[Plant-education] ideas for a new plant course

[Jon Monroe]

Hi Plant-eders,

I will be bringing a 'Biology of Plants' course back to our curriculum 
in the spring, a number of years after it went away from our first year 
duo.  This one will be a 300-level course without a lab.  I will try to 
make it broad with coverage of evolution, diversity, form and function. 
  We have other plant courses that specialize so this one will hopefully 
appeal more to the vast numbers of pre-health bio majors.  Ha!

I could go with a traditional text, but I think it would be painful for 
many to slog through so I'm considering a series of readings - primary 
research papers, Natural History articles, sections of good books like 
Jared Diamond's 'Guns Germs and Steel' etc.  Has anyone done something 
like this?  Any ideas out there for readings/activities?

Thanks!

Jon

---------------------------------
  Jonathan Monroe, Professor
  Department of Biology, MSC 7801
  James Madison University
  Harrisonburg, VA 22801
  office: 304 Burruss Hall
  phone: 540-568-6649
  fax: 540-568-3333
  e-mail: monroejd from jmu.edu
  http://www.jmu.edu/biology/
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