Agron 120. Introduction to Renewable Resources. (Cross-listed with Env S, NREM). (3-0) Cr. 3. F.S. Overview of soil, water, plants, and animals as renewable natural resources in an ecosystem context. History and organization of resource management. Concepts of integrated resource management.

Agron 208. Ethical Issues in Agriculture. (2-0) Cr. 1. F.S.SS. Half-semester. Discussion of ethical theory and its application to issues facing agriculture. Case studies deal with topics, such as biotechnology business practices, animal welfare, environmental impacts, public policy, sources of food, sustainable agriculture, and world hunger.

Agron 230. Crop Structure-Function Relationships. (3-0) Cr. 3. F.S. Prereq: Biol 212. Basic principles concerning the growth, development, and production of crop communities in relation to their environment.

Agron 260. Soils and Environmental Quality. (Cross-listed with Env S). (3-0) Cr. 3. F.S. Burras. Role of soils in environmental quality and natural resources management. Emphasis on soil erosion and conservation, water quality, and environmental planning. Saturday field trip.

Agron 342. World Food Issues: Past and Present. (Cross-listed with Env S, FS HN, T SC, U St). (3-0) Cr. 3. F.S. Prereq: Junior classification. World hunger and malnutrition in social, ethical, historical, and environmental context. Emphasis on the origins and effects of global inequity on population trends, socioeconomic policies, and food systems in the developing world. Exploration of directions and improvements for the future. Team projects. Nonmajor graduate credit.
H. Honors Section. (For students in the University Honors Program only.)

Agron 360. Environmental Soil Science. (Cross-listed with EnSci). (2-3) Cr. 3. S. Prereq: Agron 260 or Geol 100 or 201. Burras and Killorn. Application of soil science to contemporary environmental problems; comparison of the impacts that different management strategies have on short- and long-term environmental quality and land development. Emphasis on participatory learning activities.

Agron 404. Global Change. (Dual-listed with 504). (Cross-listed with EnSci, Env S, Mteor). (3-0) Cr. 3. S. Prereq: Four courses in physical or biological sciences or engineering; junior standing. Recent changes in global biogeochemical cycles and climate; models of future changes in the climate system; impacts of global change on agriculture, water resources and human health; ethical issues of global environmental change. Nonmajor graduate credit.

Agron 405. Environmental Biophysics. (Dual-listed with 505). (Cross-listed with Mteor). (3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. Slivepage.apple.com., offered 2009. Prereq: Math 166 or equivalent. Hornbuckle. The physical microenvironment in which organisms live, with an emphasis on the processes of energy and mass (water and carbon) exchange between organisms and their environment and the quantitative models that are used to represent these processes. Temperature, water, and wind. Heat, mass, and radiative transport. Applications to animals, plants, and plant communities. Nonmajor graduate credit.

Agron 406. World Climates. (Cross-listed with Mteor, EnSci). (3-0) Cr. 3. F. Prereq: Agron/Mteor 206. Arritt. Distribution and causes of different climates around the world. Effects of climate and climate variations on human activities including society, economy and agriculture. Current issues such as climate change and international efforts to assess and mitigate the consequences of a changing climate. Semester project and in-class presentation required. Nonmajor graduate credit.

Agron 446. International Agriculture and Sustainable Development. (3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. F., offered 2007. Prereq: 114, 154, 206. Mullen. Interdisciplinary study and comparison of systems around the world, including analysis of biophysical, social, economic, and political determinants of the systems. Analysis of system constraints and solution strategies. Evaluation of the productivity and sustainability of the systems. Team project and report.

Agron 450. Issues in Sustainable Agriculture. (Cross-listed with Env S). (3-0) Cr. 3. F. Zdorkowski. Agricultural science as a human activity; contemporary agricultural issues from agroecological perspective. Comparative analysis of intended and actual consequences of development of industrial agricultural practices.

Agron 459. Environmental Soil Chemistry. (Dual-listed with 559). (Cross-listed with EnSci). (3-3) Cr. 4. F. Prereq: Agron 354 or EnSci 360; Chem 164, 165, or 178; Math 140. Chem 211 recommended. Thompson. An introduction to the chemical properties of soils, chemical reactions and transformations occurring in the soils and their impact on the environment. Topics include composition of soils, acid-base equilibria, mineral dissolution and precipitation, speciation, ion exchange, redox reactions, adsorption phenomena, soil pollution and chemical-equilibria computer programs. Nonmajor graduate credit.

Agron 485. Soil Microbial Ecology. (Dual-listed with 585). (Cross-listed with EnSci, Micro). (2-3) Cr. 3. F. Prereq: 154 or 402, Micro 201 (Micro 203 recommended). Loynachan. The living organisms in the soil and what they do. Emphasis on soil biota composition, the carbon cycle and bioremediation, soil-plant-microbial relationships, and environmental issues. Nonmajor graduate credit.

Graduate and qualified undergraduate courses -

Agron 504. Global Change. (Dual-listed with 404). (Cross-listed with Mteor, EnSci). (3-0) Cr. 3. S. Prereq: Four courses in physical or biological sciences or engineering; junior, senior, or graduate standing. Recent changes in global biogeochemical cycles and climate; models of future changes in the climate system; impacts of global change on agriculture, water resources and human health; ethical issues of global environmental change.

Agron 505. Environmental Biophysics. (Dual-listed with 405). (Cross-listed with Mteor, EnSci). (3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. S., offered 2009. Prereq: Math 166 or equivalent. Hornbuckle. The physical microenvironment in which organisms live, with an emphasis on the processes of energy and mass (water and carbon) exchange between organisms and their environment and the quantitative models that are used to represent these processes. Temperature, water, and wind. Heat, mass, and radiative transport. Applications to animals, plants, and plant communities. Semester project required.

Agron 512. Soil-Plant Environment. (3-0) Cr. 3. S. Prereq: 502. Recommended 501. Loynachan. Soil properties and their impact on soil/plant relationships. Soil structure, aeration, moisture, and nutrients will be discussed in the context of soil fertility and environmental quality management. Required course for the Master of Science in Agronomy degree program. Restricted to graduate students enrolled in degree programs at Iowa State University.

Agron 559. Environmental Soil Chemistry. (Dual-listed with 459). (Cross-listed with EnSci). (3-3) Cr. 4. F. Prereq: Agron 354 or EnSci 360; Chem 164, 165, or 178; Math 140. Chem 211 recommended. Thompson. An introduction to the chemical properties of soils, chemical reactions and transformations occurring in the soils and their impact on the environment. Topics include composition of soils, acid-base equilibria, mineral dissolution and precipitation, speciation, ion exchange, redox reactions, adsorption phenomena, soil pollution and chemical-equilibria computer programs.

Agron 610. Foundations of Sustainable Agriculture. (Cross-listed with SusAg, A E, Anthr, Soc). (3-0) Cr. 3. F. Prereq: Graduate classification, permission of instructor. Historical, biophysical, socioeconomic, and ethical dimensions of agricultural sustainability. Strategies for evaluating existing and emerging agricultural systems in terms of the core concepts of sustainability and their theoretical contexts.