Food Population and the Environment
Fall 2002
 
Economics 4389, Section 12357
Time: MW 4-5:30 PM
Room 118M
 
Thomas R. DeGregori
Office: 209D M
Office hrs. MW. 11:30 AM-1 PM or by appointment
Email: trdegreg@uh.edu
 
Required Reading
 
Thomas R. DeGregori - Agriculture and Modern Technology: A Defense, Iowa State University Press.
 
Thomas R. DeGregori - The Environment, Natural Resources and Modern Technology, Iowa State Press.
 
UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) The State of World Population 2001 & 2002 FAO (United 
Nations Food and Agriculture Organization)
 
The State of Food and Agriculture 2002 WHO (United Nations World Health Organization) World Health Report 2000
 
Topics for papers
 
1) Agriculture and Modern technology
2) Population Issues in _____ - Region of your choice
3) Globalization and its Implications for Food and Agriculture
4) Food, Agriculture and/or Environmental Issues in _____ - Region of your choice
 
Topics. On topics 1 & 2, do papers of between 5 to 8 pages with a total of about 10 to 15 pages. The third and fourth papers should be between 10 to 20 pages. For each of the topics, more information on what is required will be made available in class during the semester. For those attending class, an additional assignment or reading will be given.
 
Students wishing to sign up for an additional one or two hours credit as a special problems course may make arrangement with the instructor to do additional papers.
 
This course may also be taken as a special problems course for 1, 2 or 3 hours credit or for graduate credit. You may take it any time up to May 1, 2003. For special problems, please see Marion Foley in 208B M. Final due date for all papers, December 1, 2003.
 
Those who wish to take this as an International course for Business may seek permission for it to so count from Dr. Frank Kelley. Arrangements can be made for some of the above topics to have the necessary regional focus. Those taking the course for 1 hour credit will do one 10 to 15 page 
paper. Those taking it for 2 hours credit, will do one 20 to 25 page paper. Graduate students will do two papers of 10 and 30 to 40 pages each.  Please see me for details and assignment.
 
The syllabus is being made available and posted March 2002 to allow students who wish to do so, to begin the research for their papers.
 
ALL PAPERS MUST INCLUDE SUBSTANTIVE REFERENCES TO THE ASSIGNED MATERIAL. ADDITIONAL CURRENT QUALITY MATERIAL CAN BE FOUND ON THE WEBPAGE OF THE UN ORGANIZATIONS WHOSE PUBLICATIONS WE ARE USING. MORE DETAILS ON WEB SOURCES WILL BE PROVIDED IN CLASS. ALL MATERIAL PRESENTED MUST HAVE A SOURCE. THE FINAL PAPER MUST ALSO INCLUDE ADDITIONAL MATERIAL FROM RESEARCH IN THE LIBRARY OR THE WWW. USE OF INFORMATION FROM THE WWW IS REQUIRED FOR AT LEAST ONE PAPER. HYPER LINKS TO SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT SITES ARE PROVIDED ON MY HOME PAGE (http://www.uh.edu/~trdegreg). PLEASE GIVE AS COMPLETE A CITATION AS POSSIBLE INCLUDING THE URL. THOSE WHO HAVE NOT TURNED IN ALL THEIR PAPERS BY THE NEXT TO LAST DAY OF CLASS WILL HAVE THE CHOICE OF AN "I" OR A FINAL EXAM!
 
Thomas R. DeGregori, Ph.D.
Professor of Economics
University of Houston
Department of Economics
204 McElhinney Hall
Houston, Texas 77204-5019
Ph. 001 - 1 - 713 743-3838
Fax 001 - 1 - 713 743-3798
Email trdegreg@uh.edu
Web homepage http://www.uh.edu/~trdegreg