HCS 697.01 British and American Contrasts

Objective: To allow each participant in the program to explore an aspect of Landscape Horticulture in the UK in relation to the US situation and to present their findings to a wider audience.

Assignment: Each student is required to develop an individual project addressing some aspect of landscape horticulture and contrasting the situation in the US with that in the UK. This will be presented to the group at the end of the program and made available to the resident director as an annotated Powerpoint presentation. The grade for HCS 697.01 will be based mainly on performance in this project and its presentation. A title and brief statement of the intentions of the project will be required before departure from the US.

Examples of student presentations can be seen on the website (particularly from the 2000 group) and the following are some pointers:

· How is space allocated and how well does it function in typical neighborhoods in US (primarily Ohio) and UK (primarily Northern England)
· Try analyzing garden designs (formal, romantic, naturalistic etc.). What styles predominate in US and UK?
· What plant species do you see being commonly used in the US and UK for various situations and how are they maintained.
· How are hardscape materials used in US and UK landscapes?
· Contrast standards of turf maintenance in residential or commercial situations (weed control, closeness of cut, edging, pest/disease problems etc.
· What information about landscaping and gardens is available and through what channels?
· What is the social and legal environment in which landscapers and home gardeners operate?

Resources
Review the student presentations on the website from the 2000 program. The CD has my Powerpoint presentation contrasting UK and Ohio conditions and an American perspective on gardening in England ("elliot1.doc").

Requirements (% of grade)

April 19: Project title (5%)

Throughout spring quarter:
Gather information about US aspect of project.

May 10: Project prospectus (5%)
In about 250 words outline the questions to be addressed in the project, the kind of information that will be gathered and what you will need to do to get it. This should be sent in an email to ataaffe@myerscough.ac.uk (copy to knee.1@osu.edu). In the email you should also introduce yourself to Andrew Taaffe and give him something about your background and area of study at OSU. This will help Andrew prepare for our visit, so if there are places you need to visit or other special requirements for your project be sure to let him know.

During program in England
We will help you gather material for your project, but it is your responsibility to let us know what you need or find it yourself. Be alert to opportunities for photography and other information gathering. Devote at least a half day each week to project related activity.

July 22 Complete project (65%) and oral presentation (15%)
Submit a Powerpoint file of the completed project to MK. During the last week each student will make a project presentation using Powerpoint to the group and Myerscough staff. The slides of the presentation should contain the results of your research for the project. This could be photographs, data tables, charts etc. The narrative portion should be placed in the notes section of Powerpoint. A file of this kind is included on the CD (In the "Eden" folder).

Syllabi