Adam Negrin

This course is an introduction to the world of plants, with an emphasis on the interactions and interdependencies of plants in human life and modern culture. Through lectures, text readings, primary literature reviews, instructor-led discussions, and presentations, the course will cover basic aspects of plant anatomy, physiology, taxonomy, food science, and the historical and current importance of plants in human life. The course will increase student awareness of, and knowledge about, the uses of plants and examine critical issues affecting ecology and the loss of traditional plant knowledge. Students will actively participate and develop a semester-long research project and discuss their work progress in biweekly lab meetings.

This course will be an introduction to our world of plants, people, and culture. Students will study the fundamentals of botany and taxonomy to discover how people have utilized plants for food, beverage, medicine, materials, and natural products. Lectures will present core botanical science and nomenclature to survey plants utilized from across the world and understand the significance of biodiversity, foodways, and the preservation of cultural and traditional knowledge. Throughout the semester, students will read and discuss several ethnobotanical papers and develop a familiarity with important plant families. Field walks on campus will utilize taxonomic keys for botanical identification of useful native plants. A semester-long research project will explore aspects of a plant product or process, incorporating learned botanical fundamentals from the course to present a novel synthesis of ethnobotanical data and theory in a written paper and oral presentation.

Biology, the study of life on Earth, encompasses structures and forms ranging from the very minute to the very large. In order to grasp the complexities of life, we begin this study with the cellular and molecular forms and mechanisms that serve as the foundation for all living organisms. The initial part of the semester will introduce the fundamental molecules critical to the biochemistry of life processes. From there, we branch out to investigate the major ideas, structures, and concepts central to the biology of cells, genetics, and the chromosomal basis of inheritance. Finally, we conclude the semester by examining how those principles relate to the mechanisms of evolution. Throughout the semester, we will discuss the individuals responsible for major discoveries, as well as the experimental techniques and process by which such advances in biological understanding are made. Classes will be supplemented with weekly lab work.