University of Georgia
Griffin Campus
COURSE SYLLABUS
AESC 4190 – Agricultural Ethics Seminar
INSTRUCTOR
Wayne A. Gardner
Department of Entomology
UGA Griffin Campus
208B Cowart Building
770-228-7288
wgardner@uga.edu
OFFICE HOURS
By appointment arranged by contacting the instructor in person, by telephone or by email.
TEXTBOOKS AND ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
No textbooks are required for this course. Materials and resources designed to meet the
instructional and educational needs for this course will be distributed by hardcopy and electronic
mail and communication.
WebCT@UGA will be used as a regular mode of communication. Students should access the
site for AESC 4190 (Gardner) regularly.
Facebook.com (www.facebook.com) will be used for posting of assigned work in this course.
The facebook group Agricultural Ethics Seminar has been established within the instructor’s
profile. Students will be asked to join that restricted access group and, thus, will be required to
have a facebook profile.
CATALOG COURSE DESCRIPTION
Ethical issues in agriculture including animal rights/animal welfare, agriculture as a
business/agriculture as a way of life, sustainable agriculture, (bio)technology, migrant farm
workers, foreign aid, world hunger, and related topics.
PURPOSE
Agricultural Ethics is offered in fulfillment of the requirements for the Bachelor of Science at the
University of Georgia. This course addresses the basic premises of undergraduate education at
the University in educating and preparing future generations of practitioners, scientists and
scholars; improving the understanding of our world; enhancing the preservation of our
environmental resources; developing communication skills to accurately and successfully
compete in our global society, and; developing individual and collaborative problem-solving
skills. It will serve as a foundation for critical thought and discussion of contemporary
agricultural and environmental issues.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Students successfully completing this course will:
 Develop knowledge and understanding of ethical issues as they apply to our natural
environment and the agricultural and environmental sciences.
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Develop abilities to critically evaluate contemporary perspectives on human interaction with
nature and mankind’s impact upon environmental integrity and resources.
Develop effective written and verbal communication skills.
Develop tolerance of diverse viewpoints on controversial issues.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND ASSESSMENT
Participation/attendance, topic reports and a final exam will be used to assess student
performance for this offering.
Participation/Attendance
Participation is a basic premise of seminar-based learning, and student attendance and
participation in seminar sessions is requisite to achieving course objectives. Thus, grading of
regularly assigned topic reports will include assessments for participation and attendance (see
below).
Topic Reports
Students will submit seven (7) topic reports during the semester. The reports must be
composed as thoughtful and concise statements of observation and opinion supported by
factual evidence on the assigned topic. Each report should be 1-3 paragraphs in length and
must be posted to the Agricultural Ethics Seminar group on facebook.com. Each topic report
will count as 12% of the final grade for the course. Grading will be based upon the following
criteria:
 Class participation/attendance. Five (5) percent of each topic report grade will be based
upon participation and attendance for the 2 class sessions in which the assigned topic is
discussed and covered. No points will be awarded for lack of attendance to either session
(also = lack of participation), while the maximum of 5% will be awarded for attendance of
both sessions and effective participation in each session. Effective participation involves
contributing thoughtful and factual information to discussions demonstrating knowledge of
the subject manner and tolerance for diverse views on the assigned topic. Intermediate
points (1-4%) will be awarded for varying combinations of attendance and participation.
 Report content. Seventy-five (75) percent of each topic report grade will be based on
content. Maximum points will be earned with a polished, concise, thoughtfully-crafted
statement of observation or opinion that is supported with factual information on the
assigned topic. The length of each topic may range from 1 to 3 paragraphs, with a
paragraph consisting of appropriate topic, support, and summary statements/sentences.
Reports lacking various combinations of these elements (i.e., lack of precise statement, lack
of development of thought, lack of supporting factual basis, etc.) will receive fewer points.
 Paragraph structure and mechanics. Each report will be assessed for paragraph structure
and mechanics including the use of topic, supporting and summary sentences in developing
observations and opinions. A maximum of 10% will be awarded for reports with paragraph
structure including these elements. Reduced points will be awarded for reports consisting of
paragraphs lacking any combination of these elements.
 Grammar and mechanics. Ten (10) percent of each report grade will be based upon
grammatical and mechanical spelling errors, with maximum points earned for no errors.
Grammatical and spelling errors indicate haste in preparation or lack of attention and care in
completion of reports and should not occur.
 Submission/Posting deadline. Five (5) percentage points will be deducted from the report
grade for each day that report is late in being posted to the Agricultural Ethics Seminar
group site in facebook.com.
Final Exam
The final exam will involve the development of factually-based views and opinions regarding a
selected current agricultural and/or environmental issue. The exam grade will comprise 16% of
the course grade.
ATTENDANCE POLICY
Class attendance and participation is critical to successfully achieving the goals of this seminar
offering, thus, students are required to attend all classes for the entire semester. In the event of
absences, students are responsible for all materials and information covered and assignments
given. Students absent from classes will NOT be awarded attendance points on the
corresponding Topic Report grade unless the absence is the result of personal illness/injury or
death of a member of the immediate family. Written verification from an appropriate authority
(i.e., physician) is required for these excused absences.
COURSE GRADING SCALE
A
90 to 100%
B
80 to 89%
C
70 to 79%
D
60 to 69%
F
below 60%
DISABILITIES STATEMENT
Students with a documented disability should contact the Griffin Campus Undergraduate
Education Program Registrar.
ACADEMIC HONESTY
The University of Georgia seeks to promote and insure academic honesty and personal integrity
among students and other members of the University Community. All students agree to abide
by the Student Honor Code by signing the UGA Admission Application. This codes provides, “I
will be academically honest in all of my academic work and will not tolerate academic
dishonesty of others.” All academic work must meet the standards contained in this Code and
in “A Culture of Honesty.” Students are responsible for informing themselves of those standards
before performing any academic work. Links for more detailed information can be found at:
http://www.uga.edu/ovpi/honesty/acadhon.htm.
TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE
Week 1
January 10
Weeks 2-3
January 17 & 24
Weeks 4-5
January 31 & February 7
Weeks 6-7
February 14 & 21
Weeks 8-9
February 28 & March 7
Week 10
March 14
Weeks 11-12 March 21 & 28
Weeks 13-14 April 4 & 11
Weeks 15-16 April 18 & 25
Exam
May 7 (12 to 3 pm)
Course introduction
Carbon Footprint
Genetically-Modified Food Products
World Hunger
Clones
Spring Break
Urbanization/Suburbanization
Crop Biomass as Fuel Alternatives
Animal Rights/Welfare
Note: This course syllabus is a general plan for the course. It is subject to change at
the discretion of the instructor in order to accommodate instructional and/or student
needs. Any deviations from the syllabus will be announced by the instructor.