Critters
Does this animal have a place in the world...
without becoming this animal?
Some scientists contend that the Earth has entered a new geological age in which human actions and effects are the dominant force shaping the planet, a so-called “anthropocene.” Such a planet offers diminishing possibilities for other creatures to live beyond the influence of Homo sapiens. How do animals fit into human societies when human society is now so inescapable? Do animals still exert agency and shape how we live? And how can humans maintain ethical relationships to nonhuman critters? Can we share landscapes and ecosystems, much less an entire planet? This course explores these questions, surveying different approaches to the critical study of animals from the humanities as well as the natural, environmental, and social sciences.
We will pursue these questions through scientific papers, philosophical essays, literature, films, and experiential learning activities.
Watch Prof. Rosenberg give a brief introduction to his work (and the topical space of this class):
@lacasaencendida 🌿 En la primera jornada de Ágora Climávora Gabriel N. Rosenberg, historiador en la Universidad de Duke, ha hablado de cómo la cría intensiva de animales para la acumulación de capital ha roto los vínculos entre humanos y sus ganaderías y los inquietantes paralelismos entre la explotación animal y la explotación humana, además de sus repercusiones éticas y ecológicas.
♬ sonido original - La Casa Encendida
