PLHRT 2350 - Food, Fiber, and Fulfillment: Plants and Human Well-Being

Spring (offered in odd-numbered years only). 2 credits. Letter grades only (no audit).

S. Skelly.

Plants play powerful roles in our lives, providing oxygen, food, shelter, clothing, medicine, material for art, and a connection to the natural world. In recent years people have begun to understand plants as providing a great sense and source of well-being, serving as tools to empower individuals, communities, and societies. Research confirms these benefits. In this emerging field of horticulture, people in numerous roles, including youth, educators, healers and researchers seek to better understand the potentially potent relationships between plants and people. This course will introduce you to this field and provide an understanding, context and personal experience of plants: physically, socially, culturally, emotionally, and spiritually.

Outcome 1: Define and describe the field of plants and human well-being.

Outcome 2: Identify the key roles plants have played in human society.

Outcome 3: Describe how plants have shaped human culture and worldviews.

Outcome 4: Recognize and describe specific ways in which plants contribute to community development in contemporary settings.

Outcome 5: Recognize and describe specific ways in which plants impact individual well-being currently.