Erving Goffman: "On Fieldwork."

Goffman's ideas on participant observation serve as a model for our note taking as we visit sites during this class and later in California.

Brent W.

Marcel Mazoyer and Laurence Roudart: A History of World Agriculture: From the Neolithic Age to the Current Crisis.

How about those production disparity ratios? It is amazing to note how much agricultural technology has accelerated in just a brief amount of time, and how vastly different systems now operate alongside each other.

Brent W.

Gail Feenstra and Christopher Lewis: “Farmers’ markets offer new business opportunities for farmers.” California Agriculture.

One of the most important concerns farmers have is how to get their products to market. Farmers' markets are one option, but the model doesn't work for everyone.

Brent W.

David Vaught: “More than Manufacturing,” in Cultivating California

The horticultural possibilities in California are amazing--the state has a strong history of agricultural diversity and specialized produce.

Brent W.

Alex F. McCalla and Warren E. Johnston: “Whither California Agriculture: Up, Down, or Out? Some Thoughts about the Future.”

California agriculture has a lot in its favor, but limited natural resources and pressure from growing urban centers make the future uncertain. Behold, the mighty San Joaquin Valley!

Brent W.

Paul Roberts: Chapter Two in The End of Food

This is a fascinating picture of R&D and marketing on a global scale.

Brent W.

Paul Roberts: Prologue in The End of Food

The End of Food? That's quite an ominous title! Is it appropriate to talk about the food system with such heavy language? What do you think?

Brent W.

Blog Comment Assignment

Hello Class,

This blog is a means for us to share ideas about the readings. Your participation by way of posting comments following a specific format (a description of the format follows) will be evaluated as part of your final grade. Of course, you are welcome to go beyond the required number of comments. Hopefully you will find this to be a creative and fun way to communicate!

ASSIGNMENT
The blog comment assignment is worth a total of ten points.

Over the duration of the class you are expected to post a minimum of five comments; each comment is worth up to two points.

Each comment you post must refer to one specific reading from class. You may not make multiple comments concerning one reading. Your comment should follow a particular format:

1) Select a quote from the reading that you believe captures an important idea from the piece. Enter this quote, indicating the author, the source, and the page number (if a page number is available).

2) Explain in three to five sentences how this quote represents the reading.

3) Explain your impression of the entire reading in five to seven sentences. Do you agree or disagree with the author? What did you find to be provoking or challenging about the piece?

4) Sign your name in the comment, using your first name and last initial.

You are welcome to post more free-form comments as long as you post five following this format.

Brent W.

[Link to the course website here.]