FRS 002K —
Sec. 001 —
(2 unit) — CRN 52938 — W 6:10 – 8:00 pm — 3 Wellman
The Botany of Desire: Integrating the Social History,
Natural History,
and Biology of Plant and Human Interactions
Instructor: Deborah Canington, Section of Plant Biology, Division of
Biological Sciences
Description: Michael Pollan's bestseller, The Botany
of Desire:
A Plant's-Eye View of the World, examines the impact on human history of four
domesticated plant species: the apple, the tulip, cannabis, and the potato. The
book will be used as a starting point to explore interactions between animals,
especially humans, and plants. The complex, and often surprising,
impact of these
interactions on human history will be explored.
Format: The seminar will meet once each week for two
hours. During
the first week, the instructor will review seminar objectives and requirements,
present a few basic concepts about plants, and the students and instructor will
discuss general concepts raised in the introduction of the text.
During the next
four weeks, students and instructor will discuss each of the four book chapters
in turn, and the instructor will present relevant biological
information. In order
to explore additional interactions, one of the seminar requirements will be to
research a significant human and plant interaction topic, prepare a
paper on this
topic, and present a 15-minute talk or power-point presentation
derived from the
written paper. To prepare for the paper and presentation, during week six, each
student will discuss with the class a short proposal about the topic they are
investigating. During weeks seven through nine, each student will present their
talk or power point presentation and provide the others with a written handout
summarizing their research. The goals of the seminar are to 1) expose students
to some of the diverse impacts of plants on human history, 2)
encourage students
to critically think about human connections with other life forms and
their physical
and social environments, 3) demonstrate through writing and oral presentation
the integration of social history and the science of plant biology,
and 4) develop
and refine writing and oral presentation skills. Each student will purchase The
Botany of Desire, which will be available at the campus bookstore.
Grading:
Three criteria will be used for letter-grade assignment: 1)
preparation and contribution
to discussion (20%), 2) quality of oral presentation and handout (30%), and 3)
style and content of a five to six page, plus references, written paper (50%).
Both print and electronic references are required for the written paper.
About the Instructor: Deborah Canington has been a member of
the UCD faculty for over fourteen years and is a lecturer in the
Section of Plant
Biology. She teaches introductory plant biology for biology majors
and upper-division
courses in algae (phycology) and mosses (bryology) and in
developmental vascular
plant anatomy. Dr. Canington's research includes investigations in
seed development
of the purple orchid tree, Bauhinia variegata, and comparative morphogenesis of
axillary and foliar buds in the piggy-back plant, Tolmiea menziesii.
Her interests
include comparative development of bryophyte form, origin and
evolution of chloroplasts,
comparative wood structure, and the biology of plant exploitation of animals.