History 392G - S-Animals in Human History

Claude Levi-Strauss famously said, "Animals are good to think with." This upper level course will explore both the symbolic and practical use of animals. We will examine how we have used them to think about issues such as human identity, civilization, and nature, and also investigate their role in human social and economic history. Looking at history from the perspective of "dumb beasts" and "noble brutes" challenges our usual anthropocentric perspective. From this vantage, we can examine major cultural transformations (such as the Renaissance and the Scientific Revolution) and raise more specific issues, such as the nature and purpose of the zoo. We will also address important historiographical questions such as how do we speak for those who have no voice in the historical record, and how do our priorities and interests shape our approaches to and narrative of the past. Drawing on a wide range of primary sources, such as epic poetry, theology, painting, material culture, and instructional literature, we will focus on the functions of particular animal species. (sometimes even specific individuals, such as Pope Leo X's rhinoceros Clara) in various eras from the earliest millennia of human civilization until the twentieth century. This class is not a survey and requires background knowledge in Western civilization. Prerequisite is one of the following: the sequence History 100-101, or History 112, or instructor permission.

Open to Seniors, Juniors & Sophomores only.