Course Content and Outcomes Guides (CCOG)

CCOG for HOR 285 Winter 2025


Course Number:
HOR 285
Course Title:
Permaculture Design
Credit Hours:
7
Lecture Hours:
40
Lecture/Lab Hours:
60
Lab Hours:
0

Course Description

Covers principles of permaculture for both urban & rural applications and sustainable human settlements. Covers landscape analysis, ecological planning & design methods, organic food production, food security, natural soil improvement, integrated animal systems, water harvesting, conservation and management, forest gardening, techniques and design strategies. Audit available.

Addendum to Course Description

Upon completion of this course students will be awarded a Permaculture Design Certificate by an external accrediting body. 

Intended Outcomes for the course

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

  1. Practice permaculture as a Permaculture Design Certificate holder.
  2. Discuss the basic history and fundamental principles of permaculture.
  3. Identify and evaluate permaculture landscapes and features.
  4. Suggest permaculture solutions to common landscape design challenges.
  5. Design with permaculture principles.
  6. Draw, diagram, and construct basic permaculture features.

Course Activities and Design

lectures, discussions, hands-on labs and projects, slide shows, field trips and design projects.

Intensive course combining theory with practical hands on learning.

Outcome Assessment Strategies

This class is project based.  Outcomes will be evaluated on a number of projects, including a group design project and presentation.

Course Content (Themes, Concepts, Issues and Skills)

-Permaculture Principles, Regional Awareness,

-Patterns in Permaculture, Site Analysis, Mapping techniques, Reading the Landscape

-Climate & Microclimate, Design Methodologies, Ecology

 -Soils, Soil Building Strategies, Compost, Mycology

- Forestry, Agroforestry

-Climatic Profiles,  Plant Profile

- Water,  Earthworks, Wetlands

-Cultivated Ecology, Zone 1 Gardens, Seeds & Nurseries, Propagation

-Food Forests & Orchards, Guilds, Multifunctional Plants,

-Animals, Holistic Resource Management, Forage Systems

- Forest Gardening, Permaculture through the Zones, Sheet mulch

-Water Harvesting, Rainwater Catchment, Greywater, Nutrient Cycling

-Natural Building

- Energy, Appropriate Technology, Design for Catastrophe

- Urban Permaculture,

- Invisible Structures, Community, Villages

- Wildlife, Land Access

-Economics & Right Livelihood (Permaculture Business)