"Plants and People" (PBIO 103)
Fall 2006
Call # 05166
Professor: Harvey E. Ballard, Jr.
Office/Phone: Porter Hall 406; (740) 593-4659
E-mail: ballardh@ohio.edu
Faculty website: http://www.plantbio.ohiou.edu/epb/
  faculty/faculty/heb.htm
Teaching Assistant: Joanna Schaub
Office/Phone: Porter Hall 405
E-mail: js397094@ohio.edu
Lecture Times: MWThF, 9:10 - 10:00 am
Location: Bentley Hall 227
Office Hours: MW, 1:10 - 2:00 pm; additionally by appointment

Course Content and Objectives

In this course we will cover many topics concerning the relationship of plants to human existence and human development (both physical and spiritual). I will present lectures mostly adapted from certain chapters of "Economic Botany" edition 3, an optional textbook by Beryl B. Simpson and Molly C. Ogorzaly, available in local bookstores both new and used (ca. $90 new). I will also add other materials, including entertaining and informative slide shows from my own world travels, guest presentations on special topics, and some in-class demonstrations for you to examine, sniff, fondle and eat plants and plant products. My goal is to introduce you to the remarkable diversity of plant life on earth and how we humans have utilized this diversity, interacting with the natural plant world and relying on it for our lives and livelihoods.

Policies

Class attendance.  Attendance is mandatory. I expect you to attend all class periods (including guest speakers, demonstrations and slide shows). Since you are now university students, it is up to you to behave responsibly. Not showing up because you don't feel like it is not adult behavior, nor is it correspondent with successful pursuit of a degree program. After all, the point of a college education is NOT the piece of paper; that's a tangential positive consequence of getting through a bachelor's degree. The point of all this is to become more highly educated than you were when you got here. A large part of that educational process happens in the classroom. In the real world, not showing up for one's job because one doesn't "feel like it" or "drank too much" the night before is good justification for getting fired, not to mention being a childish excuse. Just show up; my job is to make it worth your while, and I'll try to do that. Who knows? You may even ENJOY getting up for a 9am class (OK, I won't push it, but I WILL strive to make it fun and interesting, and mostly worth your trouble to come in.)

Attendance counts 50 points of the 350 for the course. Everybody gets 2 unexcused "freebie" absences. I take attendance once each week and count 5 points for each attended day. After the 2 "freebie" absences, you will lose 5 points for each additional unexcused absence. IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO CHECK YOUR UNEXCUSED ABSENCES WITH ME!!! If you have more than 2 unexcused absences AFTER the 2 freebies are used up, I will email your OAK account and may try telephoning you. But YOU must check your email and reply to me about your absences, and explain any health-related or university-related reasons for your absence. On the last Friday of the course (10th week), the previous absences are permanent and count against your grade.

At the end of the quarter, I will add up your attendance points, add this score to the exam scores, and use this adjusted total course score to determine your letter grade for the course. Note that 3 unexcused absences after the 2 freebies result in a drop of over half a letter grade; 5 such unexcused absences result in a drop of an entire letter grade.

Cheating. This includes copying somebody else's exam answers, signing somebody else's initials on the attendance sheets, having them sign in for you when you're not attending class, or signing in or swiping and then immediately leaving class. I will file an "F" for your grade and may pursue your suspension from Ohio University.  You don't even want to think about doing this, at any level. Besides, you won't need to cheat to get a good grade and even enjoy the course.

Coursework and Grading

Evaluation of Progress.  The course is worth 350 points possible in all. Exams total 300 points. Attendance counts for the other 50 points.

You will complete 3 lecture exams (two midterms and a non-comprehensive final).  Each exam is worth 100 possible points, to total 300 points possible for exams. I don't curve grades for exams unless the mean for the class is statistically below 79% (it's never happened).

There will be a couple of optional pre-announced extra credit assignments doing community service (mainly, plant rescue or invasive species removal) at local natural areas, each worth 10 points added to your final score. However, you need to do well on the three exams and attend class regularly in order to get a good grade.

Many students get "A" grades and some of the remainder get "B" grades, while some get worse. It is NOT POSSIBLE get even a "C" without putting some modest study time into learning the material--just a warning based on other students' experiences. And you cannot clearly understand the material for the exams by coming to class only once in a while, even if buddies take notes for you, because you will lose significant points by poor attendance. Some folks have maintained poor attendance, gotten outstanding grades on exams (the few times they showed up for class), and received a "C", "D" or "F" for the final grade, because they couldn't be bothered with showing up on a regular basis. Don't be silly; just show up. Think of it as practice for "real world" jobs or graduate/professional school. Nobody will put up with you not showing up where you're supposed to be later, so you might as well learn to be responsible now. And, I'll work hard to make your time with me enjoyable and rewarding for you, as well as educational. College should be fun and educational, but we all have to be there for that to happen.

Lecture exams.  You will take 3 exams with matching and multiple-choice questions. These are electronic, accessed through Blackboard on the internet, so you will need to identify an internet-capable computer around exam time for you to use for the exams. You will have Friday AM through Sunday PM for the first 2 exams and the whole day to take the final exam on the day it is scheduled. Once you start you have precisely 2 hours non-stop to complete it; you cannot go back and start again, so be fully prepared. Every student will get a randomized set of questions, so cheating even side by side is out of the question. And because each exam is set to expire in 2 hours, you really need to study thoroughly before you start the exam; you won't have much time to go through your study notes to answer each question. Each exam will have 50 questions worth 2 points apiece, and questions will be distributed evenly across the lecture material. I will multiply your correct points by 2 to arrive at the score for the exam, and will use this as your percent to assign a letter grade.

I will post 3 practice quizzes (non-credit) on Blackboard which you can use to practice both the online test-taking facility and to get an idea of the format and type of questions I will ask on the exams. These will be available by the end of the first week of class (if not before--I'll mention it in class).

Exam review.  I will hold a review session late in the 3rd week for the 4th week midterm, in the 6th week for the 7th week midterm, and on one of the last days of classes before exam week.  I have 2 official office hours on Mondays and Wednessdays for questions you may have on exam material, but I am also available by appointment over much of a given week throughout the term. Call or email me, or ask before or after class, to arrange a time to meet. 

Grading scale

Percent

Letter Grade

92-100

A

90-91

A-

88-89

B+

82-87

B

80-81

B-

78-79

C+

72-77

C

70-71

C-

68-69

D+

62-67

D

60-61

D-

<60

I'll send flowers, but I won't attend your funeral

Course Topics

Lectures are mostly taken directly from the excellent reference textbook: Simpson, B. B. and M. C. Ogorzaly. 1995. Economic Botany, 2nd ed. McGraw-Hill, Inc., New York, New York. 742 pp.  I have not required you to purchase the book, or the 3rd edition update, but these are available in bookstores as an optional reference if you want it.  I have also put Alden Library's copies on closed reserve.  Below are the class meeting dates, lecture topics, slide shows, demonstrations and campus field trips.

WEEK 1

(9/3-7)

 Mon. LABOR DAY (HOLIDAY--NO CLASS)

Wed.

Introduction to course; How to use Blackboard; Origins of agriculture

Thur.

Guest presentation: OU Study Abroad opportunities

Fri.

Slide show: French Guiana

WEEK 2

(9/10-14)

Mon.

Features of flowering plants and their products

Wed.

Variation, selection and evolution in flowering plants

Thur.

Fruits and nuts of temperate regions

Fri.

Guest presentation: Marketing native Athens fruits

WEEK 3

(9/17-21)

Mon.

Fruits and nuts of warm regions

Wed.

Cereal grains

Thur.

Slide show: Canary Islands

Fri.

Exam 1 Review (click this link or access through Blackboard)

WEEK 4

(9/24-28)

Mon.

Legumes

Wed.

Foods from leaves, stems and root

Thur.

Slide show: Hawaii

Fri.

EXAM 1: WEEKS 1-3

WEEK 5

(10/1-5)

Mon.

Stimulating beverages

Wed.

Alcoholic beverages

Thur.

Guest presentation: The world of decomposition, or, Why we're not drowning in wood

Fri.

Slide show: Bolivian Andes

WEEK 6

(10/8-12)

Mon.

 Vegetable oils and waxes

Wed.

Spices, herbs, and perfumes

Thur.

Guest presentation: Plants & people in SE Asia

Fri.

Exam 2 review (click this link or access through Blackboard)

WEEK 7

(10/15-19)

Mon.

Medicinal plants

Wed.

Psychoactive drugs and poisons from plants

Thur.

Demonstration: Making medicinal salve

Fri.

EXAM 2: WEEKS 4-6

WEEK 8

(10/22-26)

Mon.

Hydrogels, elastic latexes, and resins

Wed.

Fibers, dyes, and tannins

Thur.

Guest presentation: Rural Action

Fri.

Video: Sexual Encounters of a Floral Kind

WEEK 9

(10/29-11/2)

Mon.

Wood, cork and bamboo

Wed.

Ornamental plants

Thur.

Guest presentation: Algae in our Daily Lives

Fri.

Slide show: Brazil

WEEK 10

(11/5-9)

Mon.

Guest presentation: Mushrooms

Wed.

Biological diversity and human impacts

Thur.

Slide show: Western Europe

Fri.

Final exam review (click this link or access through Blackboard)

FINALS WEEK

Fri., 16 Nov., 10:10am, Walter 145

FINAL EXAM: WEEKS 7-10

Website revised by H. Ballard on 3 September, 2007.

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