In order to help students achieve the learning goals for the course, it contains the following elements:

• Participation
• Information and Context
• Practice and Skills-building
• Engagement and Connection to Community

Opportunities for consideration and development of individual interests in relation to course material are included throughout the course. Application of course activities towards achieving individual learning goals is highly encouraged.

 Participation

Classes follow a workshop format so missing class means missing work that will be hard to make up. Therefore attendance is important. Lack of attendance will affect your grade<

Information and Context

The design process includes the gathering of relevant information that is needed to solve the design problem at hand. As well, designers must develop the context and questions that drive their design activity.

In this course, our overarching context is sustainability: How can we provide for our needs without compromising the ability of future generations to provide for their needs? Each of the required books and DVD’s consider this question and offers information relevant to the problem. Questions and discussion about individual, cultural, and social goals and values in relation to sustainability will be considered throughout the course.

Read 3 assigned books
Books provide basic information about the design method through the permaculture frame, as well as highlighting current and historical examples. Books are on reserve in the library. Reading responses will be recorded in the portfolio.

• “Earth User’s Guide to Permaculture”  Morrow – overview of permaculture values, principles, and design process)
• “Practical Permaculture”  Bloom/ Boenheim – the design process, detailed descriptions of common elements used in permaculture design, examples of productive systems relationships)
• “Just Enough”  Lessons in Living Green from Traditional Japan”  Brown – historical example, reinforce permaculture design principles, gives examples of visualizing and communicating ideas through drawing)

Watch 3 DVDs
DVDs provide additional information about applying the design process to different areas.

• Temple Grandin (deliberate practice attributes)
• The Power of Community (grassroots community building)
• Urbanized (urban planning and policy)
• Alone in the Wilderness (craftsmanship and skill-building)

 Practice and Skills-building

Assignments provide opportunities to understand the design process through practice by completing the following projects. Projects will be documented in the portfolio as described in the project procedures.

• Build a Guild (research and analysis)
• The Sustainable Kitchen  (the creative process)
• Client Master Plan (teamwork, client relations, and systems integration)
• Design Charrettes (creative thinking and problem-solving)

Engagement, Connection to Community

This course fulfills the CE core requirement and therefore must adhere to specific guidelines determined by the Center for Civic Engagement. According to these guidelines, CE courses should:

• Serve the common good
• Involve students in experiential learning outside the classroom and the teaching lab
• Engage students with the campus community or the broader world
• Include appropriate orientation, preparation for the project, and opportunity for thoughtful reflection
• Share the results of the project with the campus community through appropriate means devised in consultation with the Center for Civic Engagement

In order to meet the above goals, this course includes the following activities:

Attend 3 Forest Grove community meetings
Community meetings provide local context for permaculture practice as well as offering opportunities to connect with others who share your goals and aspirations.  There are many options for fulfilling this requirement.  A few of them are listed below:

• Forest Grove City Council
• Forest Grove Planning Commission
• Forest Grove Sustainability Commission
• Dairy Creek Food Web meetings and suppers
• EdenAcres Environmental Education
• Eco-core student club meetings

Complete 24 hours of work-to-learn practice at one of the sustainability-oriented education sites in our community.
Hands-on practice of course material outside of class solidifies understanding and builds skills.  Working on site will help you to develop familiarity with the materials, tools, and processes that are used in permaculture practice and will prepare you for leadership positions as a course mentor or site supervisor in subsequent semesters.

In order to complete the CE service requirement, you must log in 24 hours of work (about 2 hrs / week) outside of class. These hours will be documented in your portfolio. You are responsible for contacting the site supervisor and arranging work times. The site supervisor must sign off on your hours for each work session.

See the CE page for more info on sites.

A Word about Time…

Federal guidelines state that 1 credit hour = 40 hours of work. Following that guideline, the expectation for a 4 hr class is 160 hours over the semester.

The semester is 14 weeks, or 28 class meetings.

• Class is 2.5 hrs x 28 classes = 70 hours
• 2 service hours/week x 12 weeks = 24 hours
• 4 homework hours/week x 14 weeks = 56 hours

70 class hours + 24 service hours + 56 homework hours = 150 hours.