Introduction and Course Overview
This is meant to be a fun, light-hearted, 2 (or 3) credit course on insect biology and the interactions between insects and humans. I like to show a mixture of slides and movies, and will try to shock and surprise you on occasion. The course does not assume that you have any previous experience with insect biology. We will spend about half of the semester exploring the basic biology of insects, including their anatomy, evolutionary history, ecology, behavior and natural history. The second half of the semester will focus on the interactions between insects and humans. Insects affect our lives in many ways. They can perform beneficial functions, such as pollination, and can also create problems, for example, when they eat our crops or transmit diseases. Insects are important in human history and in art and culture. There are many cultures that eat insects, and we will explore all these aspects of the insect/human interaction.
In the first meeting, I will introduce the course and provide an overview of the class covering the following topics:
Instructor me (Dr. Bryan Danforth)
Teaching Assistants
Jessica R. Litman, PhD student
Email: jrl72@cornell.edu
Eric Denemark, Undergraduate major in Entomology
Email: edd23@cornell.edu
Jenna DeNicola, Undergraduate major in Entomology
Email: jcd49@cornell.edu
Text book: Bugs in the System (May Berenbaum)
Syllabus
Lectures (M/W)
Fridays small group learning (for students in 2011)
Friday meetings will include:
Movies (131 Warren Hall)
Open labs diversity and behavior (2109 Comstock Hall)
Museum of the Earth visit (Museum of the Earth)
Debates (Classrooms listed on your syllabus)
Term Paper
Exams (policies, formats, and dates)
Powerpoint: Download Lecture
Links of Interest: