Department of Sociology
Fall 2006
Animals and Society
SOCY 4017
Tuesday and Thursday
Benson Earth Sciences (BESC) 180
Note: Students enrolled in this course for credit must refer to the WebCT version.
This version is for general information only.
Professor Leslie Irvine
Office: Ketchum 223
Contact: irvinel@colorado.edu
Office hours: Tuesday
Teaching Assistant:
Colter Ellis
Office: Ketchum 410
Contact: cellis@colorado.edu
Office hours: Wednesday
10-12 or by appointment
Course Description and
Objectives
Non-human
animals constitute an integral part of human society. They figure heavily in
our language, food, clothing, family structure, economy, education,
entertainment, science, and recreation. The many ways we use animals produce
ambivalent and contradictory attitudes toward them. We treat some species of
animals as friends and family members (e.g., dogs and cats), while others we treat
as commodities (e.g., cows, pigs, and chickens).
This course will
·
examine the various social constructions of animals;
·
challenge conventional representations of non-human animals
with evidence that many animals rely on cognition (thought) and emotion;
·
evaluate evidence for the link between cruelty to animals and
other forms of violence;
·
consider the similarities between animal oppression and the
oppression of other human beings; and
·
investigate the moral and legal status of animals.
After completing this course, students should be able to:
·
understand animal issues using sociological theory
and concepts;
· make informed, ethical decisions about the uses of animals; and
·
evaluate
claims made by animal use industries and animal rights organizations.
The course content will be presented through readings, activities, discussion, video, lecture, online material, and guest speakers. Much of this course will focus on controversial topics. Some of the readings and several of the films will depict animal suffering. This is not intended simply to give you nightmares. Rather, it is a way to help you fully understand the often hidden reality of how we use animals in modern societies. In our culture, we say that “seeing is believing.” Although I do not wish to encourage your absence during these videos, you may wish to excuse yourself from viewing them and I will not penalize you for doing so. If you choose to leave during a film, please remain nearby to rejoin the class for discussion afterwards.
Note: Our efforts to reconsider and improve the treatment of non-human animals will begin with language. Just as we no longer use the words “he” and “man” to refer to some allegedly universal human being, we will use language that respects our relationships with non-human animals. For example, we will not refer to animals as “it.” Instead, we will refer to them using “he” or “she” (when known) and “who” instead of “that.” We’ll use “companion animal” instead of “pet,” and “guardian” or “caretaker” instead of “owner.”
Course Requirements and Grading
Students must:
· Attend class. This is not a correspondence course and you cannot expect to pass if you do not attend regularly.
· If you must miss a class, first contact a classmate to find out what you missed. If you need further information, contact Colter. If you need additional clarification, contact Professor Irvine.
Record the names and numbers of three classmates here:
1____________________________________________________________________________
2____________________________________________________________________________
3____________________________________________________________________________
· Respect everyone in the learning environment.
·
Keep copies of all graded course work until the
semester ends. In the case of an incorrect or missing grade, it is your
responsibility to provide graded work to request a change.
· Check WebCT regularly to keep current with assignments.
· Demonstrate learning by completing all assignments to the best of your ability.
· Observe deadlines (unless prior arrangements have been made). If you submit an assignment late, you will lose one letter grade for each day after the due date (if your grade is a B+, but you turned your work in one day late, you will get a C+). We will not accept assignments after three days.
Your final grade will be based on
100 points, earned through the following:
Two short quizzes
(each 10) 20
Short quizzes (approximately 10
questions) will cover concepts and theoretical points discussed in class and
addressed in the readings. The quizzes will include multiple choice, T/F, and
short-answer or fill-in-the-blank questions. These will be given in class. See
WebCT for quiz dates.
PowerPoint
presentation (rolling deadlines) 40
This assignment requires you to put
together an online PowerPoint presentation of six slides, including a cover
slide with your name and presentation title. You may include images, but they
must be explained in the presentation. Your presentation should use the course
as a jumping-off point and go beyond what we have covered in class. The
assignment will follow course topics and will thus have rolling deadlines,
assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. These presentations will be
posted in a public folder so that all members of the class can view them during
the semester. This way, we can all enjoy everyone else’s projects without
having to sit through 80-100 presentations in class. Criteria for grading
presentations appear on WebCT. In addition, all students are required to write
summaries and critiques for two presentations (see below).
For your presentation, you may
choose one of the following topics:
Presentation
summary and critique (two required, 10 points each) 20
You are required to summarize and
critique two PowerPoint presentations of your choice. Your summary and critique
should each be one paragraph long. The total assignment is no more than 250
words, or roughly one double-spaced page (use 12-point font with 1-inch margins
all around). Put your name and the title and creator of the presentation at the
top of the page. Critique deadlines appear on WebCT. Note: Your critique does
not influence the creator’s grade.
Final essay
20
Topic: What is the relationship
between animal issues and other social issues?
Further details: Your essay should
examine the role of animals in society by focusing on how the human use of
animals influences other social process. For example, you might want to examine
how the status of animals as property justifies violence. Or, you might want to
argue that the use of animals in experiments has shaped medical research in
particular ways, and also shaped public opinion about the medical use of
animals. Whatever topic you choose, you will have to edit your work carefully because
you must make your point in 250-500 words, including any references. This
amounts to an approximate maximum of two double-spaced pages. Use 12 point font
with 1-inch margins all around. Submit
your essay online by
Final Grade
Scale
|
A: 94-100 |
B: 84-86 |
C: 74-76 |
D: 64-66 |
|
A-: 90-93 |
B-: 80-83 |
C-: 70-73 |
D-: 60-63 |
|
B+: 87-89 |
C+: 77-79 |
D+: 67-69 |
F: 59 or less |
Course materials
These include
books to purchase and additional readings available online (see WebCT).
Books
Required:
Arluke, Arnold & Sanders,
DeGrazia, David. 2002. Animal
Rights: A Very Short Introduction.
Irvine, Leslie. 2004. If You
Tame Me: Understanding our Connection with Animals.
Marshall,
Julie Hoffman. 2006. Making Burros Fly:
Recommended
(optional):
Scully,
Matthew. 2002. Dominion: The Power of Man, the Suffering
of Animals, and the Call to Mercy.
Course Outline and Schedule
Subject to change. I will announce changes in class and
post them online.
8/ 29 Introduction
to the course
Why and how should we study non-human animals?
8/31 Cognition and
emotions Bekoff;
Pennisi
9/5 Conceptual and methodological approaches Arluke & Sanders: Intro.,
1-2
Contradictory attitudes, socially constructed meanings
9/7 “Speaking for” animals A&S 3
9/12 Constructing animals in shelters A&S 4
9/14 Animal Sheltering, continued Irvine 2002 &
2003
9/19 Constructing animals in research labs A&S 5 &
link
9/21 Research & testing Frey;
Pacheco & Francione & link
9/26 Animals and culture:
boundary work A&S
6-7 & conclusion
9/28 Constructing “wild”
animals Scarce
& link
10/3 Cultural differences Alie et al., BBC, CNN,
Human-companion
animal interaction
10/5 Perspectives on the relationship
10/10 Animals as minded social actors
10/12 Symbolic interaction with animals
10/17 Animals and human identity
The legal and moral status of animals
10/19 Introduction
to Animal Rights DeGrazia
1-3
10/24 Animal rights (continued) DeGrazia
4-7
10/26 The
animal industrial complex In
These Times; Scully; & link
10/31 Animals
in food production: Cattle and hogs Grandin;
HSUS report (meat, eggs, &
dairy)
11/2 Continued: Poultry and eggs Davis;
Orlans et al. HSUS report (battery
cages & broilers)
11/7Animals
in disasters
11/9 Animals in language & popular culture Dunayer; Smith-Harris
11/14 Human-wildlife conflicts Calder; Baron (linked)
11/16 Animal cruelty: sociological perspectives Flynn (both); Arluke
11/21-23 No
classes
Controversies and Advocates
11/28 Circuses and Zoos Acampora; Jamieson & link
11/30 The Great Ape Project Cavalieri & Singer;
Francione; Rollin
12/5 Animal issues and non-violence Bear (2)
12/7 People making
a difference
12/12 People making a
difference, continued Goodall
& link
12/14 Wrap-up: Interlocking oppressions Nibert
12/18 Final essay due
Relevant Policies
Disabilities
Students with documented disabilities, including
non-visible disabilities such as chronic diseases, learning disabilities, head
injury, attention deficit hyperactive disorder, or psychiatric disabilities
should see Professor Irvine during the first two weeks of class to discuss
possible reasonable accommodations. For more information, consult The Office of
Disability Services, Willard 322 (303-492-8671) www.Colorado.EDU/disabilityservices
Classroom Behavior
Students and faculty each have
responsibility for maintaining an appropriate learning environment. Students
who fail to adhere to such behavioral standards may be subject to discipline.
Faculty members have the professional responsibility to treat all students with
understanding, dignity, and respect, to guide classroom discussion and to set
reasonable limits on the manner in which they and their students express
opinions. Professional courtesy and sensitivity are especially important with
respect to individuals and topics dealing with differences of race, culture,
religion, politics, sexual orientation, gender variance, and nationalities.
Class rosters are provided to the instructor with the student's legal name. I
will gladly honor your request to address you by an alternate name or gender
pronoun. Please advise me of this preference early in the semester so that I
may make appropriate changes to my records. See polices at http://www.colorado.edu/policies/classbehavior.html
and
http://www.colorado.edu/studentaffairs/judicialaffairs/code.html#student_code
Academic Integrity
All students of the
Discrimination and Harassment
The