TD0017, The history and future of cultivated plants in Sweden, 7.5 Hp
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Syllabus

Finalized by: Programnämnden för utbildning inom landskap och trädgård (PN - LT), 2020-10-21
Valid from : Spring semester 2021 (2021-01-18)

Level

First cycle (G1N)

Main field of study

Biology, Horticultural Science

Grading Scale

The grade requirements within the course grading system are set out in specific criteria. These criteria must be available by the course start at the latest.

Course language

Swedish

Entry Requirements

Objectives

The aim of the course is to provide basic knowledge about the history and future of the cultivated plants, and their significance for our everyday lives. The focus will be on the plants’ origin, cultivation, use and breeding. The course will also train the student in analyzing, arguing and drawing conclusions about solutions to future societal challenges linked to cultivated plants.

After this course the student will be able to:

• Describe basic concepts concerning the development and use of cultivated plants
• Describe and compare the properties, origins, form of cultivation and areas of use in both historical and comtemporary perspectives
• Explain the basics of plant breeding and how access to genetic diversity can be important for future plant breeding
• Identify future societal challenges and reason about solutions connected to the cultivated plants.

Content

The course is given as a distance course over the summer with an introductory and concluding digital meeting. In between, the students works individually and temporally independently with a number of modules. The course ends with a summative assignment.

Cultivated plants are the plants that we have grown and used in different ways in our everyday lives for a very long time. They have given us food, clothes, housing, fuel, paints, medicines and stimulants. For each module, the origin, cultivation and use of a crop are treated, as well as how they can be used to create a socially, economically and environmentally sustainable society. Also more general topics related to plant breeding will be treated within the course, such as the importance of gene banks in maintaining access to gene resources with genetic diversity. The course focuses mainly on plants that have been or are important for the primary production of food in Sweden, such as potatoes, barley, broad beans, cabbage, hops and apples. It is an interdisciplinary course but with a clear scientific focus. The student will also be able to practice analyzing, arguing and drawing, conclusions about solutions to future societal challenges linked to the cultivated plants in Sweden.

Examination Formats and Requirements for Passing the Course

Approved assignments and mandatory elements.

Responsible Department/Equivalent

Department of Plant Breeding

Supplementary information

Module set

Title	Credits	Code
Single module	7.5	0101