Plant Biology 117
Plants and Society
Fall 2009
modern science, social issues, current events,
genetically modified foods, cloning, global warming,
the plant genome, global agricultural commerce,
the spice trade, the opium trade, the history of tea,
ecology, the origins of agriculture, human nutrition,
medicinal and toxic plants, and science journalism
Lecturer: Matt Geisler Dept of Plant Biology
Life Science II, rm 403 phone: 453-3212
mgeisler plant.siu.edu (anti-spam replace space with @)
Office hours: Monday 11am-noon , Tuesday and Thursday, 10am-noon.
Lectures: Tuesday and Thursday 9:00am to 9:50am, Lawson 161
Laboratories: Life science II, rm 404
001: T 10-11:50 004: W 9-10:50 008: R 10-11:50
002: T 12-1:50 005: W 11-12:50 009: R 12-1:50
003: T 2-3:50 006: W 1-2:50 010: R 2-3:50
007: W 3-4:50
PLB117 is now being served by Blackboard
Get your grades and course materials by logging in HERE
Teaching Assistants:
Elisabeth Fitzek, Rachel Goad, Shishir Paudel
Textbooks:
Levetin, E. and
McMahon K. 2008. Plants and Society, 5th edition. McGraw-Hill
publishers,
Levetin, E.,
McMahon, K., Reinsvold, R. 2002. Laboratory manual for applied botany.
McGraw-Hill publishers,
* These books are sold as a bundle at the student center bookstore and other local bookstores. There are detachable pages in the lab manual, you should not use a
previously used lab manual unless all pages are
present and all worksheets are blank.
Course Goals and Objectives: Science, especially the field of plant biology is becoming increasingly
important to modern society. Hot political topics of genetically engineered
food, failing ecosystems, global warming, new pharmaceutical or alternative
medicines, and even human cloning and stem cell research are all being
discussed in the public forum. You, as responsible citizens in a democracy,
will need to vote intelligently on these and other biological issues and decide
the future of the nation. This class will serve to open your eyes and give you
some of the background knowledge necessary to choose your future well. 
Your Objectives:
1: Articulate the importance of plants and products derived from plants (e.g. paper, soap, oils, plastics, dyes, and fuels) to human society from biological and social perspectives in both historical and modern contexts.
2: Demonstrate an understanding of the basic principles of the scientific process and method for the field of biology using the plant as a model organism.
3: Illustrate an awareness of science topics in the media, and the primary sources of scientific information online and in scientific journals.
4: Understand the botanical aspects and origins of important food and medicinal plants.
5: Be able to describe the concept of an ecosystem and demonstrate a basic understanding of ecology.
6: Gain first hand experience with the core skills of a scientist (observation, analysis, measurement, classification, inference and prediction) through guided laboratory exercises.
On Lecture and Laboratory attendance: At this point in your educational development, you must take an increasing responsibility for learning. In the sciences, at the university level, the lectures, the textbooks and the reading and laboratory exercises are provided for you (in exchange for your tuition) to help you learn. However, only you are in charge of what you want to learn, we will not force-feed you information, or keep strict discipline on attendance. We are only here to help you learn, and to test your knowledge.
Complete attendance of all lectures is highly recommended, both so that you will have an idea of what to study from the text, and also it is a lot easier to hear me talk about it than try to read it on your own. Lectures are also a good place to ask questions about things you do not understand. In my 15 year experience as a lecturer, there is a strong correlation between lecture attendance and getting a good or even passing grade. It is really easy to slip, and miss a few or even a lot of lectures, it is also fairly easy to fail, and there is no safety net to catch you. In short, if you want to pass this course, especially if science is not your strong suit, I would attend all the lectures.
The
laboratories are another matter. You will be completing in-class assignments
and worksheets with materials that will only be available for that laboratory.
Thus each lab missed will cost you dearly in marks, so you must attend them
all. If you cannot attend for reasons outside your control, contact me or your
lab TA and we will try to fit you into another session that week.
On conduct during labs and lectures: Please turn off all pagers, cell phones, anything else
that makes noise, personal stereos, and headphones. You can record the lectures
on a personal voice recorder placed on your desk or near the front of the room.
Keep quiet during the lecture, and raise you hand or wave if you have a
question.
On plagiarism: In
the era of web information, cutting and pasting, and word processing it is very
tempting and easy to plagiarize. This includes lifting whole paragraphs, or
even a single sentence. Plagiarism inhibits learning. You need to be able to
express your own thoughts and ideas in writing, which is part of the
educational experience at SIUC and in this course. Your answers on worksheets
and exams must be your own, and may be subject to electronic comparison
to other work. If you have difficulty writing, please visit me at office hours
or after class for additional help.
Current Science Essay: One of the most important ways plants intersect society is through journalism. You will be given an assignment to read/watch both media based and scientific journal materials and write a 2-3 page report as though you were writing a column for the New York Times, Southern Illinoisan or Chicago Tribune. Your writing must be current, scientifically sound, informative and readable by the average American. You will submit a short outline, including your sources (scientific papers, books, news articles, Reuters or AP) by Oct 7, and the full essay by Nov 6. You are required to submit both electronic (doc or txt file) and print copies of your work.
Exams: Lecture exams will be given three times during the course, each covering lectures and labs from that section, with a comprehensive final exam given during exam week. You have 50 minutes to complete the exam. Please show up a little early on exam days, no extra time will be given if you are late. Bring a #2 pencil and your SIUC photo-ID. Each exam will come with a few bonus questions, but please answer the core questions first before you try the bonus. If you have a scheduling conflict and cannot attend an examination you must give written notice to the course instructor 10 days prior to the exam date for review. Make up examinations are subject to university policy and the instructors discretion. Emergency absence is also subject to university rules, please contact your instructor as soon as possible if an emergency occurs which will result in absence from an exam.
Grading: Your grade for this course will be based on both laboratory exercises and exams. The point breakdown is as follows
Lecture Exams (2): 200 points
Current Science Essay: 100 points
Final comprehensive exam: 200 points
Laboratory assignments: 300 points
Total: 800 points
Grades will not be subject to
test score adjustments (curved), you are tested against the material, not
fellow students.
Download a PDF
file of your syllabus
Emergency Procedures. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is committed to providing a safe and healthy environment for study and work. Because some health and safety circumstances are beyond our control, we ask that you become familiar with the SIUC Emergency Response Plan and Building Emergency Response Team (BERT) program. Emergency response information is available on posters in buildings on campus, available on BERT's website at www.bert.siu.edu, Department of Safety's website www.dps.siu.edu (disaster drop down) and in Emergency Response Guideline pamphlet. Know how to respond to each type of emergency.
Instructors will provide guidance and direction to students in the classroom in the event of an emergency affecting your location. It is important that you follow these instructions and stay with your instructor during an evacuation or sheltering emergency. The Building Emergency Response Team will provide assistance to your instructor in evacuating the building or sheltering within the facility.
Maintained by Matt Geisler and Aldwin Anterola
SIUC / College of Science / Dept. of plant biology/ Plants and Society course
URL: http://www.science.siu.edu/plant-biology/PLB117/index.html
Last updated: 06Aug-09 / mjg