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IB109: INSECTS AND PEOPLE
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Course Information
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| Basic Info: Classes meet MWF 8:00-8:50 AM (3 hours credit), 228 NHB Labs meet either W 2:00-3:30 PM or 3:30-5:00 PM (l additional hour credit), 318 NHB Instructor: Dr. May Berenbaum, Dept Entomology, 333-7784, 216 Morrill Hall (maybe@uiuc.edu) Teaching Assistants: Liz Graham (eegraham@life.uiuc.edu), 420 Morrill Hall and Cindy McDonnell (cmcdonne@uiuc.edu), 216 Morrill Hall Administrative Details: Department of Entomology, 320 Morrill Hall 333-2910 http://www.life.uiuc.edu/entomology Although there is no required text per se for this course, much of the material covered in the course is presented in the book, Bugs in the System (M. Berenbaum, 1995, Reading (MA): Addison Wesley). If you do not want to buy a copy of this book, there will be copies on reserve at the Undergraduate and Biology Libraries. Students with disabilities will of course be accommodated - just make an appointment to see May! Grading: For students taking the course for 3 hours credit, grades are based on 2 hour exams, each worth 20%, l final exam, worth 40%, and one term paper or project, worth 20%. For students taking the course for 4 hours credit, the grade for the lecture, as calculated above, is worth 75% of the total grade; the remaining 25% is the laboratory grade, which is based on worksheets (50%) and lab practical (50%). For all students, extra-credit opportunities will be announced over the course of the semester Final Project: All students have a choice between a project and a term paper. As for the term paper, there is no maximum or minimum page limit - it must, however, be long enough to cover the topic in a reasonably thorough manner. The topic is limited only insofar as it must relate to insect biology in a cultural context. To illustrate, here are a few examples: Agriculture: insects as human food, insects as vectors of plant disease Applied Life Sciences: insects as team sport mascots, flea circuses, insects and campers Commerce: butterfly dealers, insect zoos, regulating pesticides, insect commodities Communications: insects in advertising, insect editorial cartoons, insects on T.V Education: insects in children's literature, insects as teaching tools Engineering: physics of insect flight, mechanics of exoskeletons, insect-inspired machinery Fine and Applied Art: insects in painting, sculpture, classical music, plays, dance Law: insects and hotels, insects and crime, pesticide legislation, forensic entomology Liberal Arts and Sciences: insects and the evolution of human behavior, arthropods and constellations, insects in mythology, insects in Shakespeare, fossil insects Veterinary Medicine: ultrasonic flea collars, insects as vectors of animal diseases Medicine: insects as vectors of human disease, military medical entomology References must be cited in your papers, preferably from the primary literature - i.e., journal articles rather than encyclopedia articles, with a minimum of 3 nonweb sources. Proper format for citing references will be covered in class. No folders or binders, please - just staple the pages in the upper left corner. Papers are due April 30 in class. As for projects, there are many possibilities. One possibility is to rear an insect (or related arthropod) through all life stages, keeping a diary of its development; we can provide the organism, and the diary will be turned in for the grade. A second possibility is to prepare a lesson plan for a local school and to teach a class in some aspect of insect biology. The lesson materials will be turned in and graded, and input will be sought from the teacher of the host class. A third possibility is to make a film, CD, or video on an insect-related theme. In all cases, students must provide at least three references from the primary literature to accompany their project. Other creative alternatives must be cleared by the instructor. Project reports are also due on the last day of class, April 30. Insects and other arthropods available for rearing projects from the Department of Entomology (italicized items will be provided by the course; if you'd like to rear any of the other species, we can direct you to sources): Class Arachnida Remember,
another option is to find and rear your own insects - we'll be glad to
provide you with help and advice if you manage to collect a species on
your own that you'd like to rear. We urge you, though, to stay away
from ectoparasites and disease vectors! |