Dec 06, 2025  
2025-2026 Academic Calendar 
    
2025-2026 Academic Calendar
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SU 200 - Ag-vocacy and Consumer Messaging


3 Credits
Outline Effective Date: Academic Year 2025/2026
Revised Date: Aug 14, 2025
Date Approved: Aug 14, 2025

Lecture Hours: 42 hour lecture

Course Description:
This course is designed to give the students the resources to advocate for the agriculture industry and its sustainability. This course will provide the students with tools to act as advocates in addition to supporting producers in advocating and communicating about agriculture with the public and policy makers. This course will look at current issues facing the relationships between consumers, the public, policy makers and their communities. Emphasis will be placed on the students taking the tools they have learned and applying them through in class debates, utilizing resources available through industry and volunteering with community agricultural education programs.

Rationale:
This course is required for second year students in the Agricultural Sustainability program and the Agribusiness Production Concentration. This course is important to help students grasp the complex relationships between the agriculture industry and the public.

Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None

Course Learning Outcomes:
A student who successfully completes the course will have reliably demonstrated the ability to

  1. Describe the concept of Ag-vocacy and why it is important.
  2. Demonstrate empathetic and respectful communication that builds trust through consumer messaging and the fostering of community.
  3. Investigate examples of mistrust between society and the agricultural industry.
  4. Examine risk management in relation to Ag-vocacy.
  5. Apply critical thinking to evaluate industry sources and utilize the content to amplify positive messaging about agriculture.


Required Resource Materials:
None

Optional Resource Materials:
None

Conduct of Course:
This course involves approximately 42 hours of lecture. This course is taught using a variety of guest lectures, in-class discussions, and project work.

Classroom and laboratory attendance is considered vital to the learning process and as significant to the students’ evaluation as examinations and reports.

  1. Students having a combination of excused and/or unexcused absence of 20 percent or higher for the scheduled course hours are required to withdraw and automatically receive a “RW” (required withdrawal) for the course, regardless of any other evaluation results. (RW is a failing grade.)
  2. An excused absence is one that is verified with your instructor. Verification should be prior to the absence or the next class day following the absence. Verification of the absence may take the form of a note from your doctor/College nurse regarding illness, or a note from another instructor regarding a field trip or other activity, or authorization by your instructor. An unexcused absence is anything NOT verified by the instructor prior to the absence or the next class day following the absence.

NOTE: Any exceptions to the above attendance policy (e.g. timetable conflicts, work-related issues) must be approved in writing by the Department Chair prior to the beginning of the course. 

It is the students’ responsibility to know their own absentee record.

Normal hours are 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., with potential for evening courses, exams or extended field trips. Students are expected to be available for classes during these times.

Content of Course:

  1. What is Ag-vocacy?
    • Global agriculture
    • Societies disconnection from agriculture
    • Ag-vocacy as a concept
  2. Understanding and Developing Trust
    • Calm safe brains for openness and learning
    • Social emotional intelligence
  3. Communication
    • Methods and modes of communication
    • Who is your audience?
  4. Exploring Misinformation /Mistrust
    • Historical examples
    • Current examples
  5. Risk Management
    • Types of risks (e.g., biosecurity, safety, protesters, etc.)
    • Cost benefit analysis
  6. Evaluating and Utilizing Source Material
    • Existing resources
    • Critical analysis
    • Utilization in a public setting

Course Assessments:

Assignments and Quizzes

50%

Projects and Presentations

30%

Final Project

20%

Total

100%

  • Official final grades will be available on My Lakeland. Grades posted in D2L should be considered interim grades.  
  • “Lakeland College is committed to the highest academic standards. Students are expected to be familiar with Lakeland College policies and to abide by these policies. Violations of these policies are considered to be serious and may result in suspension or expulsion from the College.”  

Course Pass Requirements:
A minimum grade of D (50%) (1.00) is required to pass this course.

Letter

F

D

D+

C-

C

C+

B-

B

B+

A-

A

A+

Percent Range

0-49

50-52

53-56

57-59

60-64

65-69

70-74

75-79

80-84

85-89

90-94

95-100

Points

0.00

1.00

1.30

1.70

2.00

2.30

2.70

3.00

3.30

3.70

4.00

4.00

Students must maintain a cumulative grade of C (GPA - Grade Point Average of 2.00) in order to qualify to graduate.

Every effort has been made to ensure that information in this course outline is accurate at the time of publication. Lakeland College reserves the right to change courses if it becomes necessary so that course content remains relevant.

In such cases, the instructor will give students clear and timely notice of changes.

No part of this course outline may be reproduced in any form or resold without written permission from Lakeland College.

Copyright©LAKELAND COLLEGE.
2602 - 59 Avenue, Lloydminster, Alberta, Canada T9V 3N7. Ph: 780 871 5700
  5707 College Drive, Vermilion, Alberta, Canada T9X 1K5. Ph: 780 853 8400
Toll-free in Canada: 1 800 661 6490 E-mail: admissions@lakelandcollege.ca


Here at Lakeland College, we acknowledge that the land we gather on is the traditional homeland, hunting, and ceremonial gathering places of the First Nations, Métis and Inuit. The Plains Cree, Woodland Cree, Saulteaux, Blackfoot, Métis, Dene, and Nakota Sioux people have practiced their culture and languages on Treaty 6 and Métis Region 2 territories for generations and were the original caretakers of this land. Many First Nation, Métis and Inuit peoples call this land home today and have done so for millennia. We would like to acknowledge the history we have created together on this land, and to be thankful for the opportunity to walk together side-by-side in friendship, learning from our past, and promoting positive relationships for the past, present and future.



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