Fostering Sustainable Behavior:
Local Food Systems
IDH 3931, Section 1C47
Spring 2013 Tuesday period 4 (10:40–11:30) Thursday period 4-5 (10:40-12:35)
Leslie Paul Thiele, Department of Political Science:
Office Hours: Wed. 2:30-4:30 PM
Martha C. Monroe, School of Forest Resources and Conservation:
Office Hours: Wed. 9:00-11;00 AM or by appointment
Seaton Tarrant, Department of Political Science; Anderson 011
; Office Hours: Tues. 8-10a.m. or by appointment
Personal habits and behaviors regarding food offer an opportunity several times every day to make choices that affect agricultural practices, transportation demands, packaging, and personal nutrition—each of which have implications for climate change, ecosystem services, economic vitality, and personal health. The current obesity epidemic suggests that people might not be selecting the most healthful food, relying on easily prepared or simply fast options. Change is not easily accomplished, especially regarding cultural norms that involve preferences as personal as taste. Yet change is needed to bring about a healthy citizenry and a sustainable future.
Students in this course will have an opportunity to study theories of individual behavior change and concretely impact Gainesville’s local food culture. They will be engaged in two hands-on assignments. First they will reflect upon and experiment with changing their own behaviors regarding food choices. Second, students will engage with Gainesville residents to understand the barriers to and opportunities for choosing to eat food that contributes to environmental, economic, and personal health. Subsequently they will develop and implement a plan to promote the consumption of local, organically grown, or healthier food among resource-limited residents of Gainesville. Such behavior change campaigns are not ‘done to’ people, but designed with people, so interaction with community members will be a part of the course, as well as practicing skills of interviewing, listening, data collection, designing surveys, and evaluating change. In developing and implementing their plans, students will have many opportunities for making decisions and reflecting on the process of working together.
The course is designed to model experiential and interdisciplinary education for sustainability. It is a service-based learning opportunity that improves food sustainability in our community by encouraging reflective and conscious change for the environment, the economy, and the health of the people in our community.
Course Overview:
Link theories of human behavior change to Gainesville’s local food system, and engage in group projects to foster the increased consumption of local, healthy food.
Course Objectives:
· Read and reflect on at least one framework for addressing the questions: Why do some people demonstrate environmentally responsible behaviors (ERB)? What are the barriers to pro-environmental behavior? What encourages ERB?
· Explain a range of education and communication strategies that can be used to encourage change in human behavior.
· Collaborate with the community to discover opportunities for more sustainable food practices.
· Explore your own ideas and experiences regarding personal behavior change and develop and evaluate a composite model of personal behavior change
· Develop and implement a behavior change strategy for changing food choices and evaluate progress in supporting change in the Gainesville community.
Required Readings:
There is one book and several key articles for this course. It is imperative that you read the materials before class. Links to the readings are given within the syllabus, and all readings are available on the internet or through the UF libraries access to electronic journals.
The text should be available at bookstores or Amazon: McKenzie-Mohr, Douglas. 2011. Fostering Sustainable Behavior, third edition. Gabriola Island, BC: New Society Publishers.
Evaluation and Assignments
1. Preliminary assessment of personal behavior change (10 points)
Throughout this semester you will use readings and class discussions to experiment with your own behavior regarding food. During the first week you will select a behavior on which to begin. For this assignment, you will 1) define the behavior(s) you wish to experiment with or change, 2) explain why you think this is an important behavior to change, 3) why you haven’t changed it yet and what you think are barriers to making this change, and 4) your motivations for wanting to change it. 1-2 pages single-spaced.
2. Online blog (15 points)
Every week you will receive a blog prompt based on our experiences in the classroom and in the community. We will decide collectively as a class which online platform to use as a host for this blog. One point per week.
3. Small write-ups (20 points)
You will be asked to compose four 1-2 page write-ups during the semester. These will be reflection pieces based on significant aspects of the community project. Each write-up is worth 5 points.
4. Participation and attendance (20 points)
Asking questions, providing answers, facilitating conversation, attending class and community events, and engaging in small group work are important components of this class. Participation and attendance are mandatory.
5. Draft Report - Oral Presentation (10 points)
You will be graded as a group for the presentation of your project to the class and to the community.
6. Gainesville Group Project Final Report (20 points)
You will work with other students to identify a behavior that you believe you can and should affect through a social marketing opportunity. You will measure the target activity (proposed behavior change) before and after the campaign. You will prepare a draft report in which explain what behavior you chose and why (including a summary of community input), what strategies you chose and why (including a summary of your pilot test), and the degree of success for your program (from observations, measures of behavior, or survey results). You will present this draft report to community stakeholders (oral presentation explained below). Community members will be asked to share their observations and impressions with the students, noting what they did well and what might be improved the next time they work with community members. Students will incorporate this community feedback into their final report. You will be evaluated for this assignment as a group. This final report is worth up to 20 points. The Final Group Project Report is due at noon May 1. Late submissions will be penalized a half letter grade each day thereafter.
Present your experiences this semester as an experiment, both an experiment in fostering sustainable behavior, and a new way of learning via “high impact teaching”. Describe the benefits and successes of these two experiments and what produced them, and the short comings and failures and how and why they came about. Be sure to identify the criteria used to designate successes and failures; in what ways do your criteria include objective measurements, subjective opinions, and/or shared opinions in your group. To what extent are your criteria for identifying successes and failures based on measurements in the community and classroom, and to what extent are these criteria based on your own opinions and values. Incorporate the feedback you received from your community members in the final draft of this report, and your response to that feedback (so don’t forget to designate a note taker from your group for during the presentations and the feedback session from community members.
7. Peer Assessment (5 points)
At the end of the semester, students will assess the efforts of their team members, and assign a point value based on this performance. The average of the values given to you by your team members is worth up to 5 points.
*more information about current UF grading policies can be found at
https://catalog.ufl.edu/ugrad/current/regulations/info/grades.aspx
*Students requesting classroom accommodation must first register with the Dean of Students Office. The Dean of Students Office will provide documentation to the student who must then provide this documentation to the Instructor when requesting accommodation.
Food Schedule
Each Thursday we are in the classroom, a pair of students will bring in a snack that can raise our awareness of healthy food, organic food, local food, or some combination of these, helping to create a positive food culture in our classroom.
Course Schedule
* The engaged and interdisciplinary nature of this course requires that this schedule be a rough guide only. It can and will be changed throughout the semester, as we collaborate with the community and together make decisions on the next appropriate step.
Jan. 8th and 10th
Week 1. Introduction, General Framework, Getting Started
Tuesday we will meet each other, explain course and assignments, and generate a schedule for bringing food to class.
Thursday we will discuss the reading for the week, we will explain the basic expectations for the community project that is at the center of the course, and Seaton will bring our first yummy snack.
Jan. 15th and 17th
Week 2. Fostering Sustainable Behavior
Tuesday we will discuss the readings.
Thursday we will finish discussing FSB and begin the process of brainstorming potential projects in the community
Jan. 22nd and 24th
Week 3. Nutrition and our local food markets
Tuesday we will have a guest speaker on nutrition. And we will decide on our personal behavior change, which begins Assignment 1.
Thursday we will have guest speakers from our local markets and continue brainstorming community projects (this class may take place off campus).
Jan. 29th and 31st
Week 4. Community Meeting
*Assignment 1 is due this Tuesday
Tuesday we will discuss the readings, and brainstorm the types of community behaviors we might address, and decide what information is needed to proceed. Also we review the progress on our personal behavior changes
Thursday we will have guest speakers from the community sharing their perspective (this class may take place off campus).
Feb. 5th and 7th
Week 5. Motives and behavior change
*Short Assignment 7’s first short write-up is due Tuesday – a rough community project plan you can share with the class. Students will draft on their own and then consolidate ideas within the group.
Tuesday we will discuss our rough draft community projects in groups.
Thursday we will learn how to pilot test messages and tools, develop an internal critique of messages and tools, and we will discuss the Crompton piece.
Feb. 12th and 14th
Week 6. The Project Refined
*Short Assignment 7 number two is due on Thursday. This is your own draft of the message and tool
Tuesday we will select projects, work on the development of messages and tools, and discuss the Stern piece.
Thursday we will meet with members of the proposed community and share with them your plan for improved food behaviors in the community. (this class may take place off campus)
this weekend we can pilot test the messages and tools in the community
Feb. 19th and 21st
Week 7. Finalizing Messages and Tools
Tuesday we will review the results of the pilot test and adapt our messages and tools. We will also review our work on our personal behavior changes.
Thursday We will decide on the production of our messages and tools (contract with designer or do it ourselves).
Feb. 26th and 28th
Week 8. The Halfway Point
Tuesday we will review what we’ve done so far, and begin preparation for an initial measurement of behavior.
Thursday we will conduct the initial measurement of behavior. (This class may not meet on campus)
(Spring Break) message and tools in production
March 12th – March 28th
Week 9. – 11.
Project work in the community, including the basics of interviews and data collection
(Week 11 Prof Thiele and Seaton are away at conference)
April 2nd and April 4th
Week 12. Measurement and Data Collection
*Short Assignment 7 number 3 is due on Tuesday. Design an interview plan specific to your food project.
Tuesday we will discuss the reading, and Assignment 4.
Thursday we will be collecting data. (This class may not meet in campus.)
April 9th and 11th
Week 13. Data Analysis
*Short Assignment 7 number 4 is due on Thursday. Draft a short analysis of the data you collected. You will collect data, report on that in your short write up, and compile the groups’ write-up on Thursday
Tuesday we will discuss how to summarize and present data.
Thursday we will be synthesizing our data.
April 16th and 18th
Week 14. Presentation
*Assignment 3 is completed during this presentation
Tuesday we will work in groups finalizing our presentations for the community
Thursday we will present to the community on the results of our project
Week 15. Wrapping Up
Tuesday we will conduct the peer assessment and take last questions on Assignment 4. The Group Project Final Report is due at noon on May 1. Late Submissions will be penalized a half letter grade each day thereafter.
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