Thanks for the opportunity to go back to the committee with
some
additional information about PLSC 100, Plants and Human Culture. I
revised my first email to you slightly by focusing on four of the
multicultural criteria required for designation as a multicultural
course. I hope I have provided enough detail to reflect the true
substance of PLSC 100, Plants and Human Culture.
Susan Barton, PhD
Extension Specialist
Dept. of Plant and Soil Sciences
University of Delaware
Newark, DE 19716-2170
302-831-1375
-----Original Message-----
From: Barton, Susan
Sent: Wednesday, April 11, 2007 5:44 PM
To: 'Amy Johnson'
Cc: Sparks, Donald; Aniunas, Karen; Sims, James
Subject: RE: multicultural course decision
Amy:
Thanks for your response and the reviewer comments. I appreciate the
work associated with reviewing 70 courses. Unfortunately, these
comments don't really help me with how I might modify my course to fit
the faculty senate criteria for multicultural designation. I believe
Plants and Human Culture does meet the criteria. The class is about
people as much or more than it is about plants.
/Cultural or ethnic diversity of the people of the
We spend a lot of time talking about how people living in inner cities
respond to the environments in which they live. The students read
papers about how violence is reduced, mothers more appropriately
discipline children and a sense of community is developed when people
inhabit landscaped spaces.
Students read several papers about the benefits of community gardens and
how they improve urban environments. A panel of community gardeners
from inner city
gardens improve the social structure of their neighborhoods.
We study a concept called "paths of desire" --how people create paths
to
facilitate their needs and how those paths are affected by the culture
in which a person lives.
We also have significant readings and discussion that address the
development of cities and suburbs throughout the
disadvantages afforded people based on their surroundings. We discuss
the writing of Anna Quindlan who uses the term “cultural apartheid” in
reference to suburbs in the
“sense of place.” Janisse Ray describes her southern childhood growing
up near a junkyard and how she learned to love that place and how it
created a desire for her to seek a career in environmental preservation
and reclamation. It is interesting to note that she was not influenced
by a pristine natural environment but by a highly manipulated
environment and the people associated with that landscape. Robert
Sullivan describes his love for the Meadowlands in
explains how people in urban environments have a very different but
valid relationship with natural spaces.
/World cultures:/
One section of the course is devoted to place-based education in which
we study how young people from inner cities can learn many values
(including appropriate life skills and enhanced social development) by
exploring outdoor spaces. This section of the course will be further
enriched by a study abroad I am leading in Winter 2008
to
students will work with underprivileged children from
participate in a training program designed to teach them life skills
that is run by the
In the opening several lectures of PLSC 100 students will be reading and
discussing the theories of Jared Diamond on how agriculture evolved in
different societies. This material is very much about how people have
developed differently and how the environment in which they lived
created those differences rather than some innate race differences
between people.
When we study gardens from other cultures we do talk about the plants
and landscape design but we also talk about how people use garden spaces
differently throughout the world and what that says about their
culture. A reclaimed factory in
is full of people experiencing the landscape in different ways. We ask
if there is a difference in the concept of “respect for the land”
between world cultures. If there is (and I do believe there is) how has
that evolved? What causes the difference?
/Behavior of individuals from other cultures and backgrounds:/
Even the environmental sections focus on how people react to
environmental problems. In
forest to solve pollution and water quality problems associated with
deforestation of a mountainside in
Brazilian people selected a plant focused strategy rather than an
engineering solution for an environmental problem. That says something
about the people in this culture. In the
accept that type of approach. In Plants and Human Culture we learn
about how people in the City of
and some people are starting to accept the use of landscape plant
solutions rather than engineering solutions. The role playing students
do in this section allows students to see this issue from a variety of
perspectives that can be widely different from their own (usually upper
class suburban) viewpoint.
/Students deepen their understanding of their own ethnic and cultural
background beliefs and values:/
Throughout class discussions and assignments students are asked to
connect what we are discussing with their own beliefs and values. They
are asked to think about how they learn best (when we talk about
place-based learning) or what their suburban (usually) or urban
childhood was like. What places are meaningful to them? Why do
those
places hold special meaning? Students keep a reflective journal with
entries after each class to encourage reflection.
It is hard for me to understand how these topics are not considered
multicultural. If I did not communicate the focus of my class properly
in my application, I would like to figure out how to better represent
this class to future decision makers.
Thanks for your help.
Sue
Susan Barton, PhD
Extension Specialist
Dept. of Plant and Soil Sciences
University of Delaware
Newark, DE 19716-2170
302-831-1375
-----Original Message-----
From: Amy Johnson [mailto:ajohnson@UDel.Edu]
Sent: Monday, April 09, 2007 9:16 AM
To: Barton, Susan
Subject: Re: multicultural course decision
Susan,
Specific information from the Undergraduate Studies Committee:
-This course does not focus significantly on different cultures, but
rather primarily focuses on how planting and landscaping reflect
different cultural values.
-The course content does not significantly explore cultural differences
in such a way to meet the multicultural standards established by faculty
senate.
-The relationship between landscaping and different cultures is
important, but itdoes not give students enough opportunity to meet 3 of
5 criteria.
I hope that helps.
Amy Nagorski Johnson, PhD, RNC
Chair, UGS
Barton, Susan wrote:
> I received the decision about PLSC 100 not
receiving multicultural
> status today. I was extremely disappointed about this
evaluation.
> Based on my discussions with the chair of
last year’s review committee,
> I made a number of course changes to increase the multicultural
> components of the course. I am disappointed that the letter informing
> me of this important decision is simply a
form letter with no specifics
> about why PLSC 100, Plants and Human Culture does not meet the
> criteria. I would appreciate the specific comments from the
review
> committee so I can understand what is
lacking and make further
> modifications to my course. The Plant and Soil Sciences
Department is
> extremely interested in providing a
multicultural course offering from
> the department.
>
>
> Susan Barton, PhD
>
> Extension Specialist
>
> Dept. of Plant and Soil Sciences
>
>
>
>
>
> 302-831-1375