Biology 172 - ST:History and Ethnobiology of the Silk Roads x,2 H.Dobson

Institution:

Whitman College

Subject:

Description:

The course will be taught by Prof. Dobson (Biology) and complements History 248, taught by Prof. Dott. It will provide an integrative exploration into the history and ethnobiology of peoples along the different branches of the trading routes across Asia known as the silk roads. We will delve into agricultural practices and crops of different peoples and regions and how they were shaped by geography and its associated landscape and climatic variables. Lectures and readings will describe major biological items traded, going into biological features and how they contributed to each item's importance. We will also discuss how movement of items along trade routes influenced the way peoples used them. Items to be covered include, but are not limited to: 1) food crops, e.g., grains ("staffs of life"), legumes, fruits, roots, spices, sugar; 2) animal sources of food, e.g., chickens, goats; 3) beverages, e.g., tea; 4) clothing and shelter, e.g., silk, cotton, wool, flax, bamboo; 5) medicinal plants, e.g. ginseng; 6) disease, e.g. "the plague"; 7) transportation, e.g. horses; 8) religious and decorative items, e.g., plant and animal dyes, lacquer, ince nse. Corequis ite: Students must enroll simultaneously for History 248, with the same title and also for 2 credits. Distribution area: scien

Credits:

2.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.whitman.edu

Phone Number:

(509) 527-5111

Regional Accreditation:

Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Calendar System:

Semester

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