SOC 372 - Animals, People and Nature

This course applies classical and contemporary sociological thought to the relationship between humans, animals and the natural environment. We begin by exploring the spaces that non-human animals occupy in human social and cultural worlds, the interactions humans have with them and how this relates to environmental issues. The presence of animals is difficult to ignore given the varied physical (food, fiber, entertainment, technology, laboratory, companion, etc.) and representational (symbol, story, religious, etc.) places animals inhabit in human lives. This course brings into focus the historic and contemporary role animals have played and highlights the importance of recognizing and investigating these relationships as drivers of human attitudes and behaviors. We will explore a variety of cases where animals have fundamentally altered how humans behave. For example, we will study the ways that people’s attachments to their companion animals influenced their decisions to evacuate during Hurricane Katrina, leading to widespread changes in national evacuation policies. This class will draw on diverse voices (those from women, indigenous folk, LGBTQIA+ people, disabled, immigrants, etc.) to demonstrate how various communities have been writing and thinking about the connection between animals, people and the natural environment. Course materials will include academic and activist texts, film, photography, art, and national and international guest speakers.

Prerequisites & Notes: Any course from: SOC 221, SOC 234, SOC 251, SOC 255, SOC 260, SOC 268, SOC 269, SOC 271, HNRS 252 or instructor permission.
Credits: 5
Grade Mode: Letter