an aspect about the history of Golden Gate Park, the California Midwinter International Exposition of 1894, or the Japanese Tea Garden. Write a 3-4 page, typed, and double-spaced paper about it.

3. In your paper, you must use three sources. Two of these sources must be readings assigned in class. The third source must come from you.

4. Think a bit about that third source. Do not select the first one you find. Do not select one that does not interest you. Take some time with this third source.

5. What I am looking for more than anything in this paper is your ability to summarize and quote from readings. In other words, I am looking for your successful application of the ideas found in Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein's chapters, "'Her Point Is': The Art of Summarizing" and "'As He Himself Puts It': The Art of Quoting," both found in They Say/I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing.

6. Pro tip: Although you will have plenty of opportunities this semester to explore creatively and in depth the past, present, and future of Golden Gate Park, the purpose of this paper is less about the park and more about highlighting your understanding and mastery of the writing moves discussed in They Say/I Say.

7. I expect and require you to thoroughly edit your paper. If I find three or more errors - spelling, grammar - I will stop reading your paper, return it to you, and ask you to re-edit and re-submit. When editing your paper, please consider reading it out loud. Also, consider swapping your paper with another student or students and edit each others' work.

8. It is extremely important to follow directions. Please consider reading this paper assignment a second time. Go crazy and read it a third time.

9. Paper 1 is due in class on Thursday, March 6. No late work accepted.

environmental sustainability cornerstone seminar, spring 2014

ENVA 311: Environmental Sustainability Cornerstone Seminar

Lone Mountain 345

Tues & Thurs 9:55-11:40

Professor David Silver

Office: Kalmanavitz 141

Office hours: Tues & Thurs 3-4 pm

Contact: dmsilver@usfca.edu

Course Description

In this course, students synthesize issues, theories, and methods learned thus far in the Environmental Studies major or minor and develop a research topic and approach suitable for an ENVA pathways proposal. Through readings, class discussions, workshops, and guest lectures, students learn how to clarify and refine a research topic, write a literature review or environmental scan, and develop a pathways proposal. By the end of the semester, students present their pathways proposals to their peers and a panel of ENVA professors.

In addition to developing a pathways proposal, students learn about, work on, and complete the grant-writing cycle. With help from Career Services Center and Gleeson librarians, students learn how to find, research, write, and submit a grant. Ideally, the grant will fund some portion of the student’s pathways proposal.

Finally, students create an e-portfolio - an online, publicly accessible portfolio that features a student’s past, present, and future work. In general, the e-portfolio will highlight a student’s course and community work and serve as an ongoing depository for students’ projects, papers, and personal and professional reflections. In addition to mastering various 21st century tools of creation, communication, and collaboration, students engage with a public audience and, in the process, reflect upon larger digital literacy issues like participatory media, personal “branding,” and online privacy.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completing this course, students will be able to:

1.   Clarify, research, and refine a topic and related set of questions suitable for a Environmental Studies pathways proposal;

2.   Write a literature review or environmental scan that demonstrates a grasp of the range of projects and knowledge relevant to your chosen topic and questions;

3.   Find, research, write, and complete an application for a grant related to your Environmental Studies interests;

4.   Create a digital archive of your work, in the form of an e-portfolio, that creatively and professionally showcases your past, present, and future work and interests; and

5.   Engage constructively and critically in peer-produced work and provide and receive thoughtful feedback to and from your peers and professor.

Course Components

Reflection papers - An integral part of the Cornerstone experience is the opportunity to reflect on the kinds of knowledge and skills you have acquired through the Environmental Studies curriculum, and identify specific interests, skills, concerns, problems, or focus areas that you would like to explore further. Short reflection papers will require you to demonstrate your reflection process as you consider these questions.

Literature Review/Environmental Scan - A well-designed lit review or environmental scan demonstrates your ability to synthesize literature and projects from across the disciplines, and identify opportunities for asking new questions or proposing new approaches to old or unanswered questions. A 5-7 page paper will reflect your grasp of existing projects, research, and knowledge in your chosen problem or topic area.

Pathways Proposal - This is the proposal that students, if they wish, may submit for review by the Environmental Studies Advisory Board to be considered for the Pathways track. Whether you decide to submit your proposal for consideration or not, the proposal must demonstrate your identification of a particular problem or focus area; a question that arises out of your analysis of the problem or focus area; and, most importantly, the design of a course of study and path of investigation (equaling 20 units) that could lead you toward answers.

Grant Cycle – For students interested in pursuing advanced projects and research, securing funding is imperative. In this class, you will learn about, write, work on, and submit a grant related to your area of interests.

E-portfolio design and set up - Students will submit a design proposal or template for their e-portfolio, along with brief reflections on what your want your e-portfolio to communicate about yourself and your work. You will present your design proposal in class, with plenty of time given for peer feedback.

E-portfolio semester wrap up - Near the end of the semester, you will submit a “final” e-portfolio that includes documentation of your work in the major to date, showcases your plans and proposals for the future, and conveys your personal voice or “brand.” The assignment also requires planned build-out of the areas of your portfolio that you aim to fill over your final two years.

Participation - Students will be evaluated on the quality and quantity of their participation in classroom reflection exercises, discussions, workshops, and other activities, including homework, quizzes, and in-class assignments.

Grading

10%    Reflection papers

15%    Literature review/environmental scan

20%    Pathways proposal

15%    Grant cycle

15%    E-portfolio design and set up

15%    E-portfolio semester wrap up

10%    Participation                   

Course Schedule

Tuesday, 1/21: Introductions to course, ourselves

Thursday, 1/23: Mapping our interests exercise; Twitter workshop

Cluster 1: The Past

This 3-week cluster focuses on salient issues, theories, and ideas gleaned from past Environmental Studies (and related) courses. Which courses, projects, experiences, and internships have contributed to your interest in environmental sustainability? With visits from Career Services, students will reflect upon past coursework and professional experiences. By the end of the cluster, students will complete a resume, begin/update a LinkedIn profile, and write a brief reflection paper.

Cluster 2: The Present

This 4-week cluster asks students to consider their current interests and to map existing projects and research in these areas. With help from Gleeson librarians, students will begin working on their literature reviews/environmental scans. With readings and social media tools, students will map their various social networks. With visits from the Center for Instruction and Technology, students will begin designing their e-portfolios. By the end of the cluster, students will complete a social networks mapping exercise, their e-portfolio design and set up, and a significant portion of their lit reviews/environmental scans.

Cluster 3: The Future

This 5-week cluster encourages students to think about the future – their future Pathways coursework, their future internships and jobs, and their future contributions to the field of environmental sustainability. To help reach these visions, students will visit relevant Environmental Studies upper division courses, meet and interview ENVA professors with related interests, and submit a grant application related to their area of interest. By the end of the cluster, students will have completed their lit reviews/environmental scans and grant cycle. Further, they will have designed, built, and tested their e-portfolios. Finally, they will turn in a reflection paper on what was learned and next steps.

Cluster 4: Peer Review

This 2-week cluster asks students to present both their Pathways Proposals and e-portfolios to their peers and a panel of ENVA professors. Plenty of time will be given for constructive feedback and discussion. By the end of the cluster, students will have completed their Pathways Proposals and e-portfolios.

There is no final in this course.

Attendance Policies

1.    Missing class, or attending class unprepared, will significantly affect your final grade.

2.    If you do miss class, contact a classmate to find out what you missed and ask to borrow her or his notes. Then, do it again with a different classmate. After doing this, if you have questions about missed material, visit me during office hours.

3.    On days that assignments are due in class, a complete assignment is your ticket to ride. In other words, if you have not completed the assignment, do not come to class.

Rules

1.    No late work accepted.

2.    In class and on field trips, no drinking out of non-reusable containers.

golden gate park syllabus, spring 2014

Golden Gate Park

First-Year Seminar

Lone Mountain 345

Tues & Thurs 12:45-2:30 pm

Professor David Silver

Office: Kalmanavitz 141

Office hours: Tues & Thurs 3-4 pm

Contact: dmsilver [ at ] usfca [ dot ] edu

Golden Gate Park is a First-Year Seminar that explores the history, built environment, popular narratives, and mixed uses of San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. Through readings, class discussions, and library workshops, students will develop a broad and keen understanding of the park; through field trips and park walks, students will gain valuable on-site experience in and with the park. An accelerated writing seminar, Golden Gate Park fulfills USF’s Core A2 requirement.

Learning Outcomes

In this class, students will learn:

1. How to read, analyze, and summarize complex texts from multiple fields and subjects; 
2. How to develop interesting research questions based on outside research and individual interests; 
3. How to use Gleeson Library and online tools to find relevant material from a range of sources and disciplines; 
4. How to write, edit, revise, and polish clear and compelling essays that, when necessary, keep with the conventions of academic writing; and
5. How some sand dunes called the Outside Lands became Golden Gate Park.

 

Required Text

Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein, They Say/I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing, 2^nd Edition (W. W. Norton, 2009).

Course Schedule

Tuesday, 1/21: Introductions

Thursday, 1/23: Twitter workshop

Cluster 1: The History of Golden Gate Park

This cluster begins on Tuesday, January 28 and lasts for three weeks, or six class periods. During this cluster, we will read, research, and write about the history of Golden Gate Park, have at least one workshop in Gleeson Library, and take field trips to the Horseshoe Pits, Fuchsia Dell, and the de Young Tower. Readings, which will be assigned at least two days in advance, include:

• Raymond H. Clary, Making of Golden Gate Park: The Early Years: 1865-1906, pp. 6-27.
• Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein, “‘They Say’: Starting with What Others Are Saying,” in They Say/I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing (or TSIS), pp. 19-29.
• Graff and Birkenstein, “‘Her Point Is’: The Art of Summarizing,” in TSIS, pp. 30-41; and
• Graff and Birkenstein, “‘As He Himself Puts It’: The Art of Quoting,” in TSIS, pp. 42-51.

Paper 1 is due at the start of class on Thursday, February 13.

Cluster 2: California Midwinter International Exposition

This cluster begins on Tuesday, February 18 and lasts for three weeks. During this cluster, we will explore the California Midwinter International Exposition of 1894, have two library workshops (one in Gleeson and one at the downtown branch of San Francisco Public Library), and take field trips to the Music Concourse, Shakespeare Garden, Japanese Tea Garden, and the downtown library. Readings include:

• Raymond H. Clary, “Midwinter Fair,” in Making of Golden Gate Park: The Early Years: 1865-1906, pp. 111-125.
• James R. Smith, “California Midwinter International Exposition – 1894,” in San Francisco’s Lost Landmarks, pp. 111-126.
• Graff and Birkenstein, “‘Yes / No / Okay, But’: Three Ways to Respond,” in TSIS, pp. 55-67;
• Graff and Birkenstein, “‘And Yet’: Distinguishing What You Say from What They Say,” in TSIS, pp. 68-77;
• Graff and Birkenstein, “‘Skeptics May Object’: Planting a Naysayer in Your Text,” in TSIS, pp. 78-91; and
• Graff and Birkenstein, “‘So What? Who Cares?’: Saying Why It Matters,” in TSIS, pp. 92-101.

Paper 2 is due at the start of class on Thursday, March 6.

SPRING BREAK (March 10-14)

Cluster 3: Golden Gate Park in the Modern Era

This cluster begins on Tuesday, March 18 and lasts for four weeks. In this cluster, we will explore recent developments in the park, have a zotero workshop, and take field trips to the Panhandle, Hippy Hill, and the de Young Museum. Readings include:

• Selected articles about the Diggers;
• Jacqueline Hoefer, “Ruth Asawa: A Working Life,” in The Sculpture of Ruth Asawa: Contours in the Air, edited by Daniell Cornell, pp. 10-29;
• Graff and Birkenstein, “‘As a Result’: Connecting the Parts,” in TSIS, pp. 105-120;
• Graff and Birkenstein, “‘Ain’t So / Is Not’: Academic Writing Doesn’t Always Mean Setting Aside Your Own Voice,” in TSIS, pp. 121-128; and
• Graff and Birkenstein, “‘But Don’t Get Me Wrong’: The Art of Metacommentary,” in TSIS, pp. 129-138.

Paper 3 is due at the start of class on Thursday, April 10.

Cluster 4: Lost/Virtual/Invisible Golden Gate Park

This cluster begins on Tuesday, April 15 and lasts for four weeks. During this cluster, we will explore lost, less seen, virtual, and memorialized elements of the park. We will take park tours using the Golden Gate Park Field Guide (an app developed by the California Academy of Sciences) and An Unnatural History of Golden Gate Park (a virtual tour developed by the Studio for Urban Projects). We will also take field trips to the National AIDS Memorial Grove, the Beach Chalet, and the Park Chalet, and enjoy an end-of-the-semester celebration at Ocean Beach. Readings include:

• James R. Smith, “Playland at the Beach,” in San Francisco's Lost Landmarks, pp. 44-53;
• Josh Sides, “The Unspoken Sexuality of Golden Gate Park,” in Erotic City: Sexual Revolutions and the Making of Modern San Francisco, pp. 123-140; &
• Andy Abrahams Wilson and Tom Shepard, The Grove: AIDS and the Politics of Remembrance (DVD), 2011.

Paper 4 is due at the start of class on Thursday, May 8.

There is no final exam in this class.

Grading

Paper 1                                                             15%

Paper 2                                                             20%

Paper 3                                                             20%

Paper 4                                                             25%

Class participation (which includes homework,      20%

         quizzes, in-class assignments, and active

involvement in discussions and field trips)

Attendance Policy

• Because this is an accelerated writing seminar, attendance is crucial. Students are expected to attend each class and field trip, have all readings finished prior to class or field trip, and be ready to participate in class discussions. Missing class, or attending class unprepared, will significantly affect your final grade.
• If you do miss class, contact a classmate to find out what you missed and ask to borrow her or his notes. Then, do it again with a different classmate. After doing this, if you have questions about missed material, visit me during office hours.
• On days that assignments are due in class, a complete assignment is your ticket to ride. In other words, if you have not completed the assignment, do not come to class.

Academic Integrity

Plagiarism is using another person’s words and/or ideas without giving appropriate credit.  Plagiarism is a serious violation of academic honor and personal integrity and can result in failing an assignment, being removed from this course, or even being asked to leave USF.

Rules

1. No late work accepted. 
2. In class and on field trips, no drinking out of non-reusable containers.

undergraduate RA position in social media and urban ag (spring 2014)

I am looking to hire an undergraduate research assistant (RA) for spring 2014. The RA will work with me on the first stage of research towards the Jesuit Garden Network, an online/offline community of faculty, students, and staff at US Jesuit colleges and universities interested in sustainable agriculture. With the Jesuit Garden Network, faculty, students, and staff will come together to share seeds, skills, and curricula in sustainable agriculture.

Ideal candidates for this RAship will have advanced interests and skills in social media and urban/sustainable agriculture as well as experience with the USF Community Garden. The RA will work approximately 10 hours a week, for 15 weeks, and be paid $10.55 $10.74/hour.

The RA's responsibilities will include:

1. Searching, locating, and identifying people, projects, and programs in organic gardening, urban/sustainable agriculture, and food distribution at all 28 Jesuit colleges and universities in the US;

2. Contacting and communicating with faculty, students, and staff (from US Jesuit colleges and universities) who are involved in urban/sustainable agriculture projects and programs;

3. Maintaining a database of all relevant people, projects, and programs (from US Jesuit colleges and universities) in urban/sustainable agriculture; and

4. Coordinating with students and faculty in 2 USF spring 2014 courses – Urban Ag: Spring (ENVA 140) and Community Garden Outreach (ENVA 145) – to create social media about growing, harvesting, preparing, and distributing organic food.

If interested, please send a brief email expressing your interest and qualifications for the job to Professor David Silver (dmsilver [ at ] usfca [ dot ] edu) by Wednesday, December 4, at 5 pm. Decisions will be announced the following week.

a day of comments assignment

for students enrolled in digital media production

1. on tuesday, november 5, refrain from posting original content on all social media sites.

2. comment all you want. comment on your fellow classmates' wordpress blogs, their flickr sets, and their photos on instagram. on twitter, feel free to reply, to retweet, or to favorite. just don't tweet. in other words, spend a day commenting on other people's social media, not creating your own.

3. when the day is done, reflect upon your experiences. type, write, or draw one page worth of reflections upon what it means to use, give, and get social media. bring the page of reflection to class on wednesday.

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.

***

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.

3 photos assignment

for students enrolled in digital media production

1. take 3 photos, make them public, and tweet links to them. be sure to include #dmp13 in your tweet.

2. the 3 photos must include: a) a selfie; b) a shelfie; and c) a view from where you live. one goal of these photos should be to convey something meaningful about yourself to the rest of us.

3. the 3 photos must somehow relate - a similar theme, object, filter, color, whatever. as we discussed in class, if these 3 photos were part of a large photo album, we should be able to easily identify them.

4. your work must be finished, made public, and tweeted by the beginning of class on friday. be ready to demo your work in class. if you do not have work to demo, do not come to class.

tips and advice:

a. follow directions.

b. take way more photos than you end up using.

one more thing:

on wednesday, you will workshop your work in class. bring work - on your phone, camera, sketchpads, journals - so another student can offer you feedback. be ready to share your feedback with others.

twitter assignment

twitter assignment for students enrolled in digital media production:

1. if you have not yet joined twitter, join twitter.

2. create a profile. in either your user name or bio (or both), use your real name.

3. make your profile public. if you already have a twitter account that is private and wish to keep it that way, create a new account for this class.

4. find and follow all members (students and professor) of our class. also follow @GleesonLibrary.

5. by friday's class, post at least one tweet that relates directly or indirectly to digital media production. be sure to include our class hashtag: #dmp13

6. get into the habit of checking twitter at least once a day.

digital media production, fall 2013

MS 320: Digital Media Production
MWF 11:45-12:50 (Section 2)
MWF 1:00-2:05 (Section 1)
Kalmanovitz Hall 211

Professor David Silver
Contact: dmsilver [ at ] usfca [ dot ] edu
Office: Kalmanovitz Hall 141
Office hours: MF 10-11 & by appointment

Digital Media Production is a media studies production course designed around creating, sharing, and collaborating with social media. Using words, photographs, animation, and maps (not to mention links, sets, and hashtags), students will explore and experiment with social media, participatory media, or what we might as well just call contemporary media. Along the way, students will research and participate in an issue, organization, or movement that combines social justice and social media.

Learning Goals:
1. To learn how to use many different social media tools and platforms quickly, independently, creatively, and collaboratively;
2. To dig deeply, through research and participation, into a particular issue, organization, or movement that combines social justice and social media; and
3. To develop, through social media, a unique voice that combines creative expression and engagement with others.

 
Course Texts and Costs: All readings will be made available for free – online, via Gleeson Library, or outside my office. All students are required to make at least one $25 micro-loan, via kiva.org, which will be returned in full.

Calendar: In general, Mondays will be spent discussing readings, Wednesdays will be devoted to workshops and field trips, and Fridays will be guest lectures and Demo Days (class periods when students demo new work). On Fridays, the professor, in collaboration with the students, will decide next week’s topics, readings, workshops, and assignments.

Course Grading:
20% Quizzes and homework
20% Class participation
30% Individual projects
20% Group projects
10% Collaborative content project with students enrolled in Adam Fish’s Viral Video Production course at Lancaster University, UK

Attendance Policy: Missing class, or attending class unprepared, will significantly affect your final grade. If you do miss class, contact a classmate or two to find out what you missed. After doing this, if you have questions about missed material, visit me during office hours.

Course Rules:
1. No late work accepted.
2. If you have no new work on Demo Day, do not come to class.
3. Starting Friday, 8/23, no drinking out of non-reusable containers in class.

summer squash sauté

now that the front yard squashazoid is going crazy, i'm searching for new squash-centric recipes. here's my favorite so far.

summer squash sauté

2 lbs summer squash and/or zucchini, cut into coins or slices
1 tsp salt plus more
1/4 cup sliced almonds
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
black pepper
fresh herbs, including marjoram, parsley, and tarragon (optional)

1. place squash in a colander over a large bowl and add 1 tsp salt. mix gently. let stand for 10 minutes.

2. toast almonds in a large dry skillet over medium heat, teasing occasionally, until they are lightly browned, about 3 minutes. transfer to a plate and let cool.

3. heat oil in skillet. add garlic and red pepper flakes. cook, stirring often, until fragrant but not browned, about 2 minutes.

4. add squash and cook, tossing occasionally, until crisp and tender, about 5 minutes.

5. fold in parmesan and season with salt and pepper.

6. fold in almonds.

7. top off with fresh herbs (optional)

serve immediately. consider serving over fresh garlic bread or a baquette!

summer reading

every year, roy christopher gets folks to compile their summer reading lists. he's been doing it for ten years (ten years!) and this year's list includes a few notes from me.

ray trayer, animated

one of the great finds from last month's trip to the black mountain college collection in asheville, north carolina, was a series of photographs of ray trayer, the farmer at BMC from 1946 to 1951. this was a big deal. for over two years, i could not find a single photo of ray trayer on the farm.

trayer was a quaker, a pacifist, and a conscientious objector during world war two. in september 1946, he arrived to black mountain college where he joined friend and fellow quaker, clifford "cliff" moles, to run the farm. using methods of organic gardening and farming, trayer and moles focused on improving the soil and, in the process, greatly increased the farm's efficiency and productivity.

due to trayer's abrasive personality, moles left the college in 1948, the same year trayer developed a course called "soil and steel" which explored common difficulties facing US farmers and factory workers. finally, after a fifteen year search, BMC had a farmer who could both farm and teach.

 
felix krowinski was a student (and avid photographer) at black mountain college from 1947 to 1948 (and perhaps through 1949). his collection of photographs -- the "felix krowinski, sr. collection" in the "project papers" within the black mountain college collection -- includes dozens of photographs of everyday life at the college. the collection also includes a wonderful series of photographs of ray trayer working with student bernard carp.

using a basic animated gif tool called make a gif, i strung the images together creating, i believe, the first brief video - or mini-movie! - of everyday life at black mountain college.

jobs in the USF community garden this summer

USF Urban Agriculture Program is currently looking to hire three research assistants to manage the USF Community garden this summer. Responsibilities include watering, weeding, composting, planting, and harvesting the garden.  The research assistants are also responsible for organizing garden workdays, workshops for the community, and working on monthly community dinners at St. Cyprian's.

Ideal candidates have experience in the USF Garden (either through workdays and/or classes), work well in collaborative situations, are self-directed, and enjoy working with the public.

Each summer research assistant will work a total of 150 hours over the summer and be paid 10.55/hour.

If interested, please send a short letter expressing your interest and qualifications for the job to Melinda Stone (stone [ at ] usfca [ dot ] edu) by Thursday, May 9, NOON.  Decisions will be announced the following week.

my office walls: a (voluntary) mid-sabbatical progress report

i started my sabbatical in summer 2012 with a goal to research the history of the farm at black mountain college (1933 - 56). i began where BMC began, in north carolina, to attend and participate in the information professionals 2050 conference, organized by gary marchionini of the university of north carolina. i gave a talk, titled "digital natives on a media fast," which described a media fast i assigned (twice) to the students in my intro to media studies class. i also spoke briefly about green media and seasonal syllabi.

from chapel hill i drove west to asheville where, with support from USF's faculty development funds (FDF), i spent a week in the black mountain college collection, at the western regional archives. with help from archivist heather south, i became acquainted with the amazing and enormous collection and dug deeply into farm and food-related folders, documents, and photography. my work with (and love for) the bmc collection was featured in jon elliston's article "NC state archives opening its first western branch" in the carolina public press.

in july i began taping my research to the walls of my office. i started with a few photographs of students, faculty, and staff building a barn (in summer, 1941).

in august i flew to los angeles to spend a few days with the MC richards papers at the getty research institute. i learned more about MC's (BMC faculty, literature and drama, fall 1945 - summer 1951) proposed book on the history of black mountain college, located ray trayer's (BMC farmer, fall 1946 - summer 1951) 5-page syllabus "soil and steel," and discovered herb cable's (BMC student, still working on exact dates but sometime between 1945 - 1951) unpublished short story and poetry about the farm at black mountain college. by the end of summer, my office's east-facing wall, the one representing the farm at black mountain college in the 1940s, looked something like this:

in fall i returned to asheville, to attend and participate in the "re-viewing black mountain college 4: looking forward at buckminster fuller's legacy" conference and to conduct further archival research at the BMC collection. the conference, organized by the black mountain college museum + art center (BMCMAC) and hosted on the beautiful campus of the university of north carolina, asheville, brought together local, national, and international scholars and followers of black mountain college and (this year's conference focus) buckminster fuller (BMC summer faculty, 1948 and 1949). i gave a talk titled "the farm at black mountain college" which traced the development of the farm through the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. with help from archivist heather south, my talk featured a table of farm-related "live artifacts" from the western regional archives. before and after my talk, i invited attendees to approach the table and witness the artifacts first hand. "if you like them," i said, "you should check out the whole BMC collection at the western regional archives."

the conference ended with a field trip to the lake eden campus. at the end of the regularly scheduled tour, alice sebrell, program director of BMCMAC and our excellent tour guide, invited the field trippers to walk to the farm where i would give a brief history. sharing my knowledge about the farm at black mountain college while at the farm at black mountain college was a true sabbatical (and career) highlight.

after the conference, and with help from FDF, i spent a week at the BMC collection, working primarily with the ted and barbara dreier collection, faculty meeting minutes, and photography of the farm.

much of winter was spent growing and tending my personal research archive of the farm at black mountain college. through google, i located and began corresponding with former members of the BMC community, including ron robertson (BMC student, 1950 - 51) and trueman machenry (BMC student, 1949 - 1951; worked on farm 1951). through emails with katherine c. reynolds, author of visions and vanities: john andrew rice of black mountain college, i learned about the john andrew rice collection at the south caroliniana library and obtained recordings of 8 oral histories with former BMC students, faculty, and faculty family members. i also continued (and continue) to build "a bibliography of the farm at black mountain college," a real-time, photo-based bibliography of the campus farm that now contains over 100 photo-entries.

the walls of my office also grew. soon i had three walls representing three decades of the farm at black mountain college. taped on my office walls were farm and farmer photographs; farm plans, maps, and planting charts; faculty and student discussions about the farm; and paintings, poetry, short stories, and personal memoirs about the farm. by the end of winter, my office walls looked like this:

i am excited by and focused on my remaining sabbatical activities. in april i will return to north carolina, to raleigh, for a two-day visit to north carolina state university. here i will give a series of talks (and hopefully classroom visits) on social media, learning, and libraries as well as a talk about the farm at black mountain college. from raleigh i go to boone, to appalachian state university, where i will give a talk titled "the farm at black mountain college: a history in five acts with lessons for today"; the talk is co-sponsored by the sustainable development program and belk library and information commons. while at ASU i will visit the john a. rice papers in belk library.

depending on FDF support, i will then go to asheville, again to the BMC collection, with a focus on the black mountain college research project, the recently-catalogued helen post modley collection, and, if they are ready by then, mary emma harris' black mountain college project papers.

in may, again, depending on FDF support, i will fly to washington, dc, to colonial williamsburg, to conduct research in the a. lawrence kocher archive. kocher (BMC faculty, architecture 1940 - 43) worked with students, faculty, and staff on numerous construction projects including, most famously, the studies building (completed in 1941). kocher also designed and worked with students, faculty, and staff to build many of the farm structures on the lake eden campus, including the barn, a milking house, two corn silos, and a machinery shed/corn crib.

finally, in july, i will return again to north carolina, to chapel hill, where i will give the keynote talk at the triangle research libraries network annual meeting 2013. from chapel hill, i will drive to - where else? - asheville and conduct research at the BMC collection for as long as possible.

between all this travel i look forward to watching my office walls grow.

it's been an exciting and fulfilling first half+ of my sabbatical and i look forward to what remains.