Bugged: Insects in Human History

Catalog description

Insect species make up over 50% of all animal species known on this planet. Successful in every habitat on earth, they dominate the land and the air. They have evolved amazing adaptations, including external skeletons, the ability to communicate using light, sound and sight, the ability to fly and to survive freezing, mimicry, complex symbiotic relationships with other organisms...the list goes on and on. This course is an exploration of this diversity as described by science and how various insects have impacted humans throughout history, whether for good or ill, using historical and relgious writings, myths and folktales, plays, film and contemporary media. We will examine topics as diverse as why scarabs were sacred to the ancient Egyptians, how plague spread throughout the world in two major pandemics, and why dragonflies are termed "devil's darning needles." While lecture will be used to present some of the material, discussion and group work based on material read or seen will be a major component of the course. (NOTE: THIS COURSE DOES NOT FULFILL THE CORE REQUIREMENT FOR A NATURAL SCIENCE COURSE.) Fulfills Core Requirement(s):Interdisciplinary Studies (IDS).