Seeds of Change: Plant Biology & Culture Course Syllabus

COURSE SYLLABUS SEEDS OF CHANGE: THE BIOLOGY AND CULTURE OF
PLANT-PEOPLE INTERACTIONS
"History celebrates the battlefields whereon we meet our death, but scorns
to speak of the plowed fields whereby we thrive; it knows the names of the King's
bastards, but cannot tell us the origin of wheat. That is the way of human folly"
Jean Henri Fabre
Instructor: Dr. Hector E. Flores, PhD (Yale 1983); [email protected]; 585-260-4962
Rationale
Human civilization and life on earth are impossible to conceive without plants. Through
photosynthesis and oxygen production, plants are the major producers of biomass and constitute
the base of the food pyramid. Plants also have evolved an astounding diversity in form, size,
shape, color, smell and chemical structures. This structural, nutritional and chemical flexibility
has been put to innumerable uses by people, from the hunter gatherers to the scientists in search
of a cure for AIDS. Plants are at the core of our everyday necessities (food, clothing, shelter,
medicines, beverages), simple pleasures (flowers, fragrances) and pervasive problems (energy
supply, drug addiction, famine). Plants have affected civilization in dramatic ways in the past,
for example in the spectacular changes in diet and the increased population growth catalyzed by
the Columbian Exchange. We expect that plants will continue to affect people in the future
through an increasingly complex interplay between new technologies such as genetic
engineering, the pressure on natural resources, and the search for new crops, medicines and
biomaterials.
The aforementioned examples justify including a course on the uses of plants in a
graduate/undergraduate curriculum that stresses interdisciplinarity, diversity, and
multiculturalism. Seeds of Change is a 3 credit course offered at the 4000/5000 level, and is
designed to provide an in-depth integrated overview of the biology, chemistry and culture of
plants, as well as a long term perspective on their present and future uses.
Prerequisite
This is a reading-intensive and discussion-oriented course which assumes basic
knowledge of biology/botany and/or chemistry. Students with little background in any of these
areas are strongly encouraged to consult introductory textbooks in order to become familiar with
the basic concepts and vocabulary. The following books are recommended:
Buchanan, B.B., W. Gruissem, and R.L. Jones. 2000. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of
Plants. American Society of Plant Physiologists, Rockville, Maryland.
Capon, B. 1990. Botany for Gardeners: An Introduction and Guide. Timber Press, Portland,
Oregon.
Stern, K.R. 1988. Introductory Plant Biology. 4th Ed., Wm. C. Brown, Dubuque, IA.
Snyder, C.H. 1995. The Extraordinary Chemistry of Ordinary Things. 2nd Ed., John Wiley &
Sons, New York.
Zomlefer, W.B. 1994. Guide to Flowering Plant Families. University of North Carolina Press,
Chapel Hill.
Course Structure
This course is intended to go beyond the lecture only format. Conventional lectures will
be complemented with discussions, use of fresh plant material, demonstrations, group projects,
and "field" assignments. After a basic treatment of the botanical concepts necessary to follow the
subject, we will discuss the major modes of plant use, from food and medicine gathering to the
origins of agriculture, and how the latter evolved. Second, we will study the Columbian
Exchange as an example of how plants have shaped our diets, clothing and addictions in the last
five hundred years. Third, we will use potatoes, sugar cane and cotton as case studies of how the
unique biological features of these crops have affected their large scale worldwide cultivation,
and the social and economic effects of such practices. The rest of the course will be organized
along the same lines, maintaining the emphasis on interdisciplinary discussions. It is hoped that
this approach will allow the student to start perceiving useful plants as what they effectively are,
Seeds of Change, affecting diets, agricultural patterns, health and leisure, but in turn also being
influenced by population pressures, other crops, and the new biotechnologies.
Class Participation
The success of this course depends on student participation in the lectures and class
discussions. The variety of majors hopefully represented in the class provides a unique
opportunity for students to offer valuable, diverse, and complementary input during the class
discussions. Therefore, the students are strongly encouraged to ask questions, participate in
discussions, and help each other in the various activities. A list-serve site will be set up to
encourage and facilitate additional discussion outside the classroom. This site can be used to
send messages to the class members, and ask questions, share insights, debate problems, and plan
individual/group activities or assignments (see below).
Journal Paper Report
Because of the range of subjects covered in the class, it is difficult to conduct an in-depth
critical analysis of every single topic. In order to provide hands-on experience with the analysis
of data and the process leading to conclusions that eventually find their way into textbooks and
reviews, each student will be required to do a critical review of refereed journal articles
throughout the class. Examples of journals with appropriate articles are American Journal of
Botany, Economic Botany, Journal of Ethnobiology, Journal of Ethnopharmacology, Plant
Journal, Plant Cell, etc. In addition to providing a detailed criticism of the assumptions
underlying the paper’s rationale, results and discussion, the student will have to provide a
complementary perspective for future, integrative work.
Class Project
One of the goals of courses such as this one is to encourage creativity and originality from the
students. To this end, at the end of the semester, each student will have to deliver, as an
individual of as part of a group (the latter is strongly encouraged), a class presentation on any
subject related to the interactions between plants and people. Conventional presentations are
strongly discouraged. Students are encouraged to use the full range of skills they have
(individually and collectively, i.e., art, music, writing, handcrafts, computer skills, etc.), to
address the topic of their choice. For example, a presentation on the evolution of bread could
based on baking and tasting a variety of homemade products, the biology and culture of tomato
could be presented as a play, a poem or series thereof, etc., etc. Examples of innovative angles to
these class projects may be the relationship between myths, plants and women, the use of plants
as medicine by animals, cultural parallelism in the uses of plants, biochemical changes during
cooking/food processing, etc. The project must be based on solid research and facts, the creative
synthesis and integration of which will be reflected in the project’s originality. The most
important thing to consider for this type of project is planning and brainstorming in advance.
The instructor will work with the students to provide advice as to project choice and approach,
but this is first and foremost a student-driven activity. The presentations will be scheduled for
the end of the course, and some of them, as appropriate, may be included in the last activity of
the semester, the Seeds of Change Potluck (see below).
Class Assignments and Special Activities
Class Assignments
Throughout the course students will be asked to visit the local supermarkets, health food
and ethnic food stores, and local pharmacies, in order to do “homework” related to an upcoming
class topic. For example, for the lecture/discussion on fruit crops the students may have to make
an inventory of the fruits available at that particular time of the year, and to determine their
"geography" (where do the fruits come from?) and how that relates to their place of origin. For
the discussion on medicinal plants, the students may have to go to pharmacies, supermarkets,
health food stores, etc., and research the variety of health-related formulations which include
plant-derived products. Short reports may be required for some of these exercises.
Field Trip
We will have at least one field trip in early Spring to observe useful wild plants at a
suitable place nearby. Attendance to the field trip is required of all students.
Demonstrations
The lectures and discussions will be complemented by simple exercises and
demonstrations. For example, the lecture on beverages may be followed by a tasting of teas and
herbal infusions. The lecture on perfumes may be followed by simple extractions of essential
oils from various sources (rose petals, geraniums, various herbs, etc.). The discussions on spices
and fruits will involve tastings and dissections of the material brought by students and
instructors. Various dishes will be tasted throughout the class, starting with the salad
“deconstruction” exercise.
Seeds of Change Potluck
A potluck dinner will be scheduled for the end of the semester at the instructor's home.
The different courses will be jointly planned by the instructor and students and will be designed
to reflect the widest possible diversity of plant foods available in the area. Students are strongly
encouraged to plan and prepare their dishes by dividing into small groups. This activity is
intended to be fun and promote collegiality, in addition to providing yet another venue to learn
more about plants/people interactions.
Exams and Grading
There will be two examinations throughout the semester. The first exam will be
scheduled before Spring break and will cover one third of the course material. The second exam
will emphasize material covered in the second third, and will be scheduled for the first half of
April. The examinations will be a combination of short answer and essay questions; the latter
will emphasize critical thinking and integration of the facts and concepts discussed in class.
Take-home exams are also an option. There will be no final exam, in lieu of which students are
required to develop an original project (see above). The final grade will be assigned on the
following basis:
First Exam
35%
Second Exam
35%
Class project
20%
Class participation, written assignment
10%
Textbook and Assigned Reading
As mentioned above, this will be a reading-intensive course. The textbook chosen for
this course is Economic Botany, Plants in Our World , 3rd Edition (2001), by Beryl Brintnall
Simpson and Mary Conner-Ogorzaly (McGraw-Hill, New York) and is available at the Penn
State Bookstore. The assigned readings from the textbook (see class schedule) will provide
introductory botanical concepts and descriptions of useful plants according to well established
categories (fruits, grains, spices, vegetable oils, medicines, etc.). Because the course is designed
to provide an interdisciplinary perspective of useful plants, the textbook assignments will be
complemented with readings from a variety of sources. The strategy for handling the assigned
reading will be discussed during the first meeting. I also highly recommend Plants, People, and
Culture, by Michael Balick and Paul Cox, as a “textbook” to complement Simpson’s. It is full
of fascinating stories and perhaps does a better job of integrating biology, chemistry and culture.
Reading List
Some material for this class is available at the Library. Much of the material listed below
is in my personal collection, which will be made available to students on an honors basis.
Specific reading assignments from some of these books and from journal articles are listed in the
course schedule. Sets of the assigned readings will be available for copying. This reading list
can be also used as a reference source in the preparation of term papers and for class
assignments.
Allen, B. 1995. Food, an Oxford Anthology. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 417 pp.
(TX353.F557 1995)
Anderson, E. 1971. Plants, Man and Life. University of California Press, Berkeley, 251 pp.
(SB107.5.A5 1967)
Andrews, J. 1999. The Pepper Trail: History and Recipes from Around the World. University of
North Texas Press, Denton, TX, 260 pp. (TX803.P46A52)
Balick, M.J., and P.A. Cox. 1996. Plants, People, and Culture: The Science of Ethnobotany.
Scientific American Library, HPHLP, New York, 228 pp. (GN476.73.B35 1996)
Bernhardt, P. 1993. Natural Affairs. A Botanist Looks at the Attachments Between Plants and
People. Villard Books, New York. (QK81.B446 1993)
Campbell, J. 1988. Historical Atlas of World Mythology. Vol. II: The Way of the Seeded Earth,
Part 2, Mythologies of the Primitive Planters: The Northern Americas. Harper & Row, New
York. (BL311.C26).
Coe, S.D. 1994. America's First Cuisines.
(F1219.76.F67C64 1994)
University of Texas Press, Austin, 276 pp.
Crosby, A.W. 1972. The Columbian Exchange: Biological and Cultural Consequences of
1492. Greenwood Press, Westport, CT. (E98.D6C7)
Crosby, A.W. 1993. Germs, Seeds & Animals, Studies in Ecological History. M.E. Sharpe,
Armonk, (NY). (GF50.C77 1993)
Dalby, A. 2000. Dangerous Tastes: The Story of Spices. British Museum Press, London, 184
pp. (TX406.D35)
Diamond, J. 1997. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies. W.W. Norton and
Company, New York, 480 pp. (HM206.D48 1997)
Foster, H., and L.S. Cordell. 1992. Chilies to Chocolate. University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ.
(SB176.A48C45).
Fusell, B. 1992. The Story of Corn. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York. (SB191.M2F87).
Hedrick, U.P. 1919. Sturtevant's Notes on Edible Plants. New York State Dept. of Agriculture,
27th Ann. Rep., 1918/19 v.2, pt.2. (634.09St9)
Harlan, J.C. 1992. Crops and Man. 2nd Ed., American Society of Agronomy, Madison (WI),
284 pp. (SB71.H3 1992)
Harris, M. 1977. Cannibals and Kings: The Origins of Cultures. Random House, NY, 239 pp.
(GN358.5.H37)
Heiser, C.B., Jr. 1969. Nightshades, the Paradoxical Plants. University of Oklahoma Press,
Norman (OK). (QK495.S7.H45)
Heiser, C.B., Jr. 1979. The Gourd Book. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman (OK), 248 pp.
(SB317.G68.H44)
Heiser, C.B., Jr. 1985. Of Plants and People. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, (OK),
237 pp. (SB87.A45H45 1985).
Heiser, C.B., Jr. 1990. Seed to Civilization, the Story of Food. Harvard University Press,
Cambridge, MA., 228 pp. (S419.H44)
Hickey, M. 1988. 100 Families of Flowering Plants. 2nd Ed., Cambridge University Press,
New York, 619 pp. (QK495.A1H53)
Hill, A. F. 1937. Economic Botany. McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., New York, London,
592 pp. (S81.6H55e)
Hobhouse, H. 1986. Seeds of Change, Five Plants That Transformed Mankind. Harper and
Row, New York, 252 pp. (SB71.H63)
Joyce, C. 1994. Earthly Goods: Medicine Hunting in the Rainforest. Little, Brown and
Company, Boston, 304 pp. (RS164.J69)
Kahn, E.J., Jr. 1985. The Staffs of Life. Little, Brown and Co., Boston, 310 pp. (SB175.K34)
Kreig, M. 1964. Green Medicine. The Search for Plants That Heal. Randy McNally & Co.,
Chicago, 462 pp. (QK99.K68)
Lewington, A.
(SB107.L48)
1990.
Plants for People.
Oxford University Press, New York, 232 pp.
Mabberley, D.J. 1987. The Plant-Book, a Portable Dictionary of the Higher Plants. Cambridge
University Press, Cambridge. (QK11.M29)
Mann, J. 1992. Murder, Magic and Medicine. Oxford University Press, New York., 232 pp.
(RM300.M1845 1992)
McGee, H. 1984. On Food and Cooking, the Science and Lore of the Kitchen. Charles
Scribner's Sons, New York, 684 pp. (TX651.M37)
National Research Council. 1989. Lost Crops of the Incas.
Washington D.C., 415 pp. (SB176.A5L6)
National Academy Press,
Nobel, P.S. 1994. Remarkable Agaves and Cacti. Oxford University Press, New York, 166 pp.
(QK495.A26N64 1994)
Plotkin, M.J. 1993. Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice: An Ethnobotanist Searches for New
Medicines in the Amazon Rain Forest. Viking, New York, 318 pp. (F2330.1.B7P56 1993)
Pollan, M. 2001. The Botany of Desire: a plant’s eye view of the world. Random House, New
York, 271 pp. (QK46.5.H85P66)
Purseglove, J.W. 1968. Tropical Crops: Dicotyledons. Wiley, New York., 719 pp. (SB111.P86
v1, v2)
Schery, R. 1972. Plants for Man. Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ., 657 pp. (SB107.S3)
Schivelbusch, W. 1992. Tastes of Paradise, a Social History of Spices, Stimulants, and
Intoxicants. Vintage Books, New York, 236 pp. (GT2880.S3613)
Smith, B.D. 1995. The Emergence of Agriculture. Scientific American Library, W.H. Freeman,
New York, 231 pp. (GN799.A4S52 1994)
Smith, N.J.H., J.T. Williams, D.L., Plunknett, and J.P. Talbot. 1992. Tropical Forests and Their
Crops. Cornell University Press, Ithaca (NY), 568 pp. (SB111.T76)
Sokolov, R. 1991. Why We Eat What We Eat. Summit Books, New York, 254 pp. (TX631.S65)
Tannahill, R. 1989. Food in History. Revised Ed., Crown Publishers, New York, 424 pp.
(GT2850.T34)
Toussaint-Samat, M. 1992. The History of Food. Blackwell Reference, Cambridge, MA. , 801
pp. (TX353.T6413)
Viola, H.J., and C. Margulis. 1991. Seeds of Change, A Quincentennial Commemoration.
Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. , 277 pp. (E112.S45)
Reference Sources
Davidson, A. 1999. Oxford Companion to Food. Oxford Univ. Press, 892 pp. (TX349.D38)
Kiple, K.F. 2000. The Cambridge World History of Food., Cambridge, England, 2153 pp.
(TX353.C255 Vol 1 and 2)
Tootill, E. 1984. The Facts on File Dictionary of Botany. Facts on File, Inc. New York.
(QK9.F33)
Web links:
http://www.inia.gob.pe/genetica/insitu/publicaciones.htm
Spring Break Class Trip
The International Office is sponsoring a study abroad Spring Break class trip in the highlands of
Peru, looking at agricultural systems, native tropical and Andean foods, visiting research
institutes and interacting with Peruvians biology and agriculture majors. Students taking this
class are welcome to join in this activity. Information can be obtained at the International Office
web page.
SEEDS OF CHANGE: THE USES OF PLANTS
COURSE SCHEDULE AND ASSIGNED READING
WEEK 1
Features of Higher Plants; Overview of Economically Important Plant Families
Simpson and Conner-Ogorzaly, Economic Botany, pp. 1-21, 155-166.
Bernhardt, Natural Affairs, pp. 25-38.
Stern, Introductory Plant Biology. pp. 444-469.
WEEK 2
From Gathering to Harvesting: the Origins of Agriculture and Medicinal Plants
Simpson and Conner-Ogorzaly, Economic Botany, pp. 21-39, 40-52.
Diamond, Guns, Germs and Steel, pp. 114-130.
Smith, The Emergence of Agriculture, pp. 2-47.
WEEK 3
Plants and Civilization: The Columbian Exchange and other Upheavals
Campbell, Historical Atlas of Mythology, Vol. II Part 2, pp. 116-127.
Crosby, Germs, Seeds & Animals, pp. 45-61, 180-190.
Crosby, The Columbian Exchange, 165-207
WEEK 4
Plants and Socio-Economic Change: Pommes de Terre
Hobhouse, Seeds of Change, pp. 191-232.
Salaman, R.N. 1952. The Social Influence of the Potato. Scientific American 187(6): 50-56.
Plants and Socio-Economic Change: From White Gold to King Cotton
Simpson and Conner-Ogorzaly, Economic Botany, pp. 187-191, 360-365).
Hobhouse, Seeds of Change, pp. 43-89, 141-187.
Viola and Margolis, Seeds of Change, pp. 112-129.
WEEK 5
Plants as Food: The Staffs of Life
Simpson and Conner-Ogorzaly, Economic Botany, Chapter 5 (pp. 107-135).
Heiser, Seed to Civilization, pp. 61-109.
Kahn, The Staffs of Life, pp. 1-82, 141-202.
WEEK 6
Plants as Food: Poor Man's Meat
Simpson and Conner-Ogorzaly, Economic Botany, Chapter 6 (pp. 136-154).
Dovring, F. 1974. Soybeans. Scientific American 230(2): 14-21.
Heiser, Seed to Civilization, pp. 117-133.
Toussaint-Samat, History of Food, pp. 39-56.
Plants as Food: Root and Tuber Crops
Simpson and Conner-Ogorzaly, Economic Botany, Chapter 7 (pp. 180-191).
Heiser, Seed to Civilization, pp. 139-151.
National Research Council, Lost Crops of the Incas, pp. 22-91 (browse).
WEEK 7
Plants as Food: Veggie Time
Simpson and Conner-Ogorzaly, Economic Botany, Chapters 7 and 4 (pp. 167-179, 82-90).
Heiser, Nightshades, pp. 1-27, 53-61.
Rick, C. M. 1978. The tomato. Scientific American 239(2): 77-87.
Seabrook, J. 1993. Tremors in the hothouse. The New Yorker, July 19, pp. 32-41.
Toussaint-Samat, History of Food, pp. 688-709.
WEEK 8
Plants as Food: From Peaches to Kiwi
Simpson and Conner-Ogorzaly, Economic Botany, Chapters 3 and 4 (pp. 53-74, 75-80, 88-106)
Toussaint-Samat, History of Food, pp. 621-681.
REVIEW SESSION (To be Scheduled)
FIRST EXAM (To be Scheduled)
SPRING BREAK
WEEK 9 )
Interfacing Food and Non-Food Uses: The Vegetable "Fats"
Simpson and Conner-Ogorzaly, Economic Botany, Chapter 9 (pp. 218-242, plus review chapters
on nuts, oily fruits, and legumes)
Beard, B.H. 1981. The sunflower crop. Scientific American May '81, pp. 150-161.
Plants and the Senses: Coffee, Tea and Chocolate
Simpson and Conner-Ogorzaly, Economic Botany, Chapter 13 (pp. 313-331).
Hobhouse, Seeds of Change, pp. 95-137.
Toussaint-Samat, History of Food, pp.574-606.
Schivelbusch, W., Tastes of Paradise, pp. 15-22, 34-49, 79-84, 85-95).
WEEK 10
Plants and the Senses: Coffee, Tea and Chocolate (Cntd.)
Plants and the Senses: Natural Ferments
Simpson and Conner-Ogorzaly, Economic Botany, Chapter 14 (pp.332-354).
Nobel, Remarkable Agaves and Cacti, pp.32-38.
Toussaint-Samat, History of Food, pp.177-187, 247-261.
Schivelbusch, W., Tastes of Paradise, pp. 147-166.
WEEK 11
Plants and the Senses: Natural Ferments (Cntd.)
Plants and the Senses: Spices and Perfumes
Simpson and Conner-Ogorzaly, Economic Botany, Chapter 8 (pp. 192-217).
Bernhardt, Natural Affairs, pp. 39-53.
WEEK 12
Plants for Healing: Of Shamans, Wonder Drugs and Multinationals
Simpson and Conner-Ogorzaly, Economic Botany, Chapters 11 and 12 (pp.262-312).
Mann, Murder, Magic and Medicine, pp.149-160, 173-186).
Balick and Cox, Plants, People and Culture, pp. 25-61.
WEEK 13
Plants for Shelter: Wood, Bark, and Bamboo
Simpson and Conner-Ogorzaly, Economic Botany, Chapter 16 (pp. 378-398).
Marden, L. 1980. Bamboo, the giant grass. National Geographic 158(4): 502-529.
Plants for Clothing: Fibers, Dyes and Tannins
Simpson and Conner-Ogorzaly, Economic Botany, Chapter 15 (pp. 355-377).
Lewington, Plants for People, pp. 35-65.
Nobel, Remarkable Agaves and Cacti, pp.38-41.
WEEK 14
Plants and Industry: Gels, Latexes and Resins
Simpson and Conner-Ogorzaly, Economic Botany, Chapter 10 (pp. 243-261).
Schultes, R.E. 1977. The odyssey of the cultivated rubber tree. Endeavour 1: 133-138.
Algae: The Forgotten "Seeds of Change”
Simpson and Conner-Ogorzaly, Economic Botany, Chapter 18 (pp. 431-457).
WEEK 15
The Future of Useful Plants: Anything goes?
Simpson and Conner-Ogorzaly, Economic Botany, Chapter 19 (pp. 458-478).
Balick and Cox, Plants, People and Culture, pp. 99-143.
REVIEW SESSION (To be scheduled)
CLASS PROJECT PRESENTATIONS and SEEDS OF CHANGE POTLUCK DINNER
(To be scheduled)
SECOND AND FINAL EXAM (To be scheduled)