INSECTS AND PEOPLE
"Moth Dance" by Arthur Dove. Photo taken at the National Gallery of Art.
Entomology 201 - Spring 2018
Insects and People is an introduction to the fascinating world of insects and how they interact with people. Included is a brief survey of insect history, diversity, structure and function, and behavior. This is followed by examples of beneficial and harmful insects in a variety of human activities including some sampling of the profound impacts insects have had on history, society and culture.
I taught a section of this course in the spring 2018 semester as part of my training in the Preparing the Professoriate program at NC State. The class was comprised mainly of freshman undergraduates and my goal was to teach not only the course material, but also critical thinking skills and to impart an interest in outreach service. To prepare, I observed an experienced faculty member who taught the same course the previous semester. I adapted the materials classroom and skill set while still maintaining the rigor and popularity for non-science majors.
As an incentive to encourage further interest in insects and community, I offered several extra credit opportunities to help in my coordination of the entomology outreach program. Students could either accompany graduate students on outreach events, help create infographics and other materials for the public, or help arrange pinned insects for future educational events. Results to be posted after semester is over (May 2018).
An example lecture is posted here and is available for non-commercial re-use.
Digital Insect Collection
I asked my students to create a digital scrapbook of insect or insect-inspired designs they find around them. I decided to follow along. They will be turning their scrapbooks in soon and I hope to post some of their findings too!
