Science has by now rather convincingly shown that animals and humans do not differ in kind, as in a binary opposition, but only differ in degree. What does it mean to relate, as humans, to animals that are our fellow sentients? What does it mean for animals to relate to humans under ‘the old paradigmatic regime’ and ‘the new paradigmatic regime’? What does it mean for power relations between humans and animals, moral considerations, agency, and our sense of superiority in this world? Most importantly, how do we unlearn and relearn to relate to animals who are in terms of evolutionary continuity our equals and can no longer be treated as scabs to be exploited for our sake only? How to understand this paradigmatic shift not only intellectually and conceptually by reading and discussing academic texts, but how does it translate in actual interaction with animals?

The purpose of the course ‘Animals amongst us!’ is to combine rather classical intellectual exchange on academic texts from a range of disciplines, with concrete excursions in animal-human relations. The excursions will take you into the research fields of the lectures.

Timetable

All lectures will take place on-campus and we assume you can be physically present during the scheduled hours. You can find the timetable on Datanose.

Registration

Registration is possible for first or higher year students participating in an Honours programme. The registration for the Honours courses will start on December 1, 10 am -  December 5, 11 pm, You can register through the online registration form that will appear on Honoursmodules IIS. (registration is NOT through SIS or GLASS).

Please note: There is no guarantee no guarantee for placement if you register after 5 December, so make sure you register on time. You will hear which course(s) you are registered for before 20 december. For questions about registration, please contact us at Honours-iis@uva.nl.

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