All Creatures Great and Small: Animals and Society

Catalog description

Our relationship with animals is complex: We cry when animals die in movies but eat them for dinner; we treat our pets as family members while at the same time place bets on them at the racetrack. This course is designed to allow students to explore our complex relationship with animals in human society by examining the varied meanings assigned to them: food, emotional support, pets, research subjects, symbols and entertainment. Students engage in discipline-specific research related to animals in society, while also expanding their overall interdisciplinary knowledge.