Student-designed course in land ownership changes

• Published in: NACTA journal Vol. 59; no. 1; p. 84
• Main Authors: Francis, Charles A, Smith, Jenna M, Bradburn, Christopher, Gonzalez, Katalina Sanchez, Scharff, Henrik Lid, Simons, Jenn K, Leingang, Deanna
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Twin Falls North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA) 01.03.2015; North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture
• Subjects: Agricultural Occupations; Agriculture; Agronomy; Creativity; Distance Education; Ecosystems; Education; Educational Facilities Improvement; Electronic Classrooms; Farmers; Farms; Food; Food supply; Free Enterprise System; Free markets; Independent Study; Land Acquisition; Land tenure; Land Use; Learning; Methods; Nontraditional Education; Norwegian; Ownership; Ownership changes; Peer review; Production capacity; Resource Materials; Social Change; Social sciences; Sovereignty; Stakeholders; Study and teaching; Sustainability; Teaching Methods; United States
• ISSN: 0149-4910

There is substantial information emerging from international conferences and technical journals in social sciences about the magnitude of changes and the impacts on former residents and farmers on the land, but limited attention in universities through formal courses; one exception is the International Institute for Social Sciences [www.iss.nl/education/] in The Hague, Netherlands. Among the conclusions: * Organizing the course into three modules is not useful; it should be one three-month course for three semester credits [UNL] or five ECTS [NMBU] * Synchronous meetings of students and instructor may be valuabler for first introductions, but are technically cumbersome; an asynchronous schedule with weekly assignments is preferable * More detailed instructions and better content including references to articles, chapters, and current cases are needed at the start of the course * Course ownership with students is possible with a small and select group, but less feasible with a course having open enrollment and larger number of students * Reading prepared, open-ended cases is valuable and written responses to questions contribute to solid preparation before a discussion of each one * Having each student develop a case is a valuable strategy to learn more about one land ownership situation in depth, and should be a component of future courses * Small group discussions are extremely important to developing a balanced perspective and challenging personal assumptions * Engaging in peer review process provides a valuable learning opportunity and demands high level of engagement and responsibility to classmates * It is difficult but essential to approach issues in an objective way, with focus on understanding both benefits and negative consequences of ownership changes * Individual student action as a result of the course should be an integral goal: letters to the editor, articles in newsletters, other methods of promoting action * Writing a final reflection paper increases potential for self assessment and is integral to the learning process * Evaluation of student learning should include grading responses to questions on several cases, individual cases developed by students, and reflection papers We conclude that issues surrounding changes in land ownership, specifically the impacts of "land grabbing," are among the most critical questions of our time.