Course Overview
Microbial Products in a Sustainable Garden State and Beyond
11:680:103
Fall and Summer Semester
Time: TBD
Location: TBD
Contact Information
Instructor: Dr. Karla Esquilin-Lebron
Lipman Hall, Room 215
karla.esquilin@rutgers.edu
All office hours will be available upon request. All requests must be sent from an official Rutgers University email.
Course Website, Resources, and Materials
There is no textbook for the course. Reading material, lecture notes, and assignments will be posted on Canvas. Reading assignments include selected sections from:
- John Postgate. Microbes and Man. 2000, Cambridge University Press.
- Sandor Ellix Katz. Wild Fermentation. 2003, Chelsea Green Publishing Co.
- Sanor Ellix Katz. The Art of Fermentation. 2012,Chelsea Green Publishing Co.
- Mark Kurlansky. Milk!: A 10,000-Year Food Fracas. 2018. Bloomsbury Publishing Co.
- Catherine W. Donnelly (Editor). Cheese and Microbes. 2014, ASM Press.
- Hugh Johnson. Vintage: The Story of Wine. 1989, Simon and Schuster
- Karen MacNeill. The Wine Bible. 2001, Workman Publishing Company
- Christian Teubner. The Cheese Bible. 2010, Chartwell Book
Course Description
The Microbiology of Agricultural Products in New Jersey is a 3-credit lecture and interdisciplinary engaged learning experience for undergraduate students with limited or no science background. The course explores the science and culture of microbial agricultural products through readings, lectures, and group projects. The course combines applied microbiology with an appreciation of cultural heritage, on site, in New Jersey. This dynamic program investigates the microbiology of agricultural products and food and beverage fermentations, such as cheese production, wine and beer fermentation, fermented sausages, and mushroom cultivation. Students will learn about the factors that control microbiological growth and activity, and how humans exploit and manipulate microbes in food and beverage production and agricultural practices. Students will study the complex chemical and biological processes that create different fermented foods, with techniques that blend modern scientific knowledge with traditional values and practices.
During the semester, some days will be devoted to classroom lecture and group assignments, while other days will involve excursions to local sites on campus. Field trips and excursions may include visits to libraries, local farms, and farmer's markets in New Jersey. Readings, lectures, group projects, presentations, and field trips meld a comprehensive appreciation of the science, history, and culture of fermented foods and other agricultural products.
Course Learning Goals
- 21st Century Challenges
- Analyze the relationship that science and technology have to contemporary social issues.
- Areas of Inquiry
- Natural Sciences
- Understand and apply basic principles and concepts in the physical and biological sciences.
- Identify and critically assess ethical and societal issues in science.
- Natural Sciences
Additional Course Goals
By the end of the course, students should be able to:
- Describe the role of various microorganisms and how they impact humans, food, and the environment.
- Articulate how microbial food fermentations are an art & craft as well as an example of both science & technology.
- Compare and contrast the microbial principles relating to the production of cheese, wine, sausages, beer, and other fermented foods.
- Analyze different claims about current issues in food microbiology and agriculture, and discuss these issues using evidentiary support.
- Evaluate the role of cultural heritage, using evidence, in the worldwide production, commerce and consumption of fermented agricultural products.
Assignments/Responsibilities, Grading, and Assessment
Course Grading (subject to change)
Point Allocation |
||
|---|---|---|
| Examinations | 50 pts/exam | 200 |
| In-Class Activities/Participation | 5 pts/activity | 75 |
| Course Excursions | 25 pts/assignment | 75 |
| Report 1 and Group Presentation | 75 pts/report & 25 pts/presentation | 100 |
| Report 2 | 75 pts/report | 75 |
| Total | 525 | |
Student Projects & Reports, Examinations
Examination
There will be four exams scheduled throughout the semester. Exams will combine multiple choice, matching, and short answer questions.
Course Excursions
Group and individual excursions are incorporated throughout the course. Take detailed notes on visits and excursions. Short reports addressing a questionnaire will be submitted approximately one week following each excursion. Specific questions to address: How has the experience changed your view on the role of gastronomy in daily life? How does the way we approach food (both its production and its consumption) tell us about ourselves and our society?
In-class Activities and Class Participation
Students are expected to participate in group discussions which will occur regularly throughout the semester. Activities and blog entries will follow a guided format that will address questions posed throughout the course. Activities will be submitted periodically for grading during class.
Report 1: Group Report and Presentation Fermented Food Products
Students will select a particular fermented agricultural product (e.g., cheese variety, beer, wine, or sausage) and discuss its characteristics, source of raw materials, production process, taste & aroma, history, trade. Prepare a class presentation and written research report.
Report 2: Individual Report
Report examining the impact of changes in agricultural practices over the last century on the production of any fermented food or beverage or the environment.
Late submissions are accepted for 75% of the original points.
Standard Semester Grades
A (90-100)
B+ (85-89)
B (80-84)
C+ (75-79)
C (70-74)
D (60-69)
F (0-59)
Accommodations for Students With Disabilities
Please follow the procedures outlined at ods.rutgers.edu/students/registration-form. Full policies and procedures are at ods.rutgers.edu.
Absence Policy
Students are expected to attend every class meeting and scheduled excursions. Assignments missed as a result of an unexcused absence will result in loss of points. Absences may only be excused if prior notification is given, and appropriate documentation provided.
Course Schedule
See syllabus for schedule
Academic Integrity
Read the university's policy on Academic Integrity . The principles of academic integrity require that a student:
- properly acknowledge and cite all use of the ideas, results, or words of others.
- properly acknowledge all contributors to a given piece of work.
- make sure that all work submitted as his or her own in a course or other academic activity is produced without the aid of impermissible materials or impermissible collaboration.
- obtain all data or results by ethical means and report them accurately without suppressing any results inconsistent with his or her interpretation or conclusions.
- treat all other students in an ethical manner, respecting their integrity and right to pursue their educational goals without interference. This requires that a student neither facilitate academic dishonesty by others nor obstruct their academic progress.
- uphold the canons of the ethical or professional code of the profession for which he or she is preparing.
Adherence to these principles is necessary in order to ensure that:
- everyone is given proper credit for his or her ideas, words, results, and other scholarly accomplishments.
- all student work is fairly evaluated and no student has an inappropriate advantage over others.
- the academic and ethical development of all students is fostered.
- the reputation of the University for integrity in its teaching, research, and scholarship is maintained and enhanced.
Failure to uphold these principles of academic integrity threatens both the reputation of the University and the value of the degrees awarded to its students. Every member of the University community therefore bears a responsibility for ensuring that the highest standards of academic integrity are upheld.
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