ETHNOBOTANY

PLANTSCI 376

Highlights the connections between tropical plants and society. Topics include multidisciplinary reflections on the biology of tropical plants, as well as an overview of different production systems and some of the social and environmental problems associated with the utilization of tropical plants in the context of local and global markets. Provides the opportunity to demonstrate comparative skills with respect to local and international challenges posed by the topics we address in class. Illustrates connections between horticulture and conservation, food security, nutrition, and global health.

BOTANY 240

Plant parts and demonstrations of their utility to humans, origins of domesticated plants, modifications of plants by humans, ecosystem services owed to plants, and reasons to sustain plant diversity.

AMERIND/ANTHRO 314

Description and analysis of native cultures, and the role of environmental and historical factors in North America.

AGROECOL/HISTSCI 301

Dig into the history of plant sciences to understand why plants and humans have the relationships they do today. Focus on the experiences of Indigenous Americans and People of Color to understand the roots of inequities in horticulture, agriculture, and other plant sciences. Practice skills as a translator of science and history through engagement with scientific publications, library resources, and archival materials. Define important societal questions, collect and analyze evidence, present original conclusions, and contribute to ongoing discussions about the relationship of people and plants.

PLANTSCI 380

Indigenous foods of North America are a vital component of modern agricultural and food systems. Indigenous foods and foodways will be examined from interdisciplinary historical, legal, biological, and social perspectives. Historic indigenous foodways of the present-day upper Midwestern United States and the impact on food and seed sovereignty of settler colonialism and subsequent agricultural practices and policies will be explored. Current efforts to re-claim agricultural traditions and foodways to improve public health, economic opportunity, and food and seed sovereignty will be covered, including the right to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, to define one's own food and agriculture systems, and to control the mechanisms and policies that govern food distribution. Hands-on activities are featured; previous examples include cooking with indigenous foods, ice fishing, and tapping maple trees for syrup.