2010-11 Catalog

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Offering Description

Botany: Plants and People

Fall and Winter quarters

Faculty: Frederica Bowcutt ecology

Fields of Study: botany, field studies, natural history and writing

Fall: CRN (Credit) Level 10243 (16) Fr; 10245 (16) So - Sr  

Winter: Enrollment Accepting New Students  CRN (Credit) Level 20035 (16) Fr; 20036 (16) So - Sr  Signature Required Contact faculty for more information.  

Credits: 16(F); 16(W)

Class Standing: Freshmen - Senior; 25% of the seats are reserved for freshmenFreshmen - Senior

Offered During: Day

Description

Our focus in this program will be on developing an understanding of both natural and cultural dimensions of plants. We will work through a botany textbook learning about plant anatomy, morphology, systematics, and ecology. Lectures based on the textbook readings will be supplemented with laboratory work. We will explore how present form and function informs us about the evolution of various groups of plants. Students will get hands-on experience studying plants under microscopes and in the field. Students will also learn basic plant identification of common species. To support their work in the field, students will learn how to maintain a detailed and illustrated field journal.

Seminar readings will be on the general theme of plants and people. In fall we will celebrate the 90th anniversary of national suffrage for American women and the 100th anniversary of women's right to vote in the state of Washington, by exploring women and their relationships with plants. We will explore the cultural history of American women's use of plants for medicine making, food, and aesthetic purposes. We will examine women's contributions to horticulture, botany, environmental activism, and biodiversity preservation. Students will learn how to identify and grow herbs through service learning in the Medicinal Herb Garden at the Organic Farm. Through a series of workshops, students will learn traditional medicine making practices. A significant amount of time in this program will be dedicated to honing our ability to write an expository paper.

In winter students will also learn library research methods, which they will apply to a research project of their choosing related to plants and people. Time will be spent helping students improve their ability to write a research paper that is thesis-driven and supported with evidence from the scientific literature.

Maximum Enrollment: 24

Required Fees: Fall $50 for herbology workshop materials; Winter $250 for a field trip.

May be offered again in: 2012-13

Preparatory for studies or careers in: conservation; ecological agriculture; ecological restoration; ethnobotany; forestry; herbology; natural resource management; plant biology, ecology and taxonomy; women's studies; and writing.

Campus Location: Olympia

Online Learning: Enhanced Online Learning

Books: www.tescbookstore.com

Program Revisions

Date Revision
April 14th, 2010 This program has been extended from Winter-only to Fall-Winter. The description has been adjusted to reflect changes.