Bioethics and the Animal/Human Boundary
AMST 260
Spring 2021 not offered
|
| Crosslisting:
SISP 260 |
| Course Cluster and Certificates: Social, Cultural, and Critical Theory Certificate, Animal Studies, Health Studies |
In this course, we will explore the construction of the animal/human boundary through the lens of bioethics. We will define bioethics as the study of the ethical consideration of medical, scientific, and technological advances and their effects on living beings. At the same time, we will pay close attention to the cultural contexts in which these advances emerge, imagining the realms of scientific progress and popular culture as mutually constitutive. We will consider topics such as cloning, organ transplantation, pharmaceutical testing, and gestational surrogacy, with a focus on the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
We will begin by interrogating how ideas of the "animal" and the "human" are constructed through biomedical and cultural discourses. We will ask, How is the human defined? By intelligence or consciousness levels? By physical capabilities or esoteric qualities? Similarly, how has the human been defined against ideas of the animal? Or, what ethical justifications have been cited in the use of animals in biomedicine? What makes certain species "proper" research subjects and others not? What do these formulations tell us about our valuation of animal and human life, and what kinds of relationships exist between the two? To answer these questions, we will consult a wide range of interdisciplinary scholarship, from authors in the fields of animal/ity studies, bioethics and medicine/science history, sociology, anthropology, and philosophy. Students will also be exposed to the basics of biopolitical theory. |
|
| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
SBS AMST |
| Course Format: Lecture / Discussion | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
|
Fulfills a Requirement for: (AMST)(ANST-MN)(CSCT)(ENVS-MN)(ENVS)(IDEA-MN)(IDEA)(INFO-MN)(STS) |
Examinations and Assignments:
Assignments and class expectations: weekly reading and short written assignments; discussion participation; midterm examination; final paper. |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
This course explores the construction of the animal/human boundary through the lens of bioethics from the late 19th century to the present moment. Here, "bioethics" is defined as the study of the ethical consideration of medical, scientific, and technological advancements, and their effects on a diverse range of living beings. At the same time, the course pays close attention to the cultural contexts in which these advancements have emerged, and to how they are informed by hierarchies of difference that govern approaches to categories of species, race, gender, sexuality, and ability. The course will begin by interrogating how ideas of the "animal" and the "human" are constructed through biomedical and cultural discourses. We will ask, How is the human defined? By intelligence or consciousness? By physical capabilities or esoteric qualities? Similarly, how has the human been defined against ideas of the animal? What makes certain species "proper" research subjects, and others not? What do these formulations tell us about our valuation of animal and human life, and what kinds of relationships exist between the two? How has the category of the animal been mobilized to denigrate certain human populations? To answer these and other questions, we will consult a breadth of interdisciplinary scholarship, from authors in the fields of animal/ity studies, bioethics and medicine/science history, sociology, anthropology, and philosophy. Students will also be exposed to the basics of biopolitical theory. |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 0 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 0 |
|
|