Animals, In Theory
Scholars in various disciplines have become increasingly interested in what has been termed “the question of the animal.” Scholars in philosophy, literature, law, gender theory, critical race theory, art history, sociology and history (among others) have started to take seriously the animals around us, and the field we now call Animal Studies has grown rapidly. In this course we will study the cultural place of animals – animals as pets, in zoos, in images, in literature, in science, in spiritual traditions, as food, and as themselves. We will study the theoretical, historical, and philosophical foundations of this burgeoning interdisciplinary field, and we will also examine the ways in which literature influences and is influenced by the changing roles of animals in societies across time and place. Class sessions will be discussion based and students will undertake group work, a major research paper, and an individual presentation. 3 hrs. sem.