Cultural Uses of Plants
Course Introduction
Course Coordinator: Gabrielle DeBear Paye

          Ethnobotany is the scientific study of the interactions between human cultures and plants. This includes a wide range of topics taken from an even wider range of disciplines. Ethnobotany is a composite science: no one with training in any one field has an advantage over those with training in other fields. This course will consider many different levels and types of interactions and patterns of interactions between people and plants.

Overview
Each unit in this book begins with a brief article containing background information relevant to that unit's activities. At the end of each unit is a review section called Questions for Thought, followed by either Laboratory Activities or Field Explorations, and sometimes both. These sheets may be reproduced for class use. Unit 1 introduces plants as the basis for our ecology and culture, defines the field of ethnobotany, and gives biographical sketches of three modern-day ethnobotanists. Unit 2 teaches the student how to conduct interviews for research and to gather background information in the literature. Unit 3 describes how to collect and preserve plants asherbarium specimens and how to propagate living plants; other methods of plant preservation are also presented. Units 4 and 5 describe simple lab procedures to test plants for basic nutritional and medicinal properties. Unit 6 offers several ideas for testing plants for other household or garden uses including paper making, dyes, perfumes, or ornamental use. Unit 7 guides students through the process of designing their own experiments, including the development and testing of hypotheses. Unit 8 presents the concepts of plant ecology and the importance of habitat conservation. Finally, Unit 9 offers suggestions for fun class activities to close this unit with a sense of celebration and an appreciation of the wider context of plant use in society; students will also find suggestions for careers and volunteer activities related to ethnobotany or to plants in general.