Hollins University is a private liberal university in Roanoke, Virginia. currently, there are 759 undergraduate women and 249 coed graduate students enrolled.
Courses Plants and People: An Introduction to Ethnobotany (BIOL/INTL 121, 4 credits) This interdisciplinary course draws from the natural and social sciences to investigate plant-human interactions. We will examine modern and historical uses of plants in a variety of cultures. Topics explored include plants as food, medicine, and in ritual and everyday life. Web Link: Syllabus Special Topic- Plants of Virginia (BIOL 150, 2 credits) The Appalachian-Blue Ridge Forest ecoregion represents one of the world’s richest temperate broadleaf forests in floral diversity. This field oriented course will explore the diversity of plants in the region to study basic plant identification and collection techniques, plant anatomy and ecology, and to learn the ethnobotanical uses of local plants (e.g. food, medicine, shelter, etc.) by the Native Americans and others. Appalachia: People, Place & Plants (SEM 1154) Discover the vibrant culture of Appalachian peoples—including Native Americans, early settlers, and their descendants—and their sense of place and interaction with this unique Appalachian landscape. Explore the use of native plants for medicine, wild edibles, art, music and metaphor through readings, music, food, film, field trips, guest speakers, and field interviews. Further immerse yourself by using wild-collected plants and traditional methods to complete projects such as primitive fire-making with plant parts, preparing acorn flour, and hand-crafting baskets, gourd art, musical instruments, and natural dyes. An additional course fee of $100–$150 will be required for an extended field trip to the Cherokee Indian Reservation in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina. (This class will be taught during the short term in 2012) Plants in Poetry and Art (SEM 1126) Explore the poetic side of plants and their place in world iconography, mythology, and artistic expression. Beginning with Eden’s forbidden fruit, and on through the musings of the Persian mystics, the botanically intricate medieval Unicorn Tapestries, and the modern art of Andy Goldsworthy, botanical symbols and subjects will guide classroom discussion and activities. Using plants as metaphor and medium for artistic creation, group and individual projects will include creative writing, designing floral crowns, constructing various musical instruments such as reed flutes, and experimenting with natural dyes and sculptures. Intimate exposure to subject matter will involve all six senses. (This class will be taught during the short term in 2012) |
