ANT 363 Animals, Culture, and Environment
What does the study of animals tell us about the evolution of our species, our environments, and our societies? What roles do animals play in our modes of communication, cultural practices and taboos, social and political systems, and economic pursuits? These questions are foundational to a semester-long exploration of the ways in which human societies and cultural practices intersect with the lives of non-human animals. Topics covered in this course include 1) the role of primatology and mammalian biomechanics in the study of human biocultural evolution; 2) considerations in studies of fossilized bones and animal remains from archaeological and geological sites to study past climates and environments, animal domestication, and the evolution of our food production economies; 3) examination of how different sociocultural groups construct human identities through animals, and 4) the ways in which social construction of animals in the United States are used to perpetuate relationships that reinforce racism, sexism, and class privilege. Other topics include the future of human-animal relationships in the Anthropocene, and the ethical and legal considerations for acquiring, working with, and studying animals and animal remains in the US. This class will include field trips, lab based studies of skeletal casts and real archaeological and modern animal bones, and a semester-long project culminating in a public exhibition. Prerequisite: ANT 110 or permission of the instructor.
Prerequisite
ANT 110 or permission of the instructor