Course Overview

Course Description Insects made their first debut on earth 480 million years ago, and have been long interacted with humans. This course will give a general introduction, and clarify common misunderstandings of these six-legged creatures. Field trips to NTU campus, the NTU Insectarium, and Fuyang Ecological Park will be arranged for students to observe insects commonly found in open environments, and learn how to recognize them using field guide/naked eyes. Topics include but are not limited to insect diversity, ecology and behavior will be introduced.

Learning Achievement

Course Objectives The aims of this course are helping you to appreciate the diversity and value of insects and gain practical information on insects of relevance to your daily life. You will be asked to shoot insects with your camera/cellphone during field trips or at your leisure. Using these photo collections, you should come up with a field trip report to introduce the insect diversity in Taipei city. Participation in classroom, and discussion is strongly encouraged. Students will sometimes be asked to work together in groups. Through these activities, you would expect to 1) identify common insects that occurred in Taipei, 2) understand their biology and unique adaptation, and 3) recognize physical features of insects that help them live in different environments.

Competence

Course prerequisites

Students are strongly encouraged to carefully reviewing the syllabus and locating the current readings and topics in relation to the course as a whole. Know why you are discussing this particular topic at this juncture in the course. Put down whatever you have found during the filed trips or personal visits to points of interest. Collecting photos, recording time, locations, and surrounding conditions after each trip to make your report. Summarize the final result as your term paper.

Grading Philosophy

Course schedule

Course type

Online Course Requirement

Instructor

Shun-Chern Tsaur

Other information

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