Sustainability and Organic Food: Intensive Writing Courses Muir Writing 40 & 50

  Ireland

• Dublin: 
Dublin

Term: Summer 
Dates: June 26 - July 30, 2010

Description: This program is based in Dublin, Ireland and offered in cooperation with UC San Diego.

Course Description:

MCWP 40GS
This course will focus on academic writing--specifically, the type found in the sciences, the social sciences, and the humanities. We will read and write about the kinds of arguments that characterize the disciplines that make up a liberal arts education. Your writing, for our purposes, will engage in analysis, argument, and interpretation. You will be asked to examine facts and issues to interpret them and then construct your own academic arguments while acknowledging how written arguments vary from discipline to discipline. In keeping with the goals and requirements of MCWP 40, you will be asked to examine and write about arguments about this topic in an effort to understand their content and structure.

Sustainability at What Cost? Global Debates Over Organic Farming

MCWP 50GS
As the global population continues to expand, so does the need for nutritionally sound, economically feasible food products. Large-scale intensive farming, whether of crops or herds, currently relies on technological innovations in seed, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), pesticides, antibiotics and other human-engineered resources. More recently, a movement toward sustainable farming blossomed in Ireland. Oftentimes, advocates of each of these two methods are strongly debated in the public, political, and economic global arenas. In this seminar, we will examine such debates over sustainable agriculture and intensive farming in the heart of the organic farming movement in Ireland. Farmers and activists, and politicians, especially in Ireland, have been at the forefront of the no GMO, organic farming movement. As such, the country offers opportunities for us to examine first-hand the economic, legal, and political contests over organic farming who supports it, who challenges it, and who stands to profit or lose from its adoption. In keeping with the goals and requirements of MCWP 50, you will be asked to examine and analyze published arguments about this topic in an effort to understand their content and structure. You will also be asked to develop your own argument based on research, which will examine an issue relevant to the course.

Highlights: All courses are taught by professors from the UC San Diego. The program is based in Dublin with multiple excursions and field trips. Students can earn up to 8 credits, which will be issued through the UC San Diego.

Degree Level: Bachelors Degree (Undergraduate)

Cost in US$: 5,736 + tuition + airfare

Meals that are included:
    * Breakfast allowance of ¬ 5 / day to be paid out to the students on a weekly during the entire stay in Dublin basis (total allowance for the program - ¬ 160,-)
    * Welcome Dinner
    * Special Farewell Dinner at Dublin's oldest pub, The Brazen Head

Excursions:
    * Guided walking tour of Dublin
    * Organic farm in the Wicklow Mountains e.g. Denis Healy Organic Delights in Kiltegan
    * Teagasc (The Agriculture and Food Development Authority) in Carlow
    * Entrance to the Trinity College Library to see the Book of Kells
    * Leopardstown Farmers Market which is one of the oldest markets in Ireland
    * The GM-free Ireland Network in Wicklow
    * Guided tour of the Powerscourt House & Gardens in Enniskerry
    * Farm Day: Volunteer day at farms near Dublin

Computer Access:
    * Access cards to a public library in Dublin
    * Internet access (broadband) is available at each of the student rooms

Transportation:
    * Transfer by private bus from Dublin Airport to the accommodation (must arrive by 1:00pm local time)
    * Public and private transportation to all excursions

Phones:
    * Rental cell phone for each student and faculty (phone only minutes will have to be purchased at own expense)

Insurance & Health and Safety:
    * Comprehensive Gold Insurance Package (incl. Travel Health & Accident Insurance, Travel Accident Indemnity Insurance, Travel Assistance Insurance, Travel Luggage Insurance and Travel Third Party Liability Insurance)
    * Pre-departure support and comprehensive on-site orientation
    * A CEPA coordinator will also be available during all planned activities and excursions as well as in case of an emergency (24/7)

Experience Required: yes

Minimum GPA of 2.50

This Program is open to American, Australian and Canadian Participants.

Participants Travel to Ireland Independently or in Groups

Typically Participants Work Independently or in Groups of max. 25

Application Process Involves:

• Written Application

Post-Program Services Include:

• Job and Internship Network

CEPA Europe's Mission Statement: CEPA Europe = Customized Educational Programs Abroad. This our speciality. With many years of experience and expertise in international education programs, we offer customized summer, semester or academic year abroad programs as well as internships for individual students or groups of students. We provide excellent opportunities for students to gain experience related to their academic majors, while at the same time, essential knowledge of the European languages and cultures. By taking part in a CEPA Europe program, students will gain some of the most important experiences for their career - global experience.

Year Founded: 1997