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| Location: Beijing and Hunan Province, China |
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Academic Program Ethnobotany is an investigation of past and present human dependence on plants, emphasizing plants used as foods and medicines. This course is an on site exploration of the diverse ways in which plants form an integral part of modern China and its history. By studying how plants have been or are used in human societies, ethnobotany also gains insight into the complex relationship between plant uses and cultures. A growing interest in ethnobotany is seen since the 1990's because of pharmaceutical applications. Although chemically-synthesized drugs replaced plants as the main medicinal source in the recent history of human civilization, especially in industrialized countries, plants are again considered as a significant source of new pharmaceuticals. Industries are now interested in exploring parts of the world where plant medicine remains the predominant form of dealing with illness. China has a rich and well documented tradition and diverse usage of plants. China provides a classic example of the incorporation of plant derived drugs in all aspects of medicine. The diverse usage of plants is also reflected in the many kinds of Chinese food that are consumed by people of various cultures around the world. China is one of the "cradles" of agriculture, the birth place of the cultivation of many important crops, including rice, millet, soybeans, and water chestnuts, and is the only undisrupted major ancient civilization in the world. Some plants find use in almost every aspect of Chinese life, such as the bamboo, a woody grass, which provides material for many uses, from construction to furniture, tools, crafts, paper, and food. Thus China is an outstanding location for the study of ethnobotany, allowing close examination of the diversity of human usages of plants, past and present, and its implications on humanity in the near future. China’s recent emergence as a fast growing economic power provides numerous opportunities for American companies. Increasingly close ties have formed between China and the US in economic, political, and academic fields since China opened its doors to the western world two and half decades ago. This means for the university and its students tremendous opportunities, as well as a serious challenge because of the cultural differences between the two countries. The proposed course will help the students to gain an understanding of China and its people by surveying a core theme of everyday life, use of plants, and other related cultural phenomena. "It is wonderful to observe how people on the other side of the world live, just how small your backyard is, how old cultures are when compared to our own... and that the food is unbelievably good." -- Roger Cunningham, Summer 2010 participant. "The best 3 weeks of my life. I learned so much about life and myself." -- Zachery Guthrie, Summer 2010 participant. "Going to China was probably the most mind-blowing experience! The culture was so different and interesting, the food was incredible and the people were so welcoming. I want to go back." -- Kateri Tonyan, Summer 2011 participant. Please also see the Program Website
Activities / Itinerary Activities Included:
1. Diversity of plants on the Chinese table: eating in various restaurants 2. Experience cutlural change from the north to the south by riding a train from Beijing to Changsha 3. Seminar: Medicinal plant resources in Hunan, presented by a professor of Chinese medicine of Hunan College of Traditional Chinese Medicine. 4. Seminar: Medicinal use of plants in Chinese traditional medicine--collecting, processing, and brewing, presented by a professor of Chinese medicine of Hunan College of Traditional Chinese Medicine. 5. Seminar: Use of plants as food and medicine, presented by a professor of Chinese medicine of Jishou University. 6. Visit to modern pharmaceutical company specializing in plant-based medicines. 7. Discussion with college students studying Chinese medicine on the future of Chinese traditional medicine. 8. Visit to clinic administering Chinese medicine. 9. Visit to drug store of Chinese traditional medicine. 10. Visit to typical farmer's vegetable garden and visit to experimental vegetable farm of Hunan Agricultural University. 11. Seminar: wild plants as food presented by a professor of Hunan Agricultural University.
12. Tea tasting at a family-owned tea shop in Guzhang (pictured above).
13. Visit to farmer's markets (pictured above) 14. Seminar: woody plant resources presented by professor of Central South University of Forestry, Science, and Technology. 15. Preparation of Chinese food: visiting cooking school.
16. Visit to Zhangjiajie National Forest Park (pictured above). Activities: meeting conservation biologists, interviewing local people living in the preserve, meeting preserve management personnel.
17. One day in Tu village: how ethnic minorities live in modern times (pictured above). 18. Visiting ethnic minority market: tools and crafts made from plants.
19. Visit to ranch in Inner Mongolia (pictured above). 20. Possible side trip to Liaoning Province in Northern China.
Enrollment/Credit Make course/substitution selections on your EIU Program Application. The credit hours associated with your selections may not exceed the credit hours allocated for this program: 4 Below are the choices available for this program:
Course Number: BIO 3970 (CourseID 4753) Housing Students will share rooms in hotels during their stay in Beijing, Zhangjiajie, and elsewhere in Hunan. Orientations At least two pre-departure orientations will be provided and are required for all participants. Your faculty leader will hold one of these orientations, where he/she will cover information on safety, health, legal, environmental, political, cultural, and religious conditions in the host country(ies), as well as planning logistics. The Office of Study Abroad (OSA) will hold the other orientation. They will cover general information about traveling abroad to different areas of the world and facilitate a panel discussion composed of students who have already participated in faculty-led study abroad programs. Necessary Documents Passport You are strongly encouraged to read the U.S. State Department's Consular Information Sheet on your host countries. It will provide you with a great deal of information to help you prepare for your trip. **Please be aware that you are responsible for obtaining the most up-to-date information on entry requirements. The Office of Study Abroad only provides general information, as visa regulations and procedures are constantly changing. Please consult the Consulate for more information. ** |
