ENVB * 3090 – Insect Diversity and Biology W (3-3) [0.50]

This course is an overview of insect diversity and biology emphasizing groups of importance in conservation biology, outdoor recreation and economic entomology. Labs focus on insect identification and the development of a small insect collection.


Posted By : Anonymous
Posted On : October 16, 2013

Is the textbook recommended by the student? Yes
Did the student enjoy the professor? Yes
Professor : Steve Marshall

Comment :
Prof is extremely passionate about entomology and is an expert in the field. Text is cheap, written by Marshall himself, and is full of colourful pictures and keys (I still use it for insect ID). Marshall's passion is infectious and he makes lectures interesting (a rare thing among university lecturers, in my opinion). Not an 'easy' course, but I really enjoyed it and learned a lot. Definitely recommend this course if you have an interest in insects.
Recommendation Rating
Overall Difficulty
Posted By : Anonymous
Posted On : April 15, 2012

Is the textbook recommended by the student? Yes
Did the student enjoy the professor? Yes
Professor : Marshall

Comment :
If you don't have a background in Entomology, if you don't work in an insect lab, and if you're not good at memorizing, don't take this course. Will you learn alot? Yes. Will you do well? Most likely not. Will you pass? Hopefully. That being said, if you have a great interest in insects and have some background, this is the course for you. It's hard to know what will come out in the exams, so just cross your fingers and hope for the best. Professor is extremely experienced in his field though.
Recommendation Rating
Overall Difficulty
Posted By : Anonymous
Posted On : April 18, 2011

Comment :
Very interesting but Dr. Marshall is unnecessarily difficult when it comes to exams. There is a tonne of confusing material presented in a poorly organized fashion which he does not clarify what you need to know. After days of difficult studying and memorization the exam was one page long testing only the tiniest fraction. Also an insect collection in winter was very difficult. Its a shame but I would only recommend this course if you hours and hours to sink into memorization of old fashioned taxonomy...
Recommendation Rating