OEB 59: Plants and Human Affairs (143445)

The lives of humans and plants are deeply intertwined: in fact, many plants have arguably coevolved symbiotically with our species. These often unappreciated plant-human connections are the subject of this course. It will focus on several economically important plant groups, exploring how their biology predisposed them to playing an essential role in the human success story. Plant form, structure, ecology, evolution, biogeography, and underlying genetics have all contributed to their utility as sources of food, shelter, and medicine. Additional relevant themes include aspects of climate and energy, large-scale agriculture, food security, genetic engineering, ethnobotany, and conservation. The course involves a variety of modalities and is largely in-person, including: lecture, discussion, topical readings from primary literature and popular articles, scientific writing, and a lab including two local field trips.