Basic Botany: Plants and People

Spring 2008 - Syllabus

 

Our focus will be on developing an understanding of both natural and cultural dimensions of the Kingdom Plantae. We will attempt to address the following questions. How does present form and function inform us about the evolution of various groups of plants? How does the biology of plants shape human/plant interactions? People use plants to build houses and to make baskets, furniture, and a variety of other material objects. Globally most food and medicines are derived from plants. Why do people use the plants they do? What meaning do people give to plants? Our primary text will be Peter Raven et al.'s Biology of Plants, a rich and detailed textbook that covers plants as well as fungi, algae, and bacteria. This text reflects the scientist looking at plants with a critical eye using the power of observation and experimentation. Readings, lectures, and films by a variety of other people will help us explore human relations with plants with a special focus on linking economic botany to American environmental history. Students are required to attend all field trips. Our multi-day field trip is scheduled for April 29^th to May 1^st. Field trip fee: $150.

Faculty:

Frederica Bowcutt, Lab II rm 3272, phone ex 6744, bowcuttf@evergreen.edu

Office hours: Thursday 4-5 pm and by appt.

Book List: Seminar/Workshop Texts

Raven et al. Biology of Plants Seventh Edition. (required) Pojar & MacKinnon, Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast (optional) Taylor, Sagebrush Country (optional) Kozloff, Plants of Western Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia (optional) Elpel, Botany in a Day (optional) Turner & Gustafson, Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest (optional) West, How to Draw Plants (optional)

Leslie & Roth, Keeping a Nature Journal Storey, Writing History Freinkel, American Chestnut: The Life, Death and Rebirth of a Perfect Tree Anderson, Tending the Wild Hill, Legacy of Luna various essays TBA (on electronic reserve)

Weekly Schedule

Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
12 noon- 2 pm Botany Lecture & Quiz SEM II rm E1105	9 am - 12 noon Writing Workshop SEM II A3107		9 am - 12 noon Botany Lab/ Review Study Questions @ 11 am Lab I rm 1040
3-5 pm Seminar SEM II rm C3107		3-5 pm Botany Lab Lab I rm 1040	1-4 pm Films/Workshops SEM II B1105

 

Required Materials for Field Work

Journal (Grinell style with lined and unlined pages or Cachet spiral bound sketch book) Watercolor pencils (e.g. Aquarell) and a small paintbrush 2 black permanent ink pens (e.g. Micron pens): very fine tip + one a bit bigger 10X hand lens dissection kit with Xacto knife, 2 dissecting needles, 15 cm rule, and sharp tweezers Mechanical pencil with 5 mm HB lead Pink Pearl eraser

Week 1 March 31 - April 4 INTRODUCTION

Workshop: Leslie and Roth, Keeping a Nature Journal pp. 1-71, 171-180

Botany Reading: Raven et al., Biology of Plants, Chaps. 1 (Introduction) & 11 (The Process of Evolution)

Tues, April 1

12 noon-2 pm Orientation

3-5 pm Keeping a Field Journal+ Review of Sight Recognition Plants

Weds, April 2

9 am-12 noon Individual Appointments with Students

Thurs, April 3

3-4:30 pm Individual Appointments with Students

Fri, April 4

9 am-4 pm Botanical Illustration Workshop with Sue Burrus

(Bring drawing supplies, Leslie & Roth, journal)

Week 2 April 7-11

Seminar Reading: Storey, Writing History

Botany Reading: Raven et al., Biology of Plants, Chaps. 3 (The Plant Cell), 8 (Sexual

Reproduction), & 23 (Cells & Tissues of the Plant Body)

DUE: Tuesday- one-page typed response to Storey

 

Tues, April 8

12 noon-2 pm Lecture: Introduction to Evolution

3-5 pm Seminar on Storey, Writing History

Weds, April 9

9 am-12 noon Library Research Workshop & Working with Primary Historical

Sources

Thurs, April 10

3-5 pm Lab: Using a Microscope to Study Cells and Tissues

Fri, April 11

9 am-12 noon Lab: Cells and Tissues

1-4 pm FIELD TRIP: Moss & Seedless Vascular Plants Campus Walk

(Bring Pojar & MacKinnon, hand lens, and your field journal)

Week 3 April 14-18

Seminar: Freinkel, American Chestnut

Lecture: Raven et al., Biology of Plants, Chaps. 12 (Systematics) and 16

(Bryophytes)

DUE: Wednesday- 7 copies of one-page typed response to Freinkel

DUE: Friday- 3 monographs

 

Tues, April 15

12 noon-2 pm Lecture: Mosses

3-5 pm Seminar on Freinkel, American Chestnut

Weds, April 16

9 am - 12 noon Writing Workshop: Anatomy of an Expository Essay

Bring 7 copies of response to Freinkel

1-4 pm Arboretum Community Service: Optional

(Bring raingear, work gloves, & water)

Thurs, April 17

3-5 pm Lab: Mosses

Fri, April 18

9 am -12 noon Lab: Mosses

1-4 pm Peer Review of Field Journals/Introduction to Keying Ferns

(bring your field journal and a blank, loose piece of paper)

Week 4 April 21-25

Seminar: Anderson, Tending the Wild, pp. 1-186.

Lecture Readings: articles on prairies

DUE: Tuesday -1 page proposal of term paper + annotated bibliography including two peer reviewed scientific journal articles and one historical source from the primary literature.

DUE: Thursday or Friday- 5 monographs for meeting with Frederica

 

Tues, April 22

12 noon-2 pm Lecture: South Sound Prairies

3-5 pm Writing Workshop: Crafting a Research Paper

Bring 7 copies of your project proposal & annotated

bibliography

Weds, April 23, 9 am - 5 pm FIELD TRIP: Glacial Heritage County Park

Meet in 1 hour parking in Lot B no later than 8:30 am.

(Bring art supplies, raingear, water & sack lunch)

Thurs, April 24

1-4 pm Arboretum Community Service: Prairie Roof Garden

(Bring raingear, work gloves, & water)

3-5 pm Meetings with students (bring nature journal)

Fri, April 25 ARBOR DAY

9-11 am Open Lab/ Review of Past Labs & Help with Keying

11 am -12 noon Field Trip Planning (Required)

1-5 pm Meetings with students (bring nature journal)

Week 5 April 28-May 1 COLUMBIA GORGE FIELD TRIP

We will leave on Tuesday, April 29th from the 1-hour parking area in Lot B no later than

9 am. Please begin gathering at 8 am and be there no later than 8:30 to load. We are staying at Menucha Retreat Center near Multnomah Falls. All of our food and bedding is covered by the $150 field trip fee. Please email me by week 2 regarding dietary constraints (e.g. vegan, vegetarian, and/or food allergies).

 

Tues, April 29 Catherine Creek & Evening work on monographs & accounts

Weds, April 30 TBA (probably Dog Mtn., Columbia Hills, or Mt. Hamilton)

Thurs, May 1 Pony Tail Falls/Oneota Gorge Loop Trail

 

WHAT TO PACK

Pack so that what you need for travel is in a day-pack. The rest should go in a duffel or soft pack.

Personal Items and Clothing:

Lunch for Tuesday & water bottle

Warm clothes & extra clothes (weather varies, be prepared)

Rain gear

Hat(s) - sun and wool cap

Hiking shoes (covered) REQUIRED

Gloves/mittens

Day pack (for lunches, books, art supplies and use in van)

Toilet articles including ear plugs and small towel

Flashlight

Personal medications (including sun screen, mosquito repellant, etc.)

Texts and Gear:

Watch & alarm clock

Field journal & art supplies (see syllabus)

Leslie and Roth, Keeping a Nature Journal

Field guides (e.g. Pojar & MacKinnon, plus Taylor, Sagebrush Country)

Plastic bags for lunches, for sitting on...

Compass and/or altimeter (optional)

Camera (optional)

Hand lens and 15 cm rule

Maps (e.g. of Washington and Oregon, Washington Atlas & Gazetteer is an excellent choice, costs $17)

 

NOTE REGARDING FIELD TRIPS: Field trips are working trips. They are a privilege not a right. Students missing more than 15% of the field journal assignments or with poor quality entries may be barred from field trips. More than five absences may be grounds for not being allowed to go. Use of drugs or alcohol, on any of the field trips are grounds for expulsion from the program.

Week 6 May 5-9

Seminar Readings: Anderson, Tending the Wild, pp. 187-364.

Lecture: Raven et al., Biology of Plants, Chap. 17 (Seedless Vascular Plants) & 25

(The Shoot)

DUE: Tuesday- one-page typed response to Anderson

DUE: Wednesday- annotated outline

Tues, May 6

12 noon-2 pm Lecture: Seedless Vascular Plants

3-5 pm Seminar on Anderson, Tending the Wild

Weds, May 7

9 am - 12 noon Writing Workshop: Outlines

Bring 7 copies of your annotated outline

Thurs, May 8

3-5 pm Lab: Seedless Vascular Plants

Fri, May 9

9 am -12 noon Lab: Seedless Vascular Plants

1-4 pm Film: Pomo Basketmakers & Discussion

 

Week 7 May 12-16

Seminar: Hill, Legacy of Luna

Lab: Raven et al., Biology of Plants, Chaps. 18 (Gymnosperms) & 26 (Secondary

Growth)

DUE: Wednesday draft of research paper. Minimum 5 pages plus updated annotated bibliography.

 

Tues, May 13

12 noon-2 pm Lecture: Gymnosperms

3-5 pm Seminar: Hill, Legacy of Luna

Weds, May 14

9 am - 12 noon Writing Workshop: Glossing & Revising

Bring 5 copies of your draft and biblio

Thurs, May 15

3-5 pm Lab: Gymnosperms & Wood

Fri, May 16

9 am -12 noon Lab: Gymnosperms & Wood + Campus Tree Walk

1-4 pm Film: Forest Wars & Discussion

Week 8 May 21-25

Lecture & Seminar: Raven et al., Biology of Plants, Chaps. 19 (Introduction to

Angiosperms), 20 (Evolution of Angiosperms), 21 (Plants and People), 24 (The Root), and 30 (The Movement of Water and Solutes in Plants)

Tues, May 20

11 am - 1 pm Lecture: Flowering Plants & Their Evolution

3-5 pm Seminar on Raven et al., Biology of Plants

Weds, May 21

9 am - 12 noon Workshop with Amy Greene: Photoshop & PowerPoint

Thurs, May 22

3-5 pm Lab: Flowering Plants & their Anatomy

Fri, May 23

9 am -12 noon Lab: Flowering Plants & their Anatomy

1-4 pm Film: Beautiful Tree & Discussion

 

Week 9 May 26-30 WRAP-UP & EXAMS

Reading: TBA

 

Tues, May 27

12 noon-2 pm Anatomy and Physiology

+ Review of Sight Recognition Plants

3-5 pm Wrap-up /Year End Preparation

Weds, May 28

9 am - 12 noon Self-Evaluation Workshop (Bring 13 copies of eval)

Thurs, May 29

3-5 pm Botany Lab Review

Fri, May 30

9 am -12 noon Botany Final Exam

1-4 pm Tanoak Lecture & Discussion

 

Week 10 June 2-6 PRESENTATIONS

No Seminar Readings

DUE: Research paper due Wednesday, June 4^th at 4 pm

DUE: Portfolios including nature journal and final self-eval due on Fri, June 6 at 4 pm

 

Tues, June 3

12 noon-2 pm Student Presentations

3-5 pm Student Presentations

Weds, June 4

9 am - 12 noon Student Presentations

Fri, June 6

10 am - 12 noon Sight Recognition Exam and Lab Clean-Up

1-3 pm Display Field Journals

 

Required papers and portfolio materials:

• nature journal (entries for every field trip and lab day) + 15 monographs
• self-corrected study guides for every lab
• all botany exams & quizzes
• one page response to Storey, Frienkel, Anderson & Hill
• project proposal and annotated bibliography with faculty comments
• first draft of research paper (include copies with peer comments)
• final research paper rewrite (8-10 pages plus bibliography including two peer-reviewed scientific journal articles and two historical sources from the primary literature)
• self-evaluation

 

EVALUATIONS WEEK: June 9-13 Individual Conferences with Faculty

Please bring your faculty evaluation to your evaluation meeting or give them to the program secretary in Lab II.

(Note: a self-evaluation is a required document for credit in the program)

 

Spring Course Equivalencies:

 

4 Introduction to Plant Biology

4 American Environmental History

4 Economic Botany

4 Field Botany

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Expectations of Evergreen Graduates

• articulate and assume responsibility for your own work
• participate collaboratively and responsibly in our diverse society
• communicate creatively and effectively
• demonstrate integrative, independent and critical thinking
• apply qualitative, quantitative, and creative modes of inquiry appropriately to practical and theoretical problems across disciplines
• as a culmination of your education, demonstrate depth, breadth, and synthesis of learning and the ability to reflect on the personal and social significance of that learning