new minor in urban agriculture

it took nearly a year to get approved but now it's here: the new interdisciplinary minor in urban agriculture at the university of san francisco. with advising coming up next week, this page serves to a) describe the minor and its course requirements and b) list urban ag courses offered this summer and fall 2012. stay tuned for a more official web site soon!

Minor in Urban Agriculture
Students minoring in Urban Agriculture acquire critical understandings and creative skills in three integrated areas: Food systems and food justice; Food production and distribution; and Community-building and collaboration.

Course Requirements
Take one intro course (4 units):
ENVA 220: Introduction to Urban Agriculture (offered, in fall, as ENVA 390-02)

Take two courses in organic gardening (8 units):
ENVA 130: Urban Ag: Fall
ENVA 140: Urban Ag: Spring

Take two electives (8 units):
ANTH 235: The Anthropology of Food
ARCD 370: Construction Innovation Lab
ARCD 400: Community Design Outreach
BUS 304: Management & Organizational Dynamics
BUS 389: Advanced Culinary Skills
ENGL 235: Literature and the Environment
ENVA 145: Community Garden Outreach
ENVA 390: Special Topics in Urban Agriculture
HIST 341: Feast and Famine: A History of Food
MS 301: Green Media

Learning Goals
Upon completing a minor in Urban Ag, students will be able to:

1. Integrate diverse disciplinary perspectives to understand today’s complex food systems – both dominant and alternative;
2. Demonstrate an understanding of the food/environmental movement and contribute to various efforts taking place within San Francisco and the Bay Area;
3. Master advanced skills in organic gardening and urban homesteading and demonstrate ability to grow, harvest, prepare, and preserve food grown in San Francisco; and
4. Demonstrate ability to work collaboratively with others within USF’s Garden Project and in community gardens and kitchens across the Bay Area.




Urban Ag courses offered in Summer and Fall 2012

Summer 2012:
ENVA 301: Buck Mountain Experimental Station Summer Immersion (Melinda Stone, July 10-July 20, 2012)

MS 301: Green Media at Buck Mountain Experimental Station (David Silver, July 24-August 10, 2012)

Fall 2012:
ANTH 235: The Anthropology of Food: Culture, Class, Power, and Change (Rue Ziegler, MW 4:45-6:25 pm)

ARCD 400-01: Community Design Outreach (Instructor TBA, TR 9:55 am - 12:40 pm)

ARCD 400-02: Community Design Outreach (Instructor TBA, TR 12:45-3:30 pm)

BUS 304: 01-10: Management and Organizational Dynamics (See class schedule for different sections)

BUS 389: Advanced Culinary Skills (Jean-Marc Fullsack, M 6:30-8:15 pm)

ENVA 130: Community-Based Urban Agriculture (Justin Valone, M 11:45 am - 3:25 pm)

ENVA 145: Community Garden Outreach (Melinda Stone, R 12:45-4:25 pm)

ENVA 390-01: Advanced Urban Agriculture (Justin Valone, W 11:45 am - 3:25 pm)

ENVA 390-02 (counts towards ENVA 220): Introduction to Urban Agriculture (Rue Ziegler, TR 8:00-9:45 am)

last week's farmstand + gleeson library

a few weeks ago, following a very successful farmstand one, i gave the 21 students and 1 TA in community garden outreach a challenge: "at our next farmstand, when people approach your table and say, 'i would like a salad, please,' i want you to say, 'which one?' at the last farmstand we offered 1 of everything. this time, let's offer 2."

at our second farmstand (thursday, march 22) CGO students delivered. they harvested for, cooked, and served 2 salads (a mixed green with golden goddess dressing and a raw kale salad), 2 soups (a butternut squash with greens soup and spicy collard green with potato and sausage soup), 3 (3!) desserts (lavender cookies, lemon bars, and rhubarb almond bars), 3 (or 4) frittatas, and 1 huge vat of lavender lemonade -- all featuring at least 1 ingredient from the USF garden.



there's a real community forming around farmstand and it includes students, faculty, librarians, staff, administration, and jesuits. by the time we finally opened (about 12:10, i think) there was a long line of folks waiting for good food.



this farmstand included, for the first time, a food/cooking/gardening/sustainability-related book and DVD collection curated and created by gleeson library. arranged by USF librarians debbie benrubi, shawn calhoun, matt collins, and sherise kimura, the gleeson mobile library offered on-the-spot, free, relevant, and borrowable books and DVDs to the farmstand community. perfect.

pinwheel assignment

pinwheel assignment for green media

1. by now, you have all received invites to pinwheel.

2. join pinwheel.

3. set up a profile, add a photo, and write a description.

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

5. post at least two notes - about anything or anyplace.

6. play. get to know the platform by playing and participating within it.

please have all of this completed by class on thursday.

all the stuff you get rid of in a day project

all the stuff you get rid of in a day project for green media

1. tomorrow (wednesday, february 15) photograph everything you throw out or get rid of during the whole day.

2. select your best photos and upload them to flickr.

3. title and tag all your photos. put them into a set. title your set.

4. sometime before class on thursday, february 16, post a tweet that includes a link to your project.

5. in class on thursday, be prepared to demo your work. if you have no work to demo, do not come to class.

hints:

* you have one day to make and share this project: stay focused.

* be as precise as possible.

what i eat and drink in a day project

what i eat and drink in a day project for green media

1. photograph everything you eat and drink in one whole day.

2. select your best photos and upload them to flickr.

3. title and tag all your photos. put them into a set. be creative with all aspects of this project. make it interesting.

4. sometime before class on thursday, february 9, post a thick tweet that includes a link to your project.

5. in class on thursday, be prepared to demo your work.

rules:

a. steps 1-4 must be complete prior to class on thursday.

b. if you have no work to demo, do not come to class.

twitter assignment

twitter assignment for students enrolled in green media

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. although you are not required to follow ITweetUSF, you'd be a fool not to.

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

community garden outreach (spring 2012)

Community Garden Outreach
Environmental Studies 145
Thursdays, 12:45 – 4:25 pm, in the USF Garden

Professor David Silver
Office: Kalmanovitz 141
Office Hours: Tues 1 – 2 pm & by appointment
Contact: dmsilver [ at ] usfca [ dot ] edu

Community Garden Outreach introduces students to ideas, skills, and practices in ultra-local, urban-based food production and distribution. Through course readings and discussions, harvesting in the USF garden, running the campus farmstand, and working on group projects, students will gain first-hand knowledge of and experience in ultra-local, urban-based food systems.


Learning Outcomes
1. Develop practical skills in harvesting, preparing, preserving, and distributing food;
2. Gain hands-on experience in designing, implementing, publicizing, and administering the campus farmstand;
3. Learn how to collaborate creatively and effectively.

Course Schedule
This course meets once-a-week for fifteen weeks. Approximately one-third of our class periods will be spent discussing assigned readings and films, sharing ideas and progress on group projects, and brainstorming our next farmstand. Another one-third of our class periods will be spent in cooking and homesteading workshops in the community kitchen at St. Cyprian's Church (2097 Turk Street). A final one-third of our class periods will be spent setting up, administering, documenting, and breaking down our campus farmstands.

Grading
33% - Quizzes, homework, in-class assignments, weekly reflections, and class participation.
33% - Participation in and contribution to campus farmstands, including designing, setting up, publicizing, preparing food, administering, documenting, and cleaning up.
33% - Individual contribution to group project. This includes: selecting a topic that sustains your attention for a semester; working with other team-members in a collective and generous manner; and devoting at least four hours a week to your project.

Attendance Policy
Missing class, or attending class unprepared, will significantly affect your final grade. If you do miss class, contact a classmate to find out what we discussed in class and ask to borrow his or her notes. Then, do the same with a second classmate. After doing this, if you have questions about missed material, visit me during office hours or send me an email.

Rules
1. No late work accepted.
2. No drinking out of non-reusable containers during class.

green media (spring 2012)

MS 301: Green Media
Tues & Thurs 9:55 – 11:40 am
Lone Mountain 350

Professor David Silver
Office: Kalmanovitz 141
Office Hours: Tues 1 – 2 pm & by appointment
Contact: dmsilver [ at ] usfca [ dot ] edu

Green Media is an advanced production media studies course devoted to making media about making food. In this class, we will learn how to combine words, photographs, video, and social media to tell and share compelling stories about food and food production. Along the way, we will explore different meanings of food, food politics, and connections between food and culture.


Learning Outcomes
1. Learn how to use social media to make and share engaging stories about food and food production;
2. Develop a unique, creative, and compelling voice within your media work; and
3. Learn how to collaborate creatively and effectively.

Course Texts/Costs
o All readings are free and online, available for free via Gleeson Library, or available for free outside my office.
o Students are required to purchase a flickr pro account ($25/year).
o Throughout the semester, students will accrue a number of food-related costs, including homework assignments involving shopping at local farmer’s markets and purchasing ingredients to cook or bake class-related assignments.

Course Schedule
On Tuesdays, we will discuss readings, films, and videos about food, food production, food politics, and food and culture. All readings/viewings will be assigned at least a week prior to being discussed. On Thursdays, we will have social media workshops in class, cooking workshops in the kitchen at St. Cyprian's Church (2097 Turk Street), and Demo Days – class periods when students demonstrate their green media. There is no final exam.

Grading
Quizzes, homework, and in class assignments - 20%
Class and online participation - 30%
Projects - 50%

Attendance Policies
o Missing class, or attending class unprepared, will significantly affect your final grade.
o If you do miss class, contact a classmate to find out what we discussed in class and ask to borrow his or her notes. Then, do the same with a second classmate. After doing this, if you have questions about missed material, visit me during office hours or send me an email.
o On Demo Days, a completed assignment is your ticket to ride. If you have not completed the assignment, do not come to class.

Rules
1. No late work accepted.
2. No drinking out of non-reusable containers during class.

first USF garden work party of the summer

yer invited!


please join us for the first USF garden work party of the summer. no gardening experience necessary. all ages welcome.

where: USF garden, turk & tamalpais (directly west of parking lot)
when: sunday, july 3, 11 am - 4 pm
what: garden work party! solar oven demos! free food! fun people!

please bring a dish to share. all volunteers are encouraged to bring home fresh garden goodies, including veggies, herbs, and fruit.

see you there.

(garden sketch by lizzie roeble; flyer design by brittany rowles)

paper 5 for golden gate park first-year seminar

Paper 5 for Golden Gate Park

1. In Paper 4, you selected a topic related to Golden Gate Park and your major (or prospective major) and wrote a paper about it. In Paper 5, you have two options: a) significantly expand upon the ideas discussed in Paper 4; or b) select a new topic (and clear it with me) and write a paper about it.

2. Include at least four new sources. Do not use the first four sources you find. Use the best four sources you find.

3. Your paper must be between 7-8 pages, including a bibliography, either in MLA or APA.

4. Integrate as many as possible writing skills and techniques discussed this semester in Rhet 195. This includes: introducing your topic; using credible and legitimate sources; summarizing outside sources (recall the "believing game" strategy); selecting and integrating quotations effectively ("quotation sandwiches"); differentiating between what others say about your topic ("they say") and what you say ("I say"); introducing a naysayer; and answering the "who cares?" and "so what?" questions.

5. As always, edit carefully.

6. Be ready to share elements of your work with classmates. Also be ready to read your classmates' work and provide constructive and creative feedback.

7. Paper 5 should be the best paper you write for this class.

8. Paper 5 is due in class on Thursday, May 5. No late work accepted.

summer undergraduate research assistantships with the USF garden

The USF Garden Project is currently seeking 2-3 undergraduate research assistants for summer positions in the garden. The RAships run from May 20, 2011 - August 25th, 2011.


Research assistants must be able to work at least 10 hours a week and be prepared to undertake a variety of jobs in the garden. RA duties include:

1. Serve as teaching assistant for Urban Ag summer course (taught by Justin Valone);

2. Plan and plant summer garden beds;

3. Maintain garden - weeding, watering, oversee irrigation, manage compost;

4. Work with Upward Bound students (1-2 hours/week for 5 weeks) teaching garden skills;

5. Harvest and deliver garden goodies to Booker T. Washington Community Service Center's food pantry every Thursday;

6. Plan, manage, and implement weekly community work days - publicize work days, organize group tasks, and hold open garden hours; and

7. Plan and prep autumn garden beds for fall classes.

Interested USF students must email a letter of interest to David Silver with a CC to Melinda Stone and Justin Valone no later than Tuesday, April 26. In your letter, please describe your qualifications, state your availability for summer, and tell us why you want the job and why you are the best person for the position. Decisions will be made by end of April.

(photos taken by USF garden project student lily rothrock)

food and culture project for green media

food and culture project for green media

1. select, research, and cook a dish that means something to your family, culture, and/or heritage.

2. enlist a family member to help you cook - or help you learn how to cook - your dish. your family member can be anyone - a mother, a father, a grandparent, a great grandparent, a cousin, an aunt, an uncle, a brother, a sister, or anyone else related to you. although the family member does not need to live near you, s/he does need to be accessible via communication (phone, Skype, email, letters, carrier pigeons). ideally, the family member you select should be someone you enjoy learning from and spending time with.

3. using words and photography, document your cooking process in the form of a blog post, flickr set, or video. be sure to include a recipe. you may use up to 20 photos - no more. if you are making a video it must be under 2 minutes long.

4. at least one of your photographs must be of your family member or of the communication between you and your family member.

5. your goal with this project is to tell two stories - one about the relationship between food and culture and one about the relationship between you and your family member. this part will not be easy. be creative.

6. once finished and certainly by class on tuesday, april 5, tweet your food and culture project. Be sure to include a link and #greenmedia somewhere within your tweet.

7. bring your dish to class on tuesday, april 5. bring serving utensils, a plate, a bowl, a fork, a spoon, and your appetite.

paper 4 for golden gate park first-year seminar

Paper 4 for Golden Gate Park

1. Select any topic related to a) Golden Gate Park and b) your major (or prospective major) and write a paper about it. Be sure to select a topic that truly interests you.

2. Find and use at least three outside readings. As discussed in class, your readings must be from credible and legitimate sources.

3. At some point in your paper, you must introduce a naysayer. For this part, I highly encourage you to re-read Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein's chapter, "'Skeptics May Object': Planting a Naysayer in Your Text," in They Say / I Say.

4. Also at some point in your paper, you must answer two questions: "Who cares?" and "So what?" For this part, I encourage you to re-read Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein's chapter, "'So What? Who Cares?': Saying Why It Matters," in They Say / I Say.

5. As decided collectively in class, your paper is to be between 3-5 pages - no more, no less.

6. Edit carefully. If I find three or more errors - spelling, grammar, typos - I will stop reading your paper, return it to you, and ask you to re-edit and re-submit.

7. Sometime between now and class on Tuesday, April 5, tweet the topic of your paper. Be sure to include the #rhet195 hashtag in your tweet.

8. Paper 4 is due in class on Tuesday, April 5. No late work accepted.

food media person project for green media

food media person project for green media

1. select someone - anyone - who makes food media and prepare a 5 minute presentation about that person. your presentation must feature some kind of media - a television show clip from youtube, video, blogs, photography, a book - made by that person.

2. i suggest you select someone you strongly like or dislike. selecting someone you're indifferent to will make this project more difficult.

3. in your presentation, share what you like or dislike about your food media person. be sure to address what you like about their tactics and techniques as well as their personality and style.

4. make sure your presentation is under 5 minutes and does not include powerpoint.

5. sometime between now and class on thursday, march 10, tweet about your food media person. Be sure to include the #greenmedia hashtag in your tweet.

6. on thursday, march 10, be ready to share your presentation in class.

paper 3 for golden gate park first-year seminar

Paper 3 for Golden Gate Park

1. Select any topic you wish related to either the Midwinter Fair of 1894 or the Japanese Tea Garden. You are required to choose a topic that interests you.

2. Research your topic. You must have at least three sources: one from our class readings and two from outside our syllabus. As discussed at length in class, your sources must be legitimate.

3. I highly encourage you to walk into Gleeson Library, make a left, and head to the Reference Desk. Share your topic with a librarian or library staff and see what happens.

4. Keep in mind that everything we do in this class is cumulative which means by now I expect you to know how to introduce your topic, how to summarize your sources, and how to select and integrate quotations into your argument.

5. In this paper, I am especially interested in your ability to differentiate what others say about your topic ("they say") and what you say about your topic ("i say"). Consider re-reading Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein's chapters “‘Yes / No / Okay, But’: Three Ways to Respond” and “‘And Yet’: Distinguishing What You Say from What They Say” (pp. 55-77).

6. Edit carefully. If I find three or more errors - spelling, grammar, typos - I will stop reading your paper, return it to you, and ask you to re-edit and re-submit.

7. Sometime between now and class on Thursday, March 10, tweet the topic of your paper. Be sure to include the #rhet195 hashtag in your tweet.

8. Paper 3 is due in class on Thursday, March 10. No late work accepted.

first friday farmstand

please join the garden project living learning community this friday at harney plaza for good food and fresh produce. first friday farmstand offers homemade meals made with fresh veggies, fruits, and herbs grown in our organic garden on campus. lunch will be served from 12-2 or until the food runs out. bring yer own bowl and receive a half-priced soup or salad!


menu includes: happily harvested garden greens, potato leek soup, veggie sandwiches on homemade bread, veggie quesadillas, collard dolmas, garden tea, and a to-be-determined dessert. friday's farmstand will also feature salves and tinctures made by garden project students during a homestead workshop with sarah duscoe of the wellness place.


this farmstand is in sponsorship with robin kuehn, a history major at USF and garden project student during 2009-10. this summer, robin is participating in a 4,000 mile bike & build ride across the US with stops to help work on affordable housing projects. half of friday's farmstand proceeds will go to support robin's summer quest.

lunch project for green media

lunch project for green media

1. today in class, we decided who would make what:


2. using words and photography, document your preparation process. be smart and be creative. take more photographs than necessary (so that you can select your best shots later) but don't let your photography get in the way of your cooking.

3. select between 5-10 photos and make either a flickr set or a blog post.

4. make sure one of your photos documents where you got one or some of your ingredients.

5. make sure one of your photos documents all of your ingredients ready to cook or what one of our readings called mise en place.

6. make sure at least one of your photos includes a human being who is not you.

7. somewhere within your flickr set or blog post, provide a recipe for your dish. include a recipe title, ingredients, and directions. consider your audience carefully.

8. as discussed in class, what i want to see in this project is some soul, some kind of voice, something human.

9. once finished and certainly by class on tuesday, tweet your lunch project. Be sure to include a link and #greenmedia somewhere within your tweet.

10. bring your dish to class on tuesday, march 1. bring serving utensils, a plate, a bowl, a fork, and a spoon.

a talk for admitted students

today, i'm giving a talk to recently admitted students to USF. with luck, my talk will go something like this:
















update! here's some pics from the talk:

paper 2 for golden gate park first-year seminar

Paper 2 for Golden Gate Park

1. In our readings and class discussions, we have focused on the early history of Golden Gate Park as well as the crucial role of William Hammond Hall. For your second paper, I want you to write, in no more than three double-spaced pages, about any aspect of Hall.

2. Keep in mind that everything we do in this class is cumulative which means by now I expect you to know how to introduce your topic effectively and how to summarize your sources.

3. In this paper, you are required to use at least two sources: Raymond H. Clary's Making of Golden Gate Park: The Early Years: 1865-1906; and Gray Brechin's Imperial San Francisco: Urban Power, Earthly Ruin.

4. Although I expect a fascinating, well-written, and well-edited essay about Hall, what I am most interested in is your ability to select and integrate quotations effectively. Please consider re-reading Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein's chapter, "'As He Himself Puts It': The Art of Quoting," and definitely revisit your notes on Tuesday's class discussion of "quotation sandwiches."

5. Edit carefully. 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.

6. Sometime between now and Thursday, February 24, tweet the topic of your paper. Be sure to include the #rhet195 hashtag in your tweet.

7. Paper 2 is due in class on Thursday, February 24. No late work accepted.

breakfast project for green media

breakfast project for green media

1. working solo, in pairs, or in groups, cook, bake, or prepare something suitable for breakfast or lunch. bring your meal to class on tuesday, february 15, and share it with the rest of us.

2. using photography, document the preparation process. upload your photos to flickr, tag and title them, and put them into a set.

3. somewhere within your flickr set, provide a recipe for your meal. as we discussed in class, be sure to include a recipe title, intro, ingredients, and instructions.

4. be creative.

5. once finished and certainly by class on tuesday, tweet your recipe. Be sure to include a link and #greenmedia somewhere within your tweet.

6. in addition to bringing your meal to class on tuesday, bring your own bowl or plate, fork, and serving utensils.


update!

breakfast project was successful and extremely delicious. enjoy our recipes!

stephanie bruno's Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

kate darden's zzzzuuuuucccchhhhiiiinnniiiii pie!

jaime giacomi's Weekend Brunch

liz lauer's The Most UNHEALTHY Breakfast You Could Ever Eat...But Also The Best

sophia miles' Best Banana Bread Recipe

brittany rowels' The Absolute Best Cinnamon Rolls Ever

nick ryan's Breakfast Project

tracy sidler's Lemon Curd and Cranberry Scones

david silver's scones stuffed with caramelized red onions and brie

matt steinbach's Salsa with a Kick, Grandma's Pico de Gallo

chris williams' Blueberry Lemon Zest Breakfast Bread