Plants and Civilization

Biology 107: Plants and Civilization

Market near Cuzco, Peru. Photo by Jennifer McGraw.

Links to Coffee, Chocolate, Corn, and More

Course Syllabus

Basic Botany Objectives

Objectives for Exam #2

Objectives for Exam #3

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Last updated October 29, 2008

Links to Coffee, Chocolate, Corn and More

Chiquita Banana Home Page -- international marketer, producer and distributor of bananas and other fresh and processed food products; includes description of how bananas grow.

World Cocoa Foundation -- provides history, information about growing cocoa beans, a view of a chocolate factory, health aspects, and more.

Sweet Science of Chocolate includes the history of chocolate, the chocolate-making process, and research into the possible health effects of its consumption.

Tea Council -- includes teas from around the world, history of tea, and (just in case you're interested), the tea market in the United Kingdom.

The Maize Page -- everything you wanted to know about corn, from Iowa State University.

Corn Cam, for those who just have to watch corn grow.

Rice Online -- the information site for the worldwide rice industry.

Get the Scoop on Rice from the USA Rice Federation.

National Association of Wheat Growers -- for lots of wheat facts.

International Potato Center -- info on everyone's favorite tuber.

Spice Pages -- reference information about spice plants and their history and usage. Developed by Gernot Katzer. Use the alphabetic index for easier access.

Images of Economically Important Plants from the Botanical Society of America (choose Set 7, Economic Botany)

Tobacco.org, "your source for tobacco news", including history and other links.

History of Tobacco Regulation

Course Syllabus

Course Description

Plants and Civilization will focus on the use of plants by humans for food, beverage, medicine, and fiber. Uses of plants in both the United States and elsewhere in the world will be studied.

Course Objectives

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

Have a renewed sense of wonder about the natural world.
Describe how plants grow, reproduce, and function.
Identify the parts of plants that are commonly eaten.
Explain the economic use of plants by humans for food, beverage, medicine, and industry.
Describe the use of plants in a different culture.
Work with others toward common goals.

Texts

Levetin, Estelle and Karen McMahon. 2006. Plants and Society. 4th ed. WCB McGraw-Hill, Boston.
There will also be additional handouts.

Attendance Policy

Your regular attendance is important to me, to you, and to your fellow students. This class is a joint venture among all of us, and I expect you to be as committed to it as I am. There will be numerous opportunities for discussion during which other students will need your input and insight. I expect you to participate as fully as you are able.
Because you cannot participate if you are not present, I will record attendance each time we meet. The class participation component of your grade will be determined by your class attendance. Note that you may also get in hot water with your classmates if you miss class often, and their evaluation of you may be a component of your grade (see below).

Evaluation

There will be several forms of assessment in this course: one multiple-choice exam, two essay exams, and two group presentations. Each is indicated on the attached class schedule and outlined below.

Multiple-Choice Exam. The first test, on basic botany, will be primarily a multiple-choice questions and one short essay question. I will grade this test. You will receive a sheet listing objectives for this exam.
Essay Exams. Exams two and three will be primarily essay tests. I will grade these also. Objective sheets for these exams will also be provided.
Group Presentations. There will be two of these:
1. Vegetable Feast Presentations. The content of chapters 16 and 17 will be presented by groups of three/four students. Each group will work up the information in one section of the chapter and present it to the class in a way that they choose. In most cases I will be able to provide edible (or sniffable) materials for demonstration. Presentations should be limited to 15 minutes. The class will evaluate the presentation; all members of the group will receive the same grade (see exception below).
2. Ethnobotany Project Presentations. Each group will be responsible for carrying out a project in ethnobotany, in which plant use within a particular culture is examined. More details on this will be distributed later. During the last week of the semester, each group will be responsible for presenting their findings to the class. A short (no more than 5 page) paper describing those findings should also be submitted. The class will evaluate the presentations, as before; I will evaluate the paper and the overall project. All members of the group will receive the same grade (see exception below).
3. Option for Replacing Ethnobotany Presentation with a Paper. If all members of a group agree, the ethnobotany project presentation may be replaced with a longer paper of 10-15 pages which details the methods used and findings of the project, and includes a bibliography. A decision to do this must be conveyed to me by the second progress report, i.e. before Thanksgiving break. In this case, I will be the only one assigning a grade to the project. NOTE: This option is not available for the Vegetable Feast presentation.
Evaluation of Written Material. Papers submitted for grading must be word-processed with normal-sized (10cpi) type and double-spaced. All words and phrases MUST be your own, unless by quotation marks (" ") you indicate you are quoting from a cited source. Papers will be evaluated for clarity of expression, careful addressing of relevant issues, and freedom from typographic and grammatical errors. I will be glad to discuss the paper with you at any point in its development.

Exceptions to a Common Group Grade. In exceptional cases where one team member has contributed little or nothing to the group effort, s/he may receive a lower grade for a presentation or paper than other team members. I will not do this without consulting all team members and attempting to find a better solution.

Final Grading

3 exams at 25% each	75%
Vegetable Feast Presentation	5
Ethnobotany Project, grade from class	5
Ethnobotany Project, grade from instructor	5
Class Participation	10
Total	100%

Classroom Schedule

DATE	TOPIC	READING (pp.)
26 Aug	Introduction; What is a Plant?	2-8
28	Stems, Roots and Leaves	32-49
2 Sep	Flowers	74-78 and 84-88
4	Fruits; Supermarket Botany	89-103
9	Naming Plants	123-132
11	Agriculture	181-190
16	EXAM 1 (multiple-choice, one essay question)
18	Wheat and Maize; Groups begin planning for Chapter 16/17 presentations	191-203
23	Other Grains	203-210
25	Legumes	211-224
30	Starches	225-240
2 Oct	Feeding the World	240-266
7	Presentations for chapters 16/17
9	Presentations for chapters 16/17
14	Ethnobotany; Introduction of Project	handout
16	More Ethnobotany	handout
21	Cloth and Fibers; Ethnobotany topic and methods due	303-314
23	Paper & Wood	314-328
28	EXAM 2 (essay)
30	Medicinal Plants	330-349
4 Nov	Opium and Marijuana; Progress Reports on Projects	350-358
7	Cocaine and Tobacco	359-368
11	Poisonous and Allergy Plants	369-388
13	Agricultural Pests	423-433
18	Fermentation Basics: Wine	434-442
20	Beer & Distilled Spirits	442-449
25	Progress reports on Projects
2 Dec	Ethnobotany Project Presentations
4	Ethnobotany Project Presentations
	EXAM 3 (essay) at 10:00 a.m., Thursday, December 11