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Course title |
The Organisms that Changed History (I) |
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Semester |
108-1 |
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Designated for |
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Instructor |
SHUN-CHERN TSAUR |
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Curriculum Number |
LibEdu1088 |
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Curriculum Identity Number |
H01E08800 |
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Class |
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Credits |
2.0 |
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Full/Half
Yr. |
Half |
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Required/
Elective |
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Time |
Tuesday 3,4(10:20~12:10) |
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Remarks |
The upper limit of the number of students: 35. |
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Ceiba Web Server |
http://ceiba.ntu.edu.tw/1081LibEdu1088_ |
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Course introduction video |
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Table of Core Capabilities and Curriculum Planning |
Association has not been established |
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Course Syllabus
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Please respect the intellectual property rights of others and do not copy any of the course information without permission
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Course Description |
The existence of many species depends on the survival of others. Humans are no exception. In the past 14,000 years, many organisms have left indelible marks and exercised on human history. The roles that individual species play in providing food, unique medical compounds, initiating the rise of civilization, and transformed global demography, are not only critical to our health and survival but also interest scientists and non-scientists alike. This course will provide sufficient background of 12 selected organisms and discuss their origins, the biological changes involved, their subsequent expansion from their homelands, consequences and the future of domestication. |
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Course Objective |
The goal of this lecture is to introduce you the origin of each organism and its impact on human history. Some of the organisms were domesticated by our ancestors, and thus improving the quality of our life. The aim of this course is to allow students to appreciate the importance of all organisms on earth and to learn how organisms have evolved. Some fun/amazing facts may also be included to give you a knowing smile. |
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Course Requirement |
Attendance is required. If you find that you must miss class, do file the leave of absence on Ceiba before the lecture begins. You are allowed one free absence in this course. After that, each unauthorized absence will result in a reduction of your final grade by one full letter grade (i.e. A- to B-); this policy is cumulative. Extreme emergencies arise in life, so feel free to contact me if this happens to you, but do so within a week to be excused. One may not text, use a phone, or have your laptop open for the unrelated issue while I am speaking. Breach of regulations will lower your final grade by one increment (i.e. A to A-) the moment it happens. Homework will be assigned weekly.
Students are strongly encouraged to carefully review the syllabus and locate the current readings and topics in relation to the course as a whole. Know why you are discussing this particular topic at this juncture in the course. Using the syllabus and lecture material to generate questions and comments in advance is highly recommended. Each student shall come up with a two-page, 12 font (Times, Helvetica/Arial), single-spaced reflection, and submit it to Ceiba within a week. Late submission will not be accepted for any reason. The reflection you turn in should be neat, and legible. Make sure to show sufficient work for each time. Each student will be asked to pick one organism of interest, and do a 5-min briefing as the final report which takes up 30% whereas the written essay after each lecture will be worth 70% of your total grade. Absolutely NO copy and paste work (Plagiarism) will be accepted. |
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Student Workload (expected study time outside of class per week) |
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Office Hours |
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Designated reading |
待補 |
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References |
No textbook required. However, you may find the following reading supplemental materials very useful.
Fifty Animals that Changed the Course of History by Eric Chaline (Firefly Books, 2011)
Fifty Plants that Changed the Course of History by Bill Laws (Firefly Books, 2011)
Fifty Foods That Changed the Course of History by Bill Price (Firefly Books, 2014)
Roberts, A. 2018. Tamed: Ten Species that Changed our World. Windmill Books 368pp. |
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Grading |
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Week |
Date |
Topic |
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Week 1 |
9/10 |
Course introduction |
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Week 2 |
9/17 |
Dog |
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Week 3 |
9/24 |
Mosquito |
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Week 4 |
10/01 |
Dung beetle |
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Week 5 |
10/08 |
Snake |
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Week 6 |
10/15 |
Chicken |
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Week 7 |
10/22 |
Cattle |
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Week 8 |
10/29 |
Pig |
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Week 9 |
11/05 |
Mid-term break |
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Week 10 |
11/12 |
Rice |
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Week 11 |
11/19 |
Cat |
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Week 12 |
11/26 |
The unsung hero |
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Week 13 |
12/03 |
Tea |
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Week 14 |
12/10 |
Humans |
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Week 15 |
12/17 |
Student presentation |
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Week 16 |
12/24 |
Student presentation |
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Week 17 |
12/31 |
Student presentation |
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Week 18 |
1/07 |
Final break |