It's been a delight learning with all of you this quarter! I know that
we've covered a lot of interconnected topics, so I hope this final
reflection will be an opportunity for you to pause and think back over
the course to what has had the most impact on you and what you most want
to remember.
Please answer the following questions in the comments section. Please submit your responses by midnight, Sunday, June 10.
What questions, themes, and/or ideas from this class have
been the most interesting for you to consider? What new ideas are you
taking away from this course? What new questions do you have?
What do you think you’ll remember most from this class one
year from now?
What is one thing you’ve learned in this class that you hope
to put into practice in your life after graduation?
Throughout this quarter, John and I have shared with you
some of the ways we are working to make a positive difference in the world
through experimenting with and teaching small-scale, localized farming.
Following our passions, talents, and curiosities has led us to this way of
giving to the world. What passions, talents, and curiosities will you be
pursuing after graduation and how might these lead you to ways you can make a
positive difference in the communities in which you’ll be living and the world
at large?
What suggestions do you have for improving future versions of this course?
What suggestions do you have for improving future versions of this course?
Like many people brought up in class on Thursday, I really enjoyed and appreciated how interdisciplinary the class was.
ReplyDeleteI'm taking away a deeper appreciation for the large role food plays in our lives, and how fortunate I am to have grown up eating the food I do.
Learning what foods the government subsidizes, and ways that people can get farm-food cheaper (such as through gleaning or dumpster diving) will also stick with me.
Before this class I had never really appreciated seeds and how important they are. The huge amounts of variation loss in plants is sad, and I wonder how it (and GMOs) will affect us long-term.
I also thought it was interesting learning about the effects of climate change on growing food. I've looked at climate change a lot in science classes, but not in the context of food, and what effects rising sea levels may have on people's land. Where will people go as land is swallowed by the sea or made uninhabitable?
I think coming away from this class I still wonder how I can be a positive influence on our food system in a way that is sustainable and realistic for me. I've really enjoyed working on the farm, and how accessible the things we learned there were. I hope to grow little patches of my own food consistently throughout my life - whether it be a little planter box (what I've started now), a community garden, or a few beds in my backyard.
2 passion of mine are backpacking/being outdoors and frisbee, both of which I'll be pursuing after K. I think sharing and investing is perhaps one of the best ways to be a positive force in communities, and as a pretty shy person, is something I struggle with. But I hope to invest in both these communities, and support the women's movement for equity in ultimate, and work to increase the diversity and the accessibility of the backcountry.
I really enjoyed this class, and working at the farm every week. I also enjoyed that we each led the class, which brought so many different perspectives into the class. I don't really have any suggestions for the future. Great class! Thank you Amy and John!!
ReplyDeleteI know we discussed this in class, and Rosie has already mentioned, but I truly believe that the interdisciplinary aspect should be emphasized as a highlight of the course. I can't think of another class at K that brings Bio majors, chem majors, AnSo, Philosophy, etc. together in same room and have them discuss the most relevant problem of our generation and our century; our relationship with our environment. I hope that as we begin to establish ourselves more firmly within our societal structure, we can maintain that open dialogue.
Honestly the most memorable aspect of this class for me will be trips out to the farm, getting our hands dirty, playing with Bud and Sunny. Ice cream in Plainwell. Essentially just being able to interact with my environment in an unhurried way is a huge relief in the stress-ridden K college culture.
After graduation, after I find someplace I want to stay for a year or two, I'd like to start growing things. Starting smell, maybe just some herbs on a windowsill, but expanding to a small garden in a yard or a rooftop. I think this is an incredibly satisfying and rewarding activity, and after having been given the privilege of having some precious farming knowledge shared with me I'd like to apply that. I know a lot of people have been separated from the way food is grown and I'd like to establish a lifestyle of self-sustenance, and the ability to withdraw from a corrupt system.
I truly admire how you and John have carved a niche derived from your respective passions, and subsequently lived a life doing what you love to do. I want to take a similar route. I am still stolid in my belief that the best way to shape human activity for the best is through economic, incentive-driven mechanisms. However, I am aware of the numerous social issues that must be dealt with structurally, and the reckless greed that will characterize a capitalist system left unchecked by policy. I am a huge fan of history, and would like to apply the collective historical experience of humanity to our future.
Honestly, I believe there is very little room for improvement in this course. I really love the alternation between outdoor and hands-on, to indoor and cerebral.
1. Over these last 10 weeks, we have learned so much related to farming, agricultural systems, food, and our overall relationships with the earth as a whole, and since I came into this class very new to these subjects, I honestly found all topics we have discussed to be very interesting and valuable to both my education and my own struggles of connecting to the world around me. A few of the topics that we went over each week stand out to me at the moment. I really valued our earlier class discussions on farmworker exploitation. I think this was a very important issue to discuss and it made me realize how I took food for granted and did not give as much recognition to those who have made my access to food possible throughout my life. I think this lack of knowledge or acknowledgement is a big part of why farmworker exploitation continues to happen in our society because when people think about food, they often think about the finished product and not how it became that way, which essentially erases the narratives of those who grew, raised, or harvested the foods that keep us nourished. Now, I have definitely become more aware of where my food comes from and have taken time to acknowledge who put work into making it something I can eat and live off of. This class has really made me think more about my food and has overall made me more aware of problems that exist in our food systems.
ReplyDeleteI also enjoyed learning about the importance of seeds and seed diversity as well as how our protection and conservation of seeds is absolutely essential in order for different seed varieties to survive. Before this class, I honestly did not know the extent of the control that chemical corporations had over seeds and how their decisions to use hybrids and chemicals has directly caused the seed shortage currently taking place. It actually baffles me that these companies, after causing this much damage, are able to patent seeds for their own use.
Another topic that stands out was our discussion of climate change and its effects on farm work and food access. Currently, climate change is always discussed as something impending and happening in the future, but I think it is important to realize that it is already here and its effects are very real for some. During Kiavanne's presentation, we read and talked about the effects of climate change on the Pacific Nations, where not only land is being destroyed but food insecurity is increasing due to the destruction of agricultural land from climate disasters, which made it very evident that climate change is very real and causing detrimental damage to many. This topic also showed it is often those that are already oppressed that end up facing the consequences of the actions of those who oppress them in the first place without facing any kind of responsibility. So, I really valued this topic as well because it brought a problem that is already occurring into our discussion, which is a problem many in our society still deny is happening, and showed how it is already causing damage while also highlighting how it is often black and brown bodies who have to undergo the consequences of this damage.
2. One year from now, I think what I'll remember most from this class is the weekly trips out to the farm. I feel like I learned so much about the earth by just digging in and truly experiencing it hands on. It was really interesting and fun to learn how to plant seeds, plant transplants, graft trees, and get an inside look into the bee hive. I particularly loved when we all walked back and picked ramps on our own to take home. It was also cool to come out to the farm each week and see everything begin to grow and sprout up over time, as we transitioned through so many different weather patterns and changes in such a short while. It was a wonderful experience to get off campus and go into an entirely different landscape. Also, special thanks to seeing all the animals each week. Sunny, Bud, and Toby really brightened up my day and I truly got a kick out of seeing the ducks interact. Thank you so much for letting someone as inexperienced as me help out on your farm!
Delete3. One thing I really take from this class is truthfully just being more conscious of the world around me. In only 10 weeks, I've already noticed how much more attentive and thoughtful I've been to the nature surrounding me and how appreciative I've become of it. I'm so happy I took this class, which provided me with so many different outlooks and entry points into this subject, and I hope to maintain and develop my newly found perspective of our beautiful earth throughout the rest of my life.
4. This question is something I have been thinking a lot about lately as graduation is getting closer and closer. As of right now, my path after graduation is kind of unclear. I'm debating different possibilities for my future and am contemplating how to find work that is not only fulfilling for my self growth, but also meaningful in the sense that will allow me to work towards ways to enrich and empower my communities. One more immediate thing that this class has influenced me to do is seek ways I can continue this kind of work in my home community. I just recently learned from a friend back home of a community garden that is being started in my city and am planning to participate in it over the summer with her, and I don't think I would have sought out this information if I had not learned about and experienced it in this class.
Delete5. Concerning suggestions for future courses, I honestly think the class is great as is. As others have said, this is truly one of the most interdisciplinary classes I have taken at K and it was so nice to hear from so many people with different positionalities throughout these 10 weeks. So, I guess the interdisciplinary aspect is something I would say should absolutely stay in the course. However, I do not have any other suggestions. Thank you Amy and John for teaching this class and allowing us onto your farm and into your home. This was truly a great class to end off undergrad with!
I've been on the outskirts of the environmental activism movement for a long time now, due not to a lack of interest but a feeling of inadequacy in my knowledge of application. My mom taught me what she had taught herself about composting, managing invasive species in our backyard, setting up rain barrels, and working at community gardens, but I realized after living on my own for four years that I really know very little when I am outside of her guidance. Learning about farm worker justice, government subsidies, climate change migration, and the way in which the organic movement sometimes gives large corporations unfair advantages over small-scale farmers has given me more motivation to really get involved in activism, especially concerning human rights, rather than just learning about the theory from a 'protect-the-planet' stance.
ReplyDeleteThe balance of human rights and environmental protection is something that I have been thinking about a lot recently, and this class has helped me to realize that it's not one or the other; the same systems that devastate ecosystems as we know them damage human communities, and disproportionately affect communities of color. I'm especially interested in the way in which architecture reflects social values, inclusiveness and exclusiveness, and the way in which this maps onto 'natural land' management through agriculture and conservation practices. I'd love to learn more about permaculture and food forests especially as ways to reincorporate an integrated community mindset into systems based on production.
Though I hope to continue thinking and learning about all of the topics we covered in this class, I think I'll remember time on the farm the most from this class one year from now. I loved learning about grafting, discussing various methods of 'reading' plants and ecosystems, talking about options for garden designs, and more than anything just doing some work outside and seeing plants thrive. The actual practice of farming provides me with so much joy, and I hope to follow similar activities that give me joy in my life after graduation.
I've found passions in many different disciplines. I'd love to do ecology research about mangroves, mud flats, dunes, or plants in general. As for as literary focuses, I'd like to continue writing environmental satire, and reading/writing historical commentary on the direction in which changes have been made (or the lack of changes). I do think that I'll end up pursuing farming in some form or another as a career at some point in my life-- one life goal of mine has always been to own and manage a small orchard, and now that I know more about the heavy inputs for monocultures I am very passionate about growing diverse species of fruits together. I also would love to learn how to do permaculture or margin gardening, using small spaces productively to provide homes to beneficial critters while also growing edible plants.
I found this class to be just about perfect-- interdisciplinary, with a healthy balance of (more theoretical) academics and application through time on the farm. Thank you, Amy and John, for providing this space for us to come together to talk about our passions and find connections between them.
I’m going to parrot the many of my classmates by reiterating the intersectionality of this class, and how fantastic I thought that was. We had such a diverse combination of backgrounds and disciplines in our class that I truly feel every single person brought a unique perspective to our discussions. I definitely think that my perspectives on food were shaped by my background in ecology, hunting, and restaurant experience. The many views and backgrounds in the class forced me to expand my horizons in this regard.
ReplyDeleteIn one year, I think I will remember the diversity that could be found on the farm, just by walking a short distance. I loved that “the farm” expanded past the borders of the garden. The different birds and bugs that were drawn in, and the knowledge of the land that had been accumulated over generations of observation, were astonishing to me. Being able to walk the border of gardens and see the interactions between the native flora and fauna and their farm counterparts.
I think what I am most excited for is the idea of having my own garden once I have a house of my own. My family house has a small garden that I would like to get started in the meantime. Our basement recently flooded, which was a big disaster, but I may try to leverage it as an opportunity to start some mushrooms in the space. I would also love to have a few fruit trees; I saw a picture of the 40 fruit tree a few years ago, and I have loved the idea of raising one of my own ever since. I think the curation of one’s land in a way that both sides benefit is a wonderful way to improve sustainability and responsibility in our food system, while also reducing waste.
After graduation I am lucky enough that I will be working as an environmental educator at the ecology school in Maine. I will have the opportunity to combine my passions for natural history, education, and environmental/ecological work into one career. I’m also fortunate enough that I will be going right as they are beginning to establish their own farm and reclaim production of some of their food, so I am very excited to apply the ideas that I learned in this class and see what knowledge I will be able to exchange with them as they pursue this goal.
I think the biggest thing to do about this class going forward is just to emphasize the intersectionality from the start, even at the pre-registration meetings we had. I loved this part of the class, but I think we could have done more with it if it had been more explicit at the start.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1r3wGELWqu9xC1YPVEXeiofDgtM_Ri3EQd9hU-Knbs4U/edit?usp=sharing
ReplyDeleteAlthough I have battling this cold all quarter I really enjoyed and appreciated the time I spent with the class and especially out on the farm. All the topics we went over within the last 10 weeks have been eye opening and very interesting to discuss about. I personally enjoyed the very first topic we went over which was the seeds/ seed diversity and all the impacts and struggles it has been through throughout the last century. Although we did not discuss the topic in detail it is still something I think about and wonder what I can do to help the cause?
ReplyDeleteOne year from now I will definitely remember to pay more attention to nature and make sure to give back to it and respect it as best as I can. Throughout this quarter I have gained a larger appreciation towards plants in a life form and to make sure to care for them and treat them with respect and car. My mother has always had plants wherever it was we were living and always made sure they were healthy and happy. She would even take some time out of her day to talk to them for just a second. I hope to continue this mentality with plants for the rest of my life.
After graduation I hope to bring back some of my knowledge and experience I’ve gained from this class. My father enjoys growing different fruits and vegetables in our backyard throughout the year and I am also excited to become a little more involved with him in the future!
In the future I hope I can help lower income students become more involved in cooking and farming classes. I know this played a big impact in my high school experience and mentors like the after school coordinator of my high school are the people leading the change. He leads both these programs at my high school and has been doing it for more than a decade now. He is the reason I took the class as he pushed me to try something different. I owe it all to him.
The class was wonderfully set up and executed! I enjoyed every interaction with you and John, and of course Bud and Summer :). The only thing I could bring up is having more flexible time schedules for the class as 1:30-5:00 can conflict with many other classes on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Have a great summer!
Like nearly everyone above me has said, I really enjoyed the interdisciplinary aspect of this course. Being a person that has only stepped foot in Dow (maybe) 3 times the entire time I have been at K, it was really interesting to learn more about the science behind farming. I loved learning how intersectional nature is with what I have learned most about in my time at K--social structures, systems, and the economy. I feel like we spend a lot of time discussing intersectionality, but nature has always been left out of the conversation until this course. I think that is one of the most vital parts of the conversation because we have come from nature and all evolved from nature.
ReplyDeleteOne of the things I'll remember most from this class one year from now is the ability to think critically and mindfully about all the cultures and people that have impacted the food I am growing and consuming. In light of recent events, CNN has been airing a marathon of Anthony Bourdain's show "parts unknown." My dad and I have watched a number of them and I have noticed a newfound awe and appreciation for the work that he had done through his show, and I attribute this to Slow Farming. I have always been in love with discovering new cultures through their food, but I think there's always more room to learn and be more mindful. In my life after graduation, I really hope to have a small garden some day. I think having a yard may take some time after graduation, so I think in the meantime, I'll try to grow my own herbs and start composting. I never realized how easy composting could be--if I had known this earlier I definitely would have made my roommates compost the last couple years!
Similar to you and John, my greatest passion is teaching and spreading knowledge. I will be pursuing this passion post graduation through teaching in Detroit as a City Year Corps member. Our organization allows us to create programs for our students, oftentimes as extracurricular or after school programs. After taking this course, I am hoping to create a small garden to teach them about sustainability, the value of growing your own food, and even composting. Given the scarce amount of resources in Detroit Public Schools, this may be a large dream for just one year. But, I am hoping to at least create a plan for future teachers to emphasize sustainability, nutrition, and even affordability. I am very excited for this opportunity to be able to combine my passions for education, social justice, and advocacy in the city of Detroit.
I really loved working on the farm each week and that each class was student led. I think the student led classes is what really emphasized the intersectionality aspect of the course. I genuinely think the course was designed perfectly, especially as a seminar, and can't think of anything to change!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteLink to Google document: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1x4fHixpRzMQ2JPd2z1Ug3uSJ5616UhxoKXeehmC0pqo/edit?usp=sharing
ReplyDeleteLet me know if you have any issues opening it. Thanks for everything, Amy and John!
Something that I took from this class is how to operate within a classroom settings and also to address real world applications simultaneously. My undergraduate courses are pretty interdiscipline due to my Environmental Science concentration and religion minor. I feel like these service-learning courses are pretty effective and involve time-commitment, especially when being introduced to different types of communities. That being said, this class was my first introduction to how food creates community. We started of the class as to learning about the importance of seeds. I was amazed on how people were devoted and dedicated to saving seeds, particularly the native population. Native Americans would understand the land by nurturing seeds and performing ritual through song and storytelling to the community. The knowledge of food through conversation is an important key through understanding culture.
ReplyDeleteOften I would take my food for granted without fully giving thought on the processes it took to grow each individual crop. I had this fixed mindset to not question and just accept my food. Like food, I did not understand why certain crops were such an essential part for culture. I come from a Mexican culture, where my mother would enforce my siblings and I to eat in the house. We would often eat beans, rice, tortillas and fresh cheese almost every meal. My four years at K has taught me the importance of choice. From eating food at our school’s cafeteria to making my own food, the common theme of choice is surrounded by feelings and taste. I sometimes feel guilty when I choose to pick up the fries over the baby carrots due to the french fries having a better taste. I would like to explore more food options in taste. I appreciate it when Amy and John would bring fresh crops to class because it helps me overcome this insecurity of mine, which is the unwillingness to try something new.
Some passions, talents, and curiosities that I am will try to pursue after graduation is plant-based veganism. I love animals and I am unaware of the meat process. I do not like the sight of bone and fat on meat. I can do chicken breast but even then I would see blood on the tissue. The first thing I do when I get a job is to invest in food that align with this diet. For awhile I was vegetarian but my body was going through changes that I did not such as feeling bloated, breaking out, and not processing cheese. I was living under student work study and my budget for food was poor. Through Nikki Silvestri’s visit, the idea that came in mind is understanding how our food works and applying it through food justice. Logan and I presented on food assistance programs that our nation is based on to address food insecurity. In addition, our time at the farm has taught me the importance of growing and observing when a garden is looking healthy or not. The smell of compost that I somehow grew to accept nature’s fumes. The unpredictable weather that plays within our environment and seasons. These components that I learned throughout slow farming class has encouraged me to compose my own garden. I would have my own house with enough space for a garden. Once I learn and become good at it, I would like to work with other community gardens and learn on new farming practices. I feel like after K, I would continue being a student yet also teacher to others.
I would say that the most interesting things that I have taken away from this class this semester all revolved around the quality of life that growing your own food and animals actually can award you. I have raised animals my entire life (mostly bees hahah) and I really had no idea how to go about the plant growing end. What I mean by this is that I learned a great many ways to take care of various types of plants, all of which I will use after I graduate. I guess the only question I am left with is where to start this whole process. I know figuring out where to start is a little different for everyone, but my only hope is that I can figure it out sooner rather than later. I think the thing I will remember most about this class a year from now is the bonding that I experienced with all of the students in our class. The group of students that we had in the class was quite diverse in terms of academic field of study. This allowed for a different perspective to emerge every time we had any kind of discussion. I was thankful for this because it helped me to widen my scope on every topic which resulted in me gaining a deeper understanding. After graduation, I plan on starting my own home garden and compost. I picked these two things because they seem to take the least amount of time and effort for what they can yield. The only passion that I have that will carry past graduation is more school. I plan on attending law school after taking a year break. During this break I will be located in Tokyo Japan working for a telecommunications company in their international trade law department. This is a passion of mine because I've always thought that third world countries around the globe got played for their natural resources and favored products. I believe that I can make a difference if I help the world to adopt a fair view on these nations. The only suggestion that I have for future classes is the ability to put both groups together. I believe that this would make for a fun more chaotic dynamic in the class and could lead to some very interesting discussions.
ReplyDelete1. How much I have been missing out! I shamefully have not branched out in my life much from easily procured food. However, there are small steps I can take that are much easier than I thought. The biggest question I will constantly be asking myself is what more can I do to be connected to my food and medicine sources? As for medicine, I thankfully am not prescribed any pharmaceuticals right now. However, there is a good chance I will be seeing a therapist soon with extra time this summer and that may wind up being the best option for me. Although I would do this in the first place, this class has rekindled my motivation to learn as much as possible about what I am putting into my body.
ReplyDelete2. I'll definitely remember various methods of caring for plants, composting, and respecting land. I took those super old potatoes I mentioned and planted them in my backyard, and without hardly any care they're already taking off! If I can do that, gradual increases of effort and knowledge will surely begin to make a difference in my lifestyle. Like you always said, I can google anything I don't know! Specifically, I will remember the wild habitat and taste of leeks, mounding of potatoes, and the relief of plunging a pitchfork into the earth and finding out you did not impale the salamander hiding underneath.
3.
I hope to grow more plants in my backyard, and involve myself in some sort of community organization, food related or otherwise.
4.
I have definitely been more mindful about what I am doing in beginning my kratom business. The struggles I may soon have with my own government and corporations is nothing new to anyone involved in food or medicine production. I will need to be diligent, honest, and respectful to make sure I am going about it in a way that best benefits my community. I plan to do more research on its use in its native lands in religious ceremonies and medicinal treatment.
5.
As far as improvement, it is hard to come up with any. I would agree with others that emphasizing the intersectional and interdicipinal nature of the course is important. That was also my favorite part of this wonderful course.