Teaching edible insects as a liberal arts course

Interest in insects as food and feed has been growing exponentially, primarily driven by the search for sustainable sources of animal protein. The field of entomophagy has many more facets, however: from awareness of other cultures and the way society shapes our view of what is edible and whose cuisines are popular, to the economics and legality of food and farming and where in the world the benefits of insects are more acutely needed, to the sociology behind food adoption and abandonment, to general insect biology. Given the broad ways edible insects can bridge science and culture, a class on the subject can appeal to students from multiple disciplines. For the past few years I have been teaching edible insects as a liberal arts course in Taiwan—a country not known for contemporary entomophagy—and it has rapidly become one of my university’s most popular offerings. This talk will cover the syllabus of a liberal arts edible insects course and discuss who takes the class, how it affects students, and the benefits and challenges of teaching this material to a diverse student population.