Plants & Civilization (Biology 155)
Fall 2006
MWF 10-10:50 p.m. (Strain 216)
How did we get from the Fertile Crescent to genetically engineered crops? From herbal remedies to the war on drugs? From the Amazon rainforest to the Indy 500? In these and many more examples, human interactions with plants have profoundly shaped our societies. In this course, we’ll examine how fundamentals of plant biology have allowed them to have such dramatic effects human lives and histories.
Assignments:
Case studies: Dodo, Snakeroot, Diet Case Part 1 and Part 2
Exam information:
Study questions: intro, science, evolution, plant anatomy, wood, plant defenses, spices, origins of agriculture, grain & fermentation, caffeine, gardens & flowers, feeding a hungry planet, environmental issues