Insects make up a whopping 80% of the world's species. They contribute to ecosystems in a variety of ways, including pollinating crops and flowers, controlling pests, recycling nutrients, and maintaining soil health. And like other denizens of the animal kingdom (ah, those slithering limbless reptiles whose names will remain unrevealed), they often get a bad rap.
In his course “Bio 217: Insects and People,” Professor Chris Paradise teaches students how to understand the complex web of interactions that connect our species to the world's more than one million known insect species. Help students unravel (by some estimates, the total number of insect species is more than 5.5 million species).
what
Enable students to develop an awareness of insects and to think critically about all the ways humans influence and use insects, and all the ways insects influence and use humans. Humans may fear and kill some insects that carry pests and pathogens, but they may also try to protect other insects that pollinate crops. Insects are represented in our art, culture and religion. We make money from two products that insects produce: silk and honey. Insects use humans and livestock for food and, in doing so, transmit diseases. Mosquitoes cause millions of deaths each year. Explore these topics in depth in conjunction with insect biology. For example, giant insects may be depicted in movies as terrorizing humans, but what fundamental physical and biological concepts have prevented giant insects from evolving? • Other learning outcomes include being able to identify some of the major orders of insects, being able to describe the morphology, physiology, ecology and behavior of insects, and explaining the value and importance of insects to humans and our efforts.? This includes being able to explain what you can do and how you intend to manage and control it. A group of insects.
WHO
This is an upper-level biology course with a prerequisite of either Introduction to Biology or Introduction to Environmental Science. This course mainly has 4th and 3rd year students, but there are also 2nd year students.
The reason
Some students are interested in insects, some are interested in interdisciplinary content, and some are interested in fulfilling a requirement. This course counts as a senior elective for biology majors, a natural science elective for environmental studies majors, and as an elective for public health minors.
the work
The content is an interdisciplinary combination of traditional entomology (e.g. external anatomy of insects) and the human-insect interface. Explore why humans fear insects and how this influences their representation in literature and film. Learn about insect pests and why attempts to control them often fail. Insects have played important roles in historical events such as the Black Death, the development of the Silk Road trade routes, the construction of the Panama Canal, and numerous wars. We explore the benefits of conserving insects, including the ecosystem services they provide, the commercialization of insects, and how humans use insects in forensic testing. We spend weeks studying medical and veterinary entomology to understand the biology and epidemiology of so-called arthropod-borne diseases. In addition to learning about insect diversity, evolution, anatomy, physiology, behavior, and ecology, you'll watch movie video clips, view works of art, and read poetry.