Instructor	Prof. Pablo Jourdan
Office	Howlett 233B
Hours	By appointment
Telephone(voice-mail*)	292-7224 [*Please! If you call and leave me a message, vocalize your name and phone number as clearly as possible. Repeat your telephone number so I can verify it.]
E-mail	Jourdan.1@osu.edu
Class Location and Meeting Times	Howlett Hall, Room 116; Tuesdays and Thursdays 9 - 9:48 am. You will be expected to make use of the public computing sites on campus as a resource for the class and for specific assignments.
Course Description	Historical development of Landscape Horticulture, components of the profession, and contemporary issues
Purpose of the course	The course is designed to provide students with an overview of landscape horticulture activities as practiced now and to integrate the fundamental aspects of science, business, and art which impact the profession. The course will assist students in discovering what landscape horticulture is about. The course will also provide a context for the Landscape Horticulture Major and indicate how all courses in the curriculum provide a broad education in the field.
Prerequisites	Positive attitude, desire to learn, willingness to participate, open mind - and an active e-mail account!
Course Objectives	Successful completion of H&210 should enable the student to: Develop a context, a frame of reference, in which to place landscape horticulture and his/her educational career. Gain a perspective on the broad role of landscape horticulture in human affairs.Understand how science, business, and art are integral components of landscape horticulture Develop a basic understanding of what comprises Landscape horticulture activities: the commodities (plants) and processes (production and services-design, installation, maintenance, retail) associated with the field. Either develop or expand an appreciation for the importance of landscape plants in society. Know major categories of landscape plants: trees, shrubs, vines, groundcovers, and herbaceous perennials Understand the botanical and horticultural classification of plants Begin gaining some knowledge of the history of the field and its increasingly international dimension. Learn the sources of information about Landscape Horticulture: the general literature, specialist publications, various associations and other resources See Examples of Learning Outcomes expected for this course.
Required performance and evaluation	Lectures/discussions will be held twice per week. Attendance is not optional. It is expected that for each hour spent in class, the student will spend a minimum of 2-3 hours per week on his/her own. Thus, each student will likely have to spend about 4-6 hours per week on course-related matters. It should be obvious that this expectation is not just for a quantity of time, but for an efficient use of the time in gathering information, study and reflection. The class will adhere to a Student-Centered Learning principle, meaning that the course is a joint effort between the instructor and the student. The focus is on the student doing the learning rather than on the instructor delivering wisdom; such a focus makes high demands on the student in terms of effort and commitment to the course. There will be no spoon-feeding (shoveling) of knowledge by the instructor in this class! Students will also be required the following: [suggested proportion of final grade given in brackets; however, these percentages are negotiable and can be modified by class-consensus] 1. Responses to Guest Speakers (5) - 25% After each guest presentation on "Perspectives on...(different aspects of Landscape Horticulture)" students are to write a 500-word summary of key issues presented by the speaker. What was the central 'take-home message' provided by the speaker? Due one week after each speaker. 2. Essays on Contemporary issues in Landscape Horticulture [25%] Each student is to select an important current issue in the field and write a 2500 word essay on the topic. Due 3. Midterm Exam [20%] 4. Final Exam [30%]
Grades	In a student-centered learning environment, the student should self-evaluate for progress and learning. However, this process is not easy and the instructor still retains the ultimate responsibility for evaluating student performance. Therefore, I will adhere to standard university policy of assigning letter grades to course activities, and will use the following system: Letter Grade Percentage Range A = 90.0 - 100 B = 80.0 - 89.9 C = 70.0 - 79.9 D = 60.0 - 69.9 E = 59.9 and below The percentages will be calculated from the 7 components listed above.
A word of caution	Part of the learning experience is to share information and ideas (gained through reading, experience, and experimentation) by participating in discussions and written assignments. These activities are encouraged and required. However, the expression of those ideas, speculations, and conclusions should be in your own words. Where written assignments require using someone else's ideas or words, an appropriate reference (and citation) should be made to the source of the information. WARNING: avoid the excessive use of quotations in any written work. You will be trusted to act in good faith by performing your own work on lecture exams and laboratory quizzes. Academic misconduct of any kind will not be tolerated. Examples of academic misconduct include, but are not limited to cases of plagiarism and dishonest practices (e.g. cheating) in connection with examinations and assignments. If I either personally determine or I am informed by an assistant that a student has breached the trust placed on him/her, I will report this through appropriate channels to the University Committee on Academic Misconduct (Faculty Rule 335-5-54). The Code of Student Conduct and the Procedures of the Committee on Academic Misconduct thoroughly cover the subjects of academic misconduct and its treatment, if you require further information.
Some thoughts	This class is meant to initiate a journey of discovery. I hope you will learn about landscape horticulture and how you, as an individual, can fit in this extraordinary field. This class is only a beginning. There is much to learn ahead. However, the learning will not only come from courses. The ultimate goal of your study at OSU should be to develop a broad set of skills to function effectively in our society. You are not only being trained in the art, science, and business of Landscape Horticulture (or some other field); you are also gaining an education that I hope permits you to lead a fulfilling life and also imparts a sense of responsibility for your place in a community, state, country, and, yes, planet. Much of this education will come in the future, when you are in positions of responsibilities. The nice, secure, and predictable structure of the University is only temporary. Eventually you'll have to create your own sense of place. That means your education never stops. Why? Because you educate yourself. I emphasize the process of self-education because my role is not to provide you with all the answers to Landscape Horticulture; I don't have them. My role is to entice you to explore, think, question, read, reflect, ponder, doubt, experiment, analyze, synthesize, recapitulate... In other words, to study and learn about Landscape Horticulture. You really cannot do this effectively without some interest in the subject. So I expect you to be interested in your education! If you are not, then you are wasting your time and money, and probably somebody else's too. If you are not interested in your education, then you are missing one of the most exciting experiences anyone can have: the discovery of knowledge. To know and understand something you did not before is a great thrill that you should cherish for the rest of your life.

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