FRS 002R — Sec. 001 — (2 unit) — CRN 76187 — T 4:10 – 6:30 pm — 283 Robbins
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 for two and one-half hours each week for eight weeks. During the first week, the instructor will review seminar objectives and requirements, present a few basic concepts about plants and plant-animal/human interactions, and the students and instructor will discuss general concepts raised in the text introduction. Seminar topics for weeks two and three will include the four book chapters, potential student seminar topics, approaches to researching these topics, and preparation of written and oral presentations. During following sessions, the class will visit the campus Arboretum and the Botany Conservatory to examine plant features relevant to interactions with animals, and students will present written preliminary results from their independently researched topics. Preliminary results will be discussed and critiqued by the entire class. During the last two or three meetings, students will deliver their final oral presentations and submit their completed written papers. 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 (30%), and (3) style and content of a five to six page, plus references, written seminar 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 fifteen years and is a lecturer in the Section of Plant Biology. She teaches introductory plant biology for biology majors and upper-division courses in developmental vascular plant anatomy and in algae and bryophytes. 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 animal and plant interactions.