Course Highlight: Agroecology
In this series, Cultural Studies major Chenoa Baker ’21 highlights unique classes at Chatham and explores how they embody our University mission and values. In Spring 2020, Chenoa took Basic Agroecology, which is taken in tandem with the Growing Sustainably Lab course. She interviews Dr. Chris Murakami, Assistant Professor of Agroecology and a self-identified education researcher in sustainable agriculture and agroecology, about how he designed this course.
Q: What is this Course About?
According to the Course Schedule, “through working on Chatham's Eden Hall Farm as well as neighboring farms, students will integrate best practices for sustainable agriculture with theory encountered in [FST 320: Basic Agroecology]. Topics will include basic principles of soil fertility, biodiversity, agriculture history, effects of both conventional and organic agriculture, and the politics surrounding the issues.”
Q: What Do Students Gain from the Course?
Agroecology is an exchange between people to understand and create better sustainable food systems. To that end, Dr. Murakami works off a cohort model for students to build dialogue not only with him, but also amongst themselves. It is a learning experience for both students and professor as it encourages value transference and critical thinking about building better futures.
Dr. Murakami says he wants students to connect with and see themselves in the subject matter: “I want the students to form identities as practitioners of Agroecology. What that means for me is that I want them to think that the field of Agroecology and all of its complexities is relevant to them in their daily lives. Also, I want them to connect their daily experiences, possible career paths, and possible lifelong learning.” As students tackle issues of equity and access, it is important that they reflect on their places within these systems.
Q: How does this Course Embody Chatham Values?
Basic Agroecology embodies all of the Chatham University values: sustainability; women's leadership and gender equity; community engagement; and diversity and inclusion. The mission and values of Chatham are integral to the course because Dr. Murakami begins coursework with land acknowledgement, citing where agroecological practices come from. “Part of what drew me to Chatham initially is that we could focus on issues in pursuit of anti-racism, social justice, working in solidarity with women, and all of those things just happen to fall under the umbrella of agroecology,” Dr. Murakami says.
In the past at other institutions, Agroecology is approached in problematic ways that Dr. Murakami intends to disrupt and reform: “Some ways sustainable agriculture and Agroecology are taught has been through the lens and through the stories of white practitioners who have in some ways co-opted or not fully acknowledged the contributions of indigenous, Black, and Asian practitioners who have done the work.” The course is elastic, as Dr. Murakami leans into the work of community stakeholders, authors, farmers, Chatham faculty, and his own reflective work integrating his own identities into class material.
Q: Dr. Murakami’s Favorite Part of the Course?
The course has four main components: (1) Theory—material informed by readings, class conversations, and knowledge of the food web, (2) Agroecological Issues Research Papers—where students pick a topic that they are interested in to explore at length, (3) Design-Build Project—a group project that applies course material to the environment of Eden Hall Campus, and (4) Growing Sustainability Lab—that engages in planting in the Agroecology garden for the season that the course is offered.
Dr. Murakami loves watching students accomplish Design-Build Projects. In this component of the course, students actively build, maintain, or create an innovative project that helps Eden Hall. He enjoys “that moment where students are like ‘oh, this is more complicated than I thought’ and that they are still committed to following through with the project. Both the problems and solutions are incredibly complex, but it is necessary that we keep showing up.” This fierce commitment, critical thinking, and navigation of “gray areas” is needed in creating sustainable futures, building equitable food systems, and managing climate change.
Q: How Did This Course Adapt to COVID-19?
Basic Agroecology met the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic head-on by facilitating research about COVID’s pathology, how it shows the vulnerabilities within the food system, and how to think through these new challenges. On the back end of this topic, Dr. Murakami talks about his interest in problem-solving and how the pandemic really put into practice how students must think about and meet the challenges around us because “nature is the best teacher.”
Q: Students Should Take this if…
They enjoy dismantling systems of power and privilege, learning gardening skills, and engaging in class community-building (yes, you will have a larger group of friends and colleagues from this course!).
This course is offered year-round and available at the graduate level. Look out for the next offering of Basic Agroecology in the Summer!
