Postgraduate Course: Taxonomy and Plant Collections (PGBI11042)
Course Outline
| School | School of Biological Sciences |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Credits | 20 |
| Home subject area | Postgraduate |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | The course consists of an introductory lecture followed by a series of topics which are prerequisites for Herbarium taxonomy, covering Botanical nomenclature, the History of Botanical Illustration, Floras, monographs and revisions, the history of the Herbarium at RBGE, the preparation and curation of herbarium collections.
After 8.5 days of preparation by means of a combination of practicals and lectures the students carry out a piece of original curation and make a short presentation at an internal seminar. The course culminates in a piece of original personal research called the "mini-revision" in which students use the knowledge of Herbarium taxonomy they have gained from the course to carry out their own critical investigation and revision of a taxonomic group.
This course is a core component of the MSc BTP programme, offering a unique, vocationally-relevant insight and experience in herbarium collection, management and use.
During this 20-point course, students make intensive use of the resources of a top-level international herbarium that provides a professional service to the wider botanical community. To minimise disrupton of this professional work the course must be taught as an intensive block and will be taught in Semester 2 Block 3. |
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | none |
Course Delivery Information
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| Delivery period: 2011/12 Semester 2, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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WebCT enabled: Yes |
Quota: None |
| Location |
Activity |
Description |
Weeks |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
| No Classes have been defined for this Course |
| First Class |
First class information not currently available |
| Additional information |
The course will be taught as a block in weeks 2 through 6 of Block 3. |
| No Exam Information |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
| The student will understand the crucial role of herbarium taxonomy in plant biology and the power and elegance of herbarium taxonomy as a technique to study plant diversity. By the end of the course the student will have had the unique experience of working in a large international herbarium and will have gained the basic curatorial and taxonomic skills required for a career in herbarium curation or research on plant systematics. |
Assessment Information
| Assessment is through minor assignments and a flora writing exercise on a selected genus or group of genera, in semester 2, including an oral presentation. |
Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
Not entered |
| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Not entered |
| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Taxon & Plnt Coll |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Prof Andrew Hudson
Tel: (0131 6)50 3383
Email: Andrew.Hudson@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mrs Carolyn Wilson
Tel: (0131 6)50 8651
Email: Carolyn.Wilson@ed.ac.uk |
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© Copyright 2011 The University of Edinburgh - 16 January 2012 6:31 am
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