Tuesdays and Thursdays at 2:00 PM-3:15 PM in Shantz 242E
1. Instructor's name, office room number, and telephone number:
Dr. Steven P. McLaughlin
Professor, Arid Land Resource Sciences
Curator, Herbarium
Herbarium: Herring Hall 103A, 621-7243
On Campus: Arid Lands 107A1 (1955 E. Sixth) 621-8577
Off Campus: Natural Products Center 100 (250 E. Valencia), 741-1691
E-mail: spmcl@ag.arizona.edu
Homepage: http://Ag.Arizona.Edu/~spmcl/mclaughlin.html
2. Office hours or a statement of an open-door policy:
Formal office hours will be Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM. I expect to be on campus Monday-Thursday all day during Spring 2005, and am available to meet with students at any time. An appointment is not required, but is advised, particularly since I need to work out of three offices.
On Fridays I will usually be at the laboratory at the Natural Products Center adjacent to the Tucson International Airport. I have an open-door policy while at the lab, but, again, it is advisable to check beforehand to make sure I will be in.
3. Grade and absence policies:
Students are expected to attend all regularly scheduled class meetings, and are responsible for the material (including reading assignments) given out in class. If you know in advance that you will not be able to attend a class, please advise me and ask about assignments.
Grades will be based on exams (50%), term paper (25%), and reading assignments (25%).
Grading will be by regular letter grades (A,B,C,D,E); the following miminum cutoffs will be observed:
4. List of required texts:
There is no required textbook for the course. Students will be assigned readings from recent literature. Assignments will posted on Electronic Reserves. Most papers will also be available in journal holdings in the Science Library.
5. Number of required examinations and papers:
There will be a midterm and a final exam. The midterm will March 8, 2005. The final will be May 12, 2005, at 2:00 PM.
There is a required term-paper for this course; final copies of the term-paper are due on the last day of class, May 3, 2005, at 2:00 PM. See below for further description and details.
6. Required extra-curricular activities, if any:
Students are required to write a brief review of each reading assignment. The purpose of these reviews is to enhance your understanding of the material. These are to be typed (i.e., word-processed) double-spaced with 1-inch margins (10 or 12 point font). Each review should provide a synopsis of the content, themes, and conclusions of the paper. In addition, students are encouraged to provide comments on the paper (e.g., its relevance to other topics discussed in class (or other classes), critiques, unresolved problems, etc.). In other words, these reviews should resemble book reviews in (1) making it clear what the paper is about, and (2) putting the paper in perspective.
In writing reviews and your term paper, DO NOT copy material verbatim from the assignment or other references. That is plagiarism, and will result in a score of 0 for the assignment. Use of long direct quotes is lazy writing and should also be avoided. Paraphrase, to indicate your understanding or interpretation of the ideas or material in the original source.
There will be 5 reading assignments made during the semester. Assignments will be made in class, and will be posted on my homepage. You are responsible for all assignments posted on the homepage.
7. Special materials required for the class, if any:
There are no special materials required.
In accordance with University policy, information contained in the Course Information Sheet, other than the grade and absence policy, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.
Course description and overview
The scope of ecology is broad; the focus in this course is on the agroecosystem over the crop cycle. The main objective is to understand how ecological processes determine agroecosystem function, with emphasis on the property of most concern to humans-crop yield. The link between yield and capture of resources is emphasized throughout. Ecological processes that interact in determining yield include, among others, primary production, nutrient cycling, competition, herbivory, predation, pollination, dispersal, succession, and management. Ecosystems are dynamic, and a secondary objective is to understand how management options-particularly choice of cropping system and manipulation of inputs-affect ecological processes and crop environments over the long and short term. Finally, it is not possible to understand the functioning and productivity of agroecosystems without considering their connections to the broader society, e.g., thorough consumer preferences, government policies, environmental regulations, natural resource economics, etc. Specific topics we will cover include:
Students are expected to come out of this course with a basic understanding of agroecosystem structure and function. They should also acquire an understanding of the range of methods used in ecology, particularly those addressed to studying processes at broad temporal and spatial scales. They are expected to understand the problems and constraints involved in scaling up from molecular and cellular processes to agroecosystem function. They should be able to articulate and evaluate the scientific issues involved in the current debate about agricultural sustainability.
Term Paper
All students are required to write a term paper. Students are expected to select a topic and approve it with me (deadline for topic approval is February 10, 2005), research the topic in the library, using both books and scientific journals, and prepare a short, formal paper discussing their findings. With term papers I try to emulate, as much as possible, the scientific publication process.
Students must approve a topic with me (in writing) no later than Thursday, February 10. The papers will be due on Thursday, March 24, 2005. I will review your papers for both content and style and return them to you. You must then make corrections and incorporate the changes indicated, and turn in the revised papers by Tuesday, May 3, 2005, the last day of class. Your grade will be based on your ability to meet the deadlines, and on the style and content of the revised paper.
The purpose of approving topics is to make sure you select something that is appropriate to the subject matter of the course and is manageable--neither too broad nor too narrow in scope. Also, if I know what topic each of you are working on, I may be able to suggest helpful references. Attached to this syllabus is a form for submitting your topic; note that this must be approved no later than February 10. (That is, if you wait until February 10 to submit a topic, and your topic proves to be inappropriate, you have missed this deadline and will lose points.) I encourage you to select your topic as early as possible, both to allow yourself the maximum amount of time to work on the paper, and to refine the topic or come up with a new topic, if necessary.
Your term paper topic must be largely ecological in nature--for example, crop responses to certain aspects of their physical or biological environment (climate, pollutants, nutrients, pests, weeds, pathogens), nutrient cycling, agriculture and global change, tropical agriculture, alternative cropping systems (rotations, cover crops, intercropping), energy use in agriculture, etc. Topics that essentially deal with crop breeding, physiology, or agronomy probably will not be appropriate. If you are having trouble selecting a topic, I encourage you to see me outside of class where we can discuss your interests and I can help you select an topic that is of interest to you.
Grading of the term papers will be determined by timeliness (meeting deadlines), style (following prescribed format), and content, as follows: Timeliness: 20%; Style: 30%; and Content: 50%.
The style must conform to the following guidelines:
1. Papers must be prepared using a word processor and printer. Double space throughout (abstract, text, tables, and literature references); do not right-justify your margins.
2. Length--there is no required minimum length; maximum suggested length is 10 pages for the text. Part of the reason for approval of topics in advance is to make sure that you select a subject of sufficiently narrow scope that can be covered in a reasonable length.
3. Title--all papers must have a short, descriptive title.
4. Abstract--all papers must be preceded by a short, informative abstract (summary). Provide a list of key words at the end of the abstract.
5. Structure--Title, abstract and key words go on page 1. Start the text on page 2, followed by Literature Cited, tables (if any), and figures (if any). Number your pages. Within the text you can use whatever subheadings you think are appropriate for your particular topic.
6. References--at least half of your references should come from primary sources--journal articles and original papers in edited volumes. Secondary sources include review papers, textbooks, encyclopedias, etc. You may cite websites, but over-reliance on web-based information will result in a poor score. All papers cited in the text must be included in the Literature Cited; all references occurring in the Literature Cited must be cited in the text.
7. Citations and Literature Cited--papers, books, articles are to be cited in the text using the style followed by current issues of the journal Agriculture, Ecosystems, and Environment. If you have a reference which you are not sure how to cite or format in the Literature Cited, bring it to me either in class or in my office and I will help you.
Important Dates
Approve term paper topics: Thursday, February 10, 2 PM
Midterm: Tuesday, March 8, 2 PM
Spring Break: March 14-18
Term papers due: Thursday, March 24, 2 PM.
Revisions of term papers due: Tuesday, May 3, 2 PM.
Final Exam: Tuesday, May 12, 2 PM.
URL: http://ag.arizona.edu/~spmcl/508Syllabus05.htm
8 November 2004