GEOG 498: Community Service Practice in Geography
Faculty: Mark Stemen
Phone: 898-5428
Email: mstemen@csuchico.edu
Office: 541 Butte Hall
Office Hours: T 10-11, TR 1-2
W 5-6, 9-10, and by appt.
This course is designed to provide students an opportunity to deepen
their understanding of geography and planning through an applied research
project, as well as expose them to the everyday workings of a planning
department in a medium-size town.
Readings
Heinberg, The Post Carbon Reader
Rosenzwieg and Gibson, The New Farmers' Market: Farm-Fresh Ideas for
Producers Managers & Communities
Stemen, Geography 498 CD
Assignments
10 two-page journals
300 pts
Group projects on Chico Food Systems
300 pts
Community Garden Survey
150 pts
Farmer’s Market Survey
100 pts
Participation
100 pts
Three-page final journal
50 pts
1000 pts
Objectives
Provide students the opportunity to apply their geographic skills to the
problems of food security
Increase student knowledge and understanding of city planning
1
Engage students in discussions about important works in the field of
environmental geography and sustainability
Provide students the opportunity to improve their writing skills
Promote civic engagement and service to the region
2
Acquiring a bunch of facts is not the major focus of this class. I am more
concerned with how you think. I designed the class so we can discuss and
expand on the same sustainability concepts throughout the semester. Since
writing is thinking on paper, we will spend a majority of the class focusing on
your written work.
Every week you will write a two-page journal on that week’s readings. I
comment on these journals, but I do not grade them. If it appears to me that you
have done the reading, and spent some time thinking about it, you receive full
credit. I assign this exercise to get you into the habit of writing about what you
read. Journals are due the week they are assigned.
Journals and class discussions are the core of the heart of the course.
Come prepared to talk. You will read each other's journals at the start of each
class. Then I will lead the seminar in a discussion of the week's readings, how
they relate to each other, and how they relate to earlier readings. You are
expected to bring outside readings to the seminar during the course of the term.
There will also be group research projects on the Chico Certified Farmer’s
Market and the Oak Way Community Garden. Directions will follow.
Service to the region can also be a learning experience. To that end,
students can also spend time at the Chico Planning Department assisting in
typical planning activities, including adding to the historical resource inventory
and digitizing historical use permits.
If you have a disability of any type that makes it difficult for you to
complete any of above the course work please let me know and I will work with
you to resolve the difficulty.
3
Weekly subjects, reading assignments, and course work deadlines
(This schedule may/will change as the seminar evolves.)
August 28 – Sustainable Cities Initiative
Syllabus
Attend Friends of the Farmers Market meeting at 6:00
September 4 – Where We Are and Where We Go
Heinberg, Beyond Limits to Growth
Rees, Thinking Resilience
Hopkins, What Can Communities Do?
Journal # 1 due
Humboldt Community Garden Workday, Sunday 9/8 from 10-2
September 11 – Post Carbon Food Systems
Bomford, Getting Fossil Fuels of the Plate
Allen, Growing Community Food Systems
Journal # 2 due
September 18 – Issues and Considerations in an Urban Foodshed
De la Salle and Holland, Agricultural Urbanism
Ackerman-Leist, Rebuilding the Foodshed
Journal # 3 due
Class meets at the Chico Grange for the CCFM monthly meeting
Humboldt Community Garden Harvest Festival, Sunday 9/22 from 5-8
September 25 – General Plans and Farmers Markets
Chico General Plan 2030 – Issues and Considerations
Robinson and Hartenfeld, The Farmers' Market Book: Growing Food,
Cultivating Community
Journal #4 due
October 2 – Farmer’s Markets
Rosenzwieg and Gibson, The New Farmers' Market: Farm-Fresh Ideas for
Producers Managers & Communities
Journal #5 due
[Class meets Saturday at Farmer’s Market]
October 9 – The Chico Certified Farmer’s Markets
Farmer’s Market Research Due
October 16 – Draft Market Findings and Recommendations
4
Drafts due
Class meets at the Chico Grange for the CCFM monthly meeting
5
October 23 – Community Gardens
Greening Cities, Growing Communities (pp. 1-61, 155-195)
Journal # 7 due
October 30 – Oak Way Community Garden
Greening Cities, Growing Communities (pick two case studies)
Journal #9 due
Humboldt Community Garden Workday, Saturday 11/2 from 10-2
November 6 – Preparation for Presentation
Project Write-up due
November 13 – Chico Saturday Farmer’s Market 2030 Vision
Class meets at the Chico Grange for the CCFM monthly meeting
November 20 – No Class
November 27 – Planning a Community Garden
Journal #9 due
Visit Oak Way Park site on your own prior to class
December 4 – Field Trip
December 11 - Class Presentations
Journal # 10 due
December 18 – Culminating Event
Final Journal due
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