Bot105A - Fall 2017

Wednesdays and Fridays - 12:30 - 1:20 pm

St. John Plant Science Laboratory Building 402

3190 Maile Way, Honolulu, Hawai'i 98222-2279

This schedule is organized by topics, and follows the general format of the regular Introductory Ethnobotany course (Botany 105). The Honors Section (Botany 105A) differs, however, in several aspects, since there are:

• only two classes each week,
• videos to watch, on your own time (which is in lieu of the third class meeting)
• additional (several) class assignments, e.g., presentatlons which you will make on certain assigned plant uses/topics/plant families (the student will select a plant family and use that family to illustrate the assigned different use topics).
  • obtain (research) information (from library or internet sources, other than the text books or class videos) about plants which belong to the plant family you have selected (you will be using the same plant family for all of your presentations).
  • The text box for each image must cite the source (e.g., URL) ot the image on the slide.
  • Send the PPT as an e-mail attachment by 2 pm on the day before your oral presentation), so that your instructor can consolidate all of Powerpoints.
  • Make a short, oral illustrated (power point) presentation (2-5 minutes) on the date indicated, to include:
    • a slide illustrating the botanical characters unique to the family which you have selected.
    • common and scientific names of the plant(s), and the family to which it belongs.
    • brief information about the plant's morphology, i.e. tree, shurb or herb, appearance of leaves, flowers, arrangement of leaves, and any other significant features.
    • plant uses [for the topic (e.g., spices, herbs, ritual/religion, invasive species in Hawai'i, endangered species in Hawai'i) of the day, cultural significance (identify the ethnic/cultural groups), and any other pertinent information], and how they were prepared or used,.
    • Source of the illustration (on the slide):
      • If a book, author's last name(s), date, and page number
      • If from a webpage, the URL.
      • The last side should list all of the References (if an internet source, the webpage title, owner, and URL) used for the project/topic:
        • See the FAQ page, item #2 for the References format.
        • There must be at least different two sources for your research presentation.

Click on the schedule topics in the boxes below, for the link to the video page, some additional readings, worksheets, handouts, and other materials (some of these will be distributed in-class), which should be reviewed before each class and laboratory, and for the examinations. At the upper left, and/or the bottom of each video page, there is an attachment in pdf. format which summarizes the video contents; this document may also have study questions.

Watch the lecture videos, do the readings, and review the handouts BEFORE you come to class.

Ethnobotany is the scientific study of the interaction and interrelationships of plants and people. This includes a wide range of topics taken from an even wider range of disciplines, and considers the many different type of interactions between plants and human cultures. Although examples from around the world are used, a special emphasis is placed on the cultural uses of plants in Hawai‘i and the Pacific.

See the following course web pages (topic headings are links to the different webpages:

Class Description

• Learning Outcomes
• Teaching Modes

Textbooks

• Balick, Michael J. & Paul Alan Cox. 1996. Plants, People, and Culture, the science of ethnobotany. Austin, American Botanical Council (2005 reprint ed.) (an e-book edition is now available). (B&C)

Field Trips

(arranged by student), with worksheet(s) to be completed. See webpage, Written Assignments, for details and worksheets).

• Chinatown Market
• Foster Botanical Garden (link to website and map of gardens).

Oral Powerpoint Presentations (powerpoint to be submitted to the instructor 22 hours prior to presentation, or by 2:30 pm Tuesday for Wednesday presentation, and 2:30 pm Thursday for Friday presentation). A list of plant families can be found at spice link below. Although the list specifically says spices, thplant family selected will be the one which you will utilize for your presentation on Herbals, Religious/Ritual Plants and Endangered Plants. The class will be divided into two group for each presentation:

• Spices: Presentations will be on September 20 and 22.
• Herbals (medicinal plants): Presentations will be on October 13 and 18.
• Religious/Ritual Plants: Presentations will be on November 17 and 22
• Endangered Plants: Presentations will be on December 1 and 6.

Written Assignments:

• Family interactions with plants. See Written Assignments #4, for information and grading rubric.
• Short library or internet research on assigned plant topics.(optional, topic must be pre-approved by instructor, for extra credit)

Grading