Do I need to meet all the prerequisites for this course?

This course builds on skills and knowledge from other courses.  If we need to repeat other course content, we will not be able to advance very rapidly.  Therefore, we do treat the prerequisites seriously.

On the other hand, we recognize that students come to the Ethnobotany courses with a variety of backgrounds.  Therefore, if you have a specific concern, check with the course instructor to see if you have an adequate background.

Can I audit this course?

It partly depends on the enrollment.  If there is room, we will try to accommodate you.  Be advised, however, that this is a participation course and everyone is expected to contribute by doing the assignments and joining in the discussion.  If you intend to audit so you can just sit in as an observer, we'd rather you not join the course.

How do I choose a topic for the Tool Description assignment?

A list of potential topics is given on the Assignments link (see the left column).  If you have an idea of something that you would like to do that is not on this list, or if it is a modification of the list, then discuss it with your instructor.

There is some flexibility in the topics.  What is important is that you choose a topic that can be fully fleshed out with the items that will qualify it for publication in the journal Ethnobotany Research and Applications.  There is more information in this on the Assignments link.

Is this a statistics course?

No.  However, we will go over statistical topics quite frequently and you should be prepared to do quite a bit of statistical work.

What if you are afraid of statistics?  We can't make it painless.  We will try to be supportive.

Do I need to have my own computer?

Most likely, since this is now considered a professional tool in this discipline.  If you have your own computer you are more likely to get it properly equipped with software that is relevant to doing ethnobotanical fieldwork.