Instructor Insights

Instructor Insights pages are part of the OCW Educator initiative, which seeks to enhance the value of OCW for educators.

Instructor Insights

Below, Professor Dennis McLaughlin describes various aspects of how he teaches 1.74 Land, Water, Food, and Climate.

The students in this class are not just science and engineering students, they’re also citizens, and they have to come up with a position on these issues.

— Dennis McLaughlin

 

Curriculum Information

Prerequisites

None

Requirements Satisfied

1.74 can be applied toward a Master of Science or Doctor of Philosophy degree, but is not required.

Offered

Every spring semester

 

Assessment

Grade Breakdown

The students' grades were based on the following activities:

The color used on the preceding chart which represents the percentage of the total grade contributed by presentations and general participation. 70% Presentations and general participation
The color used on the preceding chart which represents the percentage of the total grade contributed by research paper. 30% Research paper

Student Information

12 students took this course when it was offered in Spring 2019.

Breakdown by Year

A mix of graduate and undergraduate students

Breakdown by Major

Largely Civil & Environmental Engineering students; some from other fields including Architecture, Urban Studies and Planning, and Management

Typical Student Background

A mix of American and international students, with varying levels of prior exposure to farms and farming

 

How Student Time Was Spent

During an average week, students were expected to spend 6 hours on the course, roughly divided as follows:

In Class

3 hours per week

Met 1 time per week for 3 hours per session; 12 sessions total; mandatory attendance

 

Out of Class

3 hours per week

Students spent time outside of class reading assigned papers and working on their presentations and research projects.

 

Semester Breakdown

WEEK M T W Th F
1 No classes throughout MIT. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
2 Class meeting. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
3 No classes throughout MIT. Class meeting. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
4 Class meeting. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
5 Class meeting. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
6 Class meeting. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
7 Class meeting. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
8 No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT.
9 Class meeting. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
10 Class meeting. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
11 No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
12 Class meeting. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
13 Class meeting. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
14 Class meeting. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
15 Class meeting and project presentations scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No classes throughout MIT.
16 No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT.
Displays the color and pattern used on the preceding table to indicate dates when classes are not held at MIT. No classes throughout MIT
Displays the color used on the preceding table to indicate dates when class meetings are held. Class meeting
Displays the color used on the preceding table to indicate dates when no class session is scheduled. No class session scheduled
Displays the symbol used on the preceding table to indicate project presentations are held. Project presentations