The Animal Other

Humans, Animals, Modernity

Are pets a modern invention? Ought animals to have rights? This course is a historical exploration of human relationships with other animals from antiquity to the present. Changing ideas and practices in global modernity have renegotiated human relationships with the natural world through hunting, slaughter, husbandry, scientific experimentation, display, and pet-keeping. Through primary source analysis and experiential learning, the course considers changing ideas of animal agency; the sciences of zoology, animal behavior, and ecology; and our moral obligations to non-human animals.  

First Year Seminar.