Course Syllabus

Susag 117 Organic Fruit Tree and Berry Production
Section 8164 Course Syllabus

Course Description

Fruit tree and berry vine selection, planting, and care for small-scale orchard or home garden. Includes desirable varieties, pruning and training methods, and pest management. Emphasis on organic production methods.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:

1. Differentiate among the types of fruit trees and berry varieties.
2. Identify the most suitable varieties for each fruit and berry type for Sonoma County.
3. Prune, thin, and harvest fruit and berries.

Class Meetings

Lectures will be Wednesdays 8:30 -11:00 with attendance required. Lab activities and related assignments will be posted weekly and are on your own time.

Instructor Contact

Wendy Krupnick

Email: wkrupnick@santarosa.edu

Phone: (707) 544-4582

Office Hours: Wednesdays 11:00-12:00 with advance notice and by appointment

I respond to emails with 24 hours.

Course Web Site

Students will use the Canvas course web site for assignment instructions, submitting assignments, viewing classmate's work, sharing resources, and viewing grades.

Textbook

The Home Orchard, Ingles and ISBN #9781879906723

For sale at the SRJC Bookstore

Required Software

You will need the following software for this course.

• Adobe Reader
• Open Office

Important Dates

Day Class Begins: June 17, 2020

Day Class Ends: August 5, 2020

Last Day to Add without instructor's approval: June 17

Last Day to Add with instructor's approval: June 24

Last Day to Drop without a 'W' symbol: June 24

Last Day to Opt for Pass/No Pass: July 1

Last Day to Drop with a 'W' symbol: July 28

Dropping the Class

If you decide to discontinue this course, it is your responsibility to officially drop it to avoid getting no refund (after 10% of course length), a W symbol (after 20%), or a grade (after 60%). Also, for several consecutive, unexplained absences, the instructor may drop a student.

Pass‐NoPass (P/NP)

You may take this class P/NP. You must decide before the deadline, and add the option online with TLC or file the P/NP form with Admissions and Records. With a grade of C or better, you will get P.

You must file for the P/NP option by July 1. Once you decide to go for P/NP, you cannot change back to a letter grade. If you are taking this course as part of a certificate program, you can probably still take the class P/NP. Check with a counselor to be sure.

Instructor Announcements and Q&A Forum

The instructor will post announcements on the “Instructor Announcements” page in Canvas throughout the semester. Canvas notifies students according to their preferred Notification Preferences as soon as the instructor creates an Announcement. A “Q&A Forum” is also on Canvas to ask for assistance of your classmates or of instructor.

Attendance

Students who fail to attend the first class (face-to-face courses) or do not log-in to an online class after the second day of the semester will be dropped from the class. It is strongly advised that if you need to miss more than one class/homework deadline in a row that you contact me to avoid being dropped from the class.

Late Policy

All assignments are due by time specified on the due date. A late submission will receive a 20% penalty. Submissions more than one week late are not accepted without prior arrangement. Late work will not be graded unless student sends instructor an email with URL for late work.

Grading Policy

Visit the “Grades” in Canvas to keep track of your grades. I grade weekly assignments each week week] and post grades and comments on the online Canvas gradebook.

Grades will be assigned as follows:

A	90%	180 points or more
B	80%	160 to 180 points
C	70%	140 to 160points
D	60%	120 to 140 points

If taking Pass/No Pass you need at least 70% of the total class points to pass the class.

Standards of Conduct

Students who register in SRJC classes are required to abide by the SRJC Student Conduct Standards. Violation of the Standards is basis for referral to the Vice President of Student Services or dismissal from class or from the College. See the Student Code of Conduct page.

Collaborating on or copying of tests or homework in whole or in part will be considered an act of academic dishonesty and result in a grade of 0 for that test or assignment. I encourage students to share information and ideas, but not their work. See these links on Plagiarism:
SRJC Writing Center Lessons on avoiding plagiarism
SRJC's policy on Academic Integrity

Other Important Policies and Practices

Avoid Plagiarism Like the, er, Plague

Although most students have likely heard about plagiarism during their years of schooling, it still is prevalent-even in higher education.

The video below reviews what plagiarism is and how not to do it.

Plagiarism: How to avoid it

This activity tests your knowledge of plagiarism (not graded): Self-check: Plagiarism

Netiquette, or Why Is It Harder to Be Polite Online?

Netiquette refers to using common courtesy in online communication. All members of the class are expected to follow netiquette in all course communications. Use these guidelines:

• Use capital letters sparingly. THEY LOOK LIKE SHOUTING.
• Forward emails only with a writer's permission.
• Be considerate of others' feelings and use language carefully.
• Cite all quotations, references, and sources (otherwise, it is plagiarism).
• Use humor carefully. It is hard to "read" tone; sometimes humor can be misread as criticism or personal attack. Feel free to use emoticons like :) for a smiley face to let others know you are being humorous.
• Use complete sentences and standard English grammar to compose posts. Write in proper paragraphs. Review work before submitting it.
• Text speak, such as "ur" for "your" or "ru" for "are you" etc., is only acceptable when texting.

Special Needs

Students with disabilities who believe they need accommodations in this class are encouraged to contact Disability Resources (527-4278), as soon as possible to better ensure such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion.