Insect Biology
- Describe the relationship of insects to other related arthropods
- Identify external features of insect anatomy and relate them to the function they serve in the environment
- Recognize internal anatomy of insects
- Identify orders of insects by sight
- Relate form and function to the life history of insects
- Dates
June 9 – July 29, 2025 | Mason’s academic calendar
*Online course with the exception of one-week in-person at the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation in Front Royal, VA (July 21 – 25). Additional housing and dining fees will apply.
- Available Formats
Undergraduate (CONS 332, 4 credits)
- Cost
-
Mandatory Room and Board – All students participating in this course will be required to stay onsite for a week (July 21 – 25). Costs per day to be determined, estimated at $90-110 (housing and meals).
Room and board fees will be posted on student accounts.
- Who is eligible?
3rd- and 4th-year undergraduates, graduate students, and non-degree-seeking students from any accredited college or university. Prerequisites: BIOL 300 or 308, or equivalent.
Meet the Faculty
Curriculum
As the most diverse group of land animals in the world, insects have an amazing array of physical forms and structures to help them make their way in the world. Understanding the origins of these structures can help us understand a lot about insect evolution and the many ways their life history plays out. In the CONS 332 Insect Biology course you will learn how to recognize external and internal features of insect anatomy and how they are modified in different insect groups. You will also learn the principles of sight identification and learn how to recognize the major insect orders without special equipment. Though mostly online, the course also includes a one-week, in-person residential experience at the SMSC campus in Front Royal, Virginia where participants will learn and practice a wide variety of entomological techniques and take advantage of our large teaching collection of specimens.
