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The Global Seminar - Global Issues in Agriculture and the Environment


Course Description

Issues affecting international agricultural industry. How agriculture fits into and affects societal, social, political, and economic forces that drive agriculture. Ethics, issues, and policies that drive agriculture.

Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
Graduate students are required to develop a case study based on one of the topics presented during the course. They will also be required to present their position via class presentation at semester's end.


Athena Title

Global Agriculture Issues


Equivalent Courses

Not open to students with credit in ALDR 4600E or ALDR 6600E


Semester Course Offered

Offered spring


Grading System

A - F (Traditional)


Course Objectives

Upon completion of this course, you will be able to: 1. Discuss issues that are impacting agriculture across the globe with peers from both national and international institutions. 2. Effectively debate both sides of a controversial case. 3. Construct properly documented policy briefs on a variety of global agricultural issues. 4. Debate issues in a professional manner.


Topical Outline

Week/Topic 1 World Hunger And Poverty, a Global Overview 2 International Food Aid Programs 3 Feeding A Growing Third-World Population 4 Obesity As An Agricultural Issue 5 Water Distribution and Scarcity 6 Two Case Studies: Sugar and Corn Commodities 7 Genetically Modified Organisms 8 Food and War 9 Food Safety 10 Organic Agriculture 11 International Agriculture, The Case of Coffee 12 Markets and Transportation 13 Climate Change 14 Alternative Agriculture Systems 15 Agricultural Productivity and Innovation 16 The Agricultural Workforce