Course Description: Addresses the interplay among states and growers, how environmental problems affect farms around the world, and the various ways that producers and governments attempt to address such problems; current issues in agricultural science and economics and debates about genetic engineering; international patent law and intellectual property.

Course Objectives: At the completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Assess the role of agricultural production in the formation of political institutions,
2. Identify political institutions governing and regulating agricultural production,
3. Discuss collective action problems facing agricultural producers and several potential solutions,
4. Understand how agricultural production influences conflict,
5. Explain how famines, droughts, and technological changes affect elections and other political outcomes,
6. Describe the role of free trade and fair trade in global agricultural markets,
7. Consider how agricultural production and consumption influence the policymaking process,
8. Research agricultural policy in a country of their choice.

Syllabus: Food and Agriculture, Spring 2026

Last Taught Spring 2026