Classes

Course Currently Not Offered

Class Description

The Meat We Eat is a consumer oriented meat science course to help educate and inform students about where and how their meat gets from the ranch to the grocery store and then to their dinner plate.  The Meat We Eat will cover a wide range of topics centered around red meat production including: A history of red meat consumption, animals used in meat production, how muscle turns into meat, the use of by-products in society, meat grading, meat palatability, meat inspection in the United States, meat safety, processed meat products and ingredients, retail meat identification, meat purchasing and how to estimate value, preparation and cooking of meat products, the role of red meat in the human diet and health, and current topics .  It is also planned to have two sessions where students will have the ability to try different types of fresh meat (beef, pork and lamb), and a variety of meat products that are considered processed meats.

Objectives

By the end of this course students should have a better understanding of where their food comes from and how meat can contribute to a healthy and satisfactory lifestyle.  Students should also understand how value is placed on meat products and how to properly select, handle, and cook meat for safe and enjoyable experience.

ADSC 3180/L – Meat Judging I (2 credit hours)

Class Description

Meat Judging 1 is the introductory course to meat judging where students learn the basics of carcass and meat evaluation. Topics focus on the quality and yield of the three main red meat species (beef, pork, lamb) as well as primal and subprimal cut specifications. Throughout the course students will work closely with the Meat Judging Coach and current Meat Judging Team. Course if offered in the Fall Semester.

Objectives

The primary objective of this course is to set the fundamentals and foundation to prepare students to participate on the Intercollegiate Meat Judging Team at the University of Georgia.

ADSC 3190/L – Meat Judging II (2 credit hours)

Class Description

Meat Judging II is the course students sign up for to participate on the Intercollegiate Meat Judging Team. All students signing up for Meat Judging II must have successfully completed Meat Judging I. In Meat Judging II students will continue to build on and refine the principles learned in Meat Judging I, have opportunities to develop teaching and communication skills by helping the Coach work with students in Meat Judging I, and will travel across the U.S. to at least six contests. Students will refine decision making and communication skills and have the chance to network with peers and industry leaders. Although ADSC 3190/L is a semester course the Intercollegiate Meat Judging Team and season is a Spring/Fall commitment. Students signed up for Meat Judging II are also encouraged to participate in the Reciprocal Meat Conference Quiz Bowl held each June in conjunction with the annual meeting. Course if offered in the Spring semester.

Objectives

1. Actively participate on the UGA Intercollegiate Meat Judging Team
2. Develop and refine logical reasoning, decision making, and communication skills
3. Put students in a place of success by providing opportunities to meet and network with leaders in Meat Science

ADSC 3650/L – Meat Science (3 credit hours)

Class Description

This course has a focus on the meat industry, role of muscle foods in the human diet, meat inspection, muscle structure and function, conversion of muscle to meat, anatomy, factory influencing meat quality, meat processing, and meat safety and quality control.  This class will give a comprehensive overview from meat animal production through processed meat products with a focus on the scientific background that is transforming the way we feed millions of people every day. Course is offered in the Spring semester.

Objectives

1. To impart knowledge relating the live animal to its ultimate value as a food product.
2. To relate breeding, feeding, selection, and management to changes in ultimate composition of meat animal products.
3. To develop technological and manipulative skills in the slaughter and catting of meat animals and the processing of meat products.
4. To relate research results regarding animal production to actual changes in the dollare value of its product.
5. To gain insight into the efficient marketing of animals and their products.
6. To introduce anatomy, muscle structure and function, chemical composition and physical characteristics of carcasses and cuts as determinates of live animal and meat quality.
7. To teach the skills of carcass, wholesale, and retail cut identification to facilitate trading meat products in domestic and export markets.

Course Material

ADSC/AAEC 3911 – International Agribusiness and Environmental Management (3 credit hours)

Class Description

This course is more commonly known as the Uruguay StudyAbroad Trip or officially the International Agribusiness in Diversified Livestock and Grain Production StudyAbroad. Students must apply for the StudyAbroad through the Office of Global Engagement (applications open in July/August) and be selected (usually early October). By applying, being selected, and committing to the course and trip students agree to pay the required fees and actively participate in the course and trip. We will meet as a class a few times prior to UGA Spring Break and students will work through modules at their own pace. The Friday prior to Spring Break the class heads to the beautiful and welcoming country of Uruguay (southern tip of Brazil). Throughout the Spring Break week students will learn via immersion about Uruguay’s culture, history, economy, and agricultural practices. This is not an agri-tourism trip, students will visit, learn, and talk with companies and producers throughout Uruguay that open their operations and homes to the class. Specifically, this course focuses on the beef, sheep, dairy, meat, and rice industries that are vital to Uruguay’s economy. This course/trip is offered Spring semester.

Objectives

1. Learn about Uruguay’s agricultural practices and how they relate to the overall economy on a local and global scale
2. Understand how agricultural commodities, policies, and trade impact the US and Uruguay, and by default other international regions
3. Gain an appreciation for another culture, their people, and their history
4. Become a more well rounded citizen by experiencing international travel

ADSC 6890 – Advanced Meat Science

Class Description

This is the first in a series of graduate meat science courses taught at UGA.  This course will cover the theories and methods used in meat science in determination of tissue growth; compositional techniques; muscle protein and lipid organization, structure, and function; biochemical conversion of muscle to meat, and its impact on meat quality and palatability in meat animals.

Course Topics

A-Introduction
B-Growth and Development
C-Composition
D-Muscle Structure
E-Muscle Contraction
F-Postmortem Conversion
G-Antemortem Factors
H-Meat Tenderness
I-Postmortem Control of Tenderness
J-Enzymes and Proteins
K-Water Holding Capacity
L-Composition and Yield
M-Lipids
N-Meat Color
O-Meat Cookery
P-Meat Palatability

Additional Items

Literature review
Topic Presentation
Critical Paper Review Leader

AESC 8220 – Special Topics and Agricultural and Applied Economics (3 credit hours)

Class Description

This is the graduate level sister course for ADSC/AAEC 3911 and is more commonly known as the Uruguay StudyAbroad Trip or officially the International Agribusiness in Diversified Livestock and Grain Production StudyAbroad. Graduate Students interested in experiencing the Uruguay StudyAbroad should register for this course instead of ADSC/AAEC 3911. Students must apply for the StudyAbroad through the Office of Global Engagement (applications open in July/August) and be selected (usually early October). By applying, being selected, and committing to the course and trip students agree to pay the required fees and actively participate in the course and trip. We will meet as a class a few times prior to UGA Spring Break and students will work through modules at their own pace. The Friday prior to Spring Break the class heads to the beautiful and welcoming country of Uruguay (southern tip of Brazil). Throughout the Spring Break week students will learn via immersion about Uruguay’s culture, history, economy, and agricultural practices. This is not an agri-tourism trip, students will visit, learn, and talk with companies and producers throughout Uruguay that open their operations and homes to the class. Specifically, this course focuses on the beef, sheep, dairy, meat, and rice industries that are vital to Uruguay’s economy. Graduate students participating in this course will have the additional requirement of module development/refinement. Two to three spots are initially reserved for graduate students. This course/trip is offered Spring semester.

Objectives

1. Learn about Uruguay’s agricultural practices and how they relate to the overall economy on a local and global scale
2. Understand how agricultural commodities, policies, and trade impact the US and Uruguay, and by default other international regions
3. Gain an appreciation for another culture, their people, and their history
4. Become a more well rounded citizen by experiencing international travel