Animals and Society

Canceled

I won't be able to facilitate this course since I won't be in Toronto this summer.

I hope to offer this course at a future time. Sorry

-Amos

Amos Latteier (amos@latteier.com)

What is animal, and what is human? These questions are deeply related.

This course will examine the political and social meanings of how people understand and represent animals. Because animals define the borders of humanity, studying the representations and treatment of animals can shed light on how human society is understood. Animals are at the center of debates about what is natural, what is normal, what is freedom, and what is an individual.

This course will examine a few examples, focusing on the issues of sexuality, individuality, and freedom. Sources will range from biology, to philosophy, to literature, to Hollywood.

Each class will begin with a multimedia presentation (including video projection) and then proceed to discussion. Each class will be about 2 hours long. Expect to be entertained and challenged. All readings will be made available on the Internet for downloading.

Note: don't be intimidated, there are no prerequisites for this course. Also it's fine to come for as many or as few classes as you wish.

Location and time to be determined.

Ants

Presentation: “Ant and Human Societies”

Suggested readings:

• Selections from “A Thousand Plateaus”, Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari
• Selections from “Sociobiology”, Edward Wilson
• Selections from “The Year of the Ant”, George Ordish

Free Willy

Presentation: “The Freeing of Willy”

Suggested readings:

• “Where’s Willy”, Susan Orlean
• Selections from “Moby Dick”, Herman Melville
• “The Burrow”, Franz Kafka

Sex

Presentation: "Bio-Collectibles" (Mike Wilder)

Suggested readings:

• Selections from “Biological Exuberance”, Bruce Bagemihl
• Selections from “Primate Visions”, Donna Haraway
• Selections from “The Atlas of Men”, William Sheldon

Urban Animals

Presentation: “Call of the Wild”

Suggested readings:

• Selections from “The Animals Among Us”, John McLoughlin
• “The Dodo in the Caucus Race”, Stephen Gould
• Selections from “Life out of bounds:bioinvasion in a borderless world”, Chris Bright

Zoo Architecture

Presentation: “Karl Hagenbeck”

Suggested readings:

• Selection from “Animal Architecture” Karl con Fisch
• Selections from “Zoo: A History of Zoological Gardens in the West”, Eric Baratay and Elisabeth Hardouin-Fugier
• Selections from “City of Quartz”, Mike Davis

If there is sufficient interest we can have a final class that is devoted to presentations by students.