Week 2 - Activity 2: Connecting the dots and comparing what is happening in developed and developing countries in regard to the impact of population and population Structure on the environment and socio-economic prosperity.
Instruction: Please circle a number to rate your opinion in regards to the following statements using the following scale (1=FALSE, 2, 3, 4, 5= Neither true nor false, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10=True).
Results: The Table below presents the average of standard deviation (Stdev) of the 13 students who competed the activity:
| Statement |
Class Average ± Stdev. |
| 1.1. Having children is a way to provide for ones old age: |
|
| In developed countries |
5.0 ± 2.3 |
| In developing countries |
8.0 ± 0.8 |
| |
|
| 1.2. High birth rates in poor countries may actually be essential to preserve standards of living in rich countries. |
6.0 ± 2.3 |
| |
|
| 1.3. The benefits of globalization of economies outweigh the drawbacks
|
|
| In developed countries |
7.5 ± 1.4 |
| In developing countries |
6.0 ± 1.8 |
| |
|
| 1.4. Mode of production and marketing of food is environmentally friendly
|
|
| In developed countries |
7.0 ± 2.7 |
| In developing countries |
4.0 ± 1.4 |
Week 3 - Activity 1: Critical Evaluation of Statements Made in the Readings
Instruction: Decide whether each statement is a hypothesis, scientific fact, speculation, or a logical conclusion. Be prepared to share your answer with the class.
Results: The Table below presents the percentages of response rate of the 11 students who competed the activity:
| Statement |
Percent of Responses |
| 1. These assembly-line meat factories consume enormous amounts of energy, pollute water supplies, generate significant greenhouse gases, and require ever-increasing amounts of corn, soy, and other grains, a dependency that has led to the destruction of vast swaths of the worlds tropical rain forests. |
|
| Hypothesis |
0% |
| Scientific fact |
0% |
| Speculation |
100% (11/11) |
| Generalization |
0% |
| 2. But it [high grain diets] causes enough health problems that administration of antibiotics is routine, so much so that it can result in antibiotic-resistant bacteria that threaten the usefulness of medicines that treat people. |
|
| Hypothesis |
45% (5/11) |
| Scientific fact |
0% |
| Speculation |
45% (5/11) |
| Generalization |
9% (1/11) |
| 3. Those grain-fed animals, in turn, are contributing to health problems among the worlds wealthier citizens heart disease, some types of cancer, diabetes. |
|
| Hypothesis |
36% (4/11) |
| Scientific fact |
0% |
| Speculation |
9% (1/11) |
| Generalization |
54% (6/11) |
| 4. Its likely that most of us would do just fine on around 30 grams of protein a day, virtually all of it from plant sources. |
|
| Hypothesis |
9% (1/11) |
| Scientific fact |
9% (1/11) |
| Speculation |
18% (2/11) |
| Generalization |
64% (7/11) |
| 5. And would the world not be a better place were some of the grain we use to grow meat directed instead to feed our fellow human beings? |
|
| Hypothesis |
9% (1/11) |
| Scientific fact |
0% |
| Speculation |
54% (6/11) |
| Generalization |
36% (4/11) |
| 6. What is your Consumption Factor: There will be more terrorist attacks against us and Europe, and perhaps against Japan and Australia, as long as that factorial difference of 32 in consumption rates persists. |
|
| Hypothesis |
0% |
| Scientific fact |
0% |
| Speculation |
91% (10/11) |
| Generalization |
9% (1/11) |
| 7. Carnivores Dilemma: In contrast to factory farming, well-managed, non-industrialized animal farming minimizes greenhouse gases and can even benefit the environment. |
|
| Hypothesis |
45% (5/11) |
| Scientific fact |
0% |
| Speculation |
45% (5/11) |
| Generalization |
9% (1/11) |
Week 4 - Activity 2: Scenarios
Instruction: Assume you are an advisor to Felipe Calderon, President of Mexico and President Obama, and you have just finished reading the paper from Delgado. Drawing from the results and in particular the discussion of his research (page 8-10 of the paper), try to formulate a set of agricultural policies on which you would advise the Presidents.
- First, please read the questions and vote your "conscience" using the following scale (1-2=Not at all, 3-4=A little, 5-6=Somewhat, 7-8=A lot, 9-10=A great deal).
- Second, discuss each question with your classmates at your table and write your thoughts down.
- Third, revise (if you choose) your vote.
Results: The Table below presents the average of standard deviation (Stdev) of the 12 students who competed the activity:
| Statement |
Class Average ± Stdev. |
| Initial - Presidente Calderon |
|
| 1. Would you use some of your budget to subsidize livestock production in Mexico? |
7.0 ± 1.3 |
| 2. Would you impose trade barriers to slow down the importation of poultry and livestock products (Tyson chicken for example) in Mexico? |
6.6 ± 2.0 |
| 3. To what degree do you want to make sure that your policies work towards alleviating poverty and hunger in Mexico? (see http://www.oportunidades.gob.mx/) |
8.8 ± 1.0 |
| 4. As a president, should you be concerned about water and air pollution from livestock agriculture in Mexico? |
6.8 ± 2.2 |
| 5. How critical should regulations related to animal food safety be in your overall agricultural policies? |
7.9 ± 1.0 |
| 6. Would you increase funding for agricultural education and research for INIFAP (the Mexican equivalent of USDA) to take advantage of the Livestock Revolution? |
7.9 ± 1.6 |
| |
|
| Initial - President Obama |
|
| 1. Would you provide funding for the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) as a way to reinforce your export policy? |
6.9 ± 2.3 |
| 2. To what degree do you want to make sure that your policies work towards alleviating poverty and hunger in the US? For example, should you expand the USDA food stamp program and/or support the U.S. Food Banks? |
7.3 ± 1.6 |
| 3. As a president, should you be concerned about water and air pollution from the livestock agriculture destined to exportation? |
7.0 ± 2.8 |
| 4. How critical should regulations related to animal food safety be in your overall livestock agricultural policy? |
8.3 ± 1.2 |
| 5. Would you increase funding for agricultural education and research for USDA to take advantage of the Livestock Revolution? |
8.0 ± 2.1 |
Week 7 and 8 - Midterm Project Evaluation
Instruction: Please take a moment to think about the usefulness of the class project we just completed. For each question below, circle the number that reflects your opinion on a scale of 1 (not at all) to 10 (a great deal).
Results: The Table below presents the average of standard deviation (Stdev) of the 14 students who competed the activity:
| Statement |
Class Average ± Stdev. |
| 1. To what degree did this assignment help you learn?
|
7.6 ± 1.0 |
| 2. To what degree did you commit to this educational opportunity? |
7.9 ± 1.5 |
| 3. In-class student presentations were a good use of classroom time:
. |
7.4 ± 1.7 |
| 4. This project should be expanded to provide students with the opportunity to explore their topics in more depth (e.g., learning from independent literature sources)
. |
6.4 ± 1.9 |
| 5. This project should be expanded to provide students with the opportunity to work in teams
.
. |
5.2 ± 3.1 |
| 6. This assignment should be repeated in future classes
. |
8.2 ± 1.5 |
Short Answer Questions:
7. What did you like the most about this assignment? More specifically, what part of the assignment was the most useful to you and why?
- I liked the openness to choose topics of our choice and create our own projects.
- It was useful because we were able to apply what we have learned throughout the semester thus
far. It helped to bring the topics full circle and see how they all related.
- I liked the idea of becoming a different person for the assignment and having to look at the information we got in class from a different perspective.
- Great seeing what others opinions and views were on an array of issues/concerns/topics.
- I liked the flexibility of the assignment.
8. What change(s) would you suggest to improve the quality of this assignment for future classes?
- Discuss the expectations in class and maybe have specific requirements.
- I would require some outside sources so there is more new information presented and learned.
- Remove the oral presentation.
- It was pretty hard pretending to be someone who went to a different country when you
have actually never been out of the U.S.
