Plants and People：植物与人.doc

Plants and People GEO 6318 Professor: Dr. Maria Fadiman Office: PS 347 E-mail: mfadiman@ Tel: 561-297-3314 Office Hours: T ues 10:00-1:00 Wed 12:00-3:00 COURSE DESCRIPTION This course looks at the interaction between humans and plants. We will look at how people use plants in terms of traditional rural resource use and modern urban use. Examples of topics covered in class are: medicine, food, gardens, agriculture, religion, construction, ornamentation, and fuel. COURSE OBJECTIVES This course will explore how people use plants. We will look first at the concept of ethnobotany, and how this plays into all human lives. We will then look at traditional plants use in the developing world. The course will then move into how plants play a role people’s daily existence throughout the world. Some of the topics that we will address include: genetically modified foods, ornamentals, gardens, invasive exotics, agriculture, spiritual plant use, medicinal plants, alternative fuels, Non-Timber Forest Products, food plant identities and intellectual property rights. We will achieve the course objectives through a combination of reading, discussion, power point, and film. COURSE ASSIGNMENTS ? Class participation: Students should be prepared to discuss the ideas and concepts brought up in class and the readings for every class period. ? Readings: Students should be prepared to thoroughly read the assigned texts, and to turn in written answers to questions given each week ? Leading Discussion and Preparing Questions: Students are expected to create questions for the class and to lead part of the class discussion on certain days. ?Current plant/people Issues: On a designated day, each student will bring in an ethnobotanical issue being currently presented in the media, and prepare a discussion question. ?Journal: Students will keep a weekly journal of their own interactions with and observat