This course examines the major ways in which nonhuman animals influence and are influenced by human-built environments, with specific attention to the ethical, political, and social dimensions of human-animal interactions in these spaces. Discussions, films, readings, and an independent research project will introduce students to key concepts related to urban/suburban animal life. Specifically, it will focus on topics including the use of animals for food, the use of animals as spectacle or entertainment, animals as human companions, urban wildlife, "invasive" species, "vermin" and "problem" animals, animals and the law, ecological webs, and human encroachment in animal spaces. |