Zoology/Wildlife Ecology 335
Human/Animal Relationships: Biological and Philosophical Issues
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Syllabus: Spring 2007
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INTRODUCTION
January
23 Introduction:
Our complicated and contradictory relationships with other animals
25 How
do we fit in? Where does "Animal" end and "Human" begin?
30 Tool
Use, Community and Culture in non-Human Animals
February
1 The Evolution of Domestication
APPLIED ETHOLOGY
6 Introduction
to Ethology: Understanding Animal Behavior
8 Ethology,
Habitat and Wildlife: You really ARE what you eat (& where you live)
13 Trials
of Life Videos: Ethology and Behavioral Ecology
15 The
Ethology of Agricultural Animals
20 Herding
Dog Demonstrations and Sheep Ethology: STOCK PAVILION
22 The
Ethology of Companion Animals
27 Cognition
I: Thinking about thinking
March
1 Cognition
II: Intelligence and Self-Awareness in non-human animals
6 Stress:
What it is, how to measure it and its relationship to welfare issues.
8 Suffering:
How can we determine if an individual of another species is suffering?
13 Exam
I (Short answer and essay, in class)
PHILOSOPHY: ANIMAL WELFARE AND ANIMAL RIGHTS
15 Philosophy
I: Introduction—Early Philosophers and their Attitudes toward Animals
20 Philosophy
II: Peter Singer and the Welfare Perspective, Tom Regan and Animal Rights
22 Philosophy
III: Leopold, Callicott, Ecological Holism; Van de Veer & 2 Factor Egal.
[Guest
Lecturer, Jim Anderson, Dept. of Philosophy]
27 Welfare
and Wildlife: Perceptions & Priorities. [Guest Lecturer, Stan Temple]
29 Wildlife
and Social Controversies. [Guest Lecturer, Scott Craven] PAPERS ACCEPTED
April
3 Spring
Break
5 Spring
Break
10 Welfare
and Wildlife: Well-being of the Planet PAPERS DUE
*
12 Agricultural
Animals & Current Social Issues: Part I, Introduction
17 Agricultural
Animals & Current Social Issues: Part II [Guest Lecturer, Tom Crenshaw]
19 Biology
and Ethics in Biomedical Research: The Historical Perspective
24 Biology
and Ethics in Biomedical Research: Current Issues
26 Panel
Debate: The Biology and Philosophy of Eating Meat
May
1 Companion Animal Welfare, Part I
3 Companion Animal Welfare Part II
8 Companion
Animal Welfare, Part III (Applied Ethology Demonstrations in Class)
10 Exam
II (Short answer and essay, in class)
* Term Papers Due April 10th at beginning of lecture
General Information
Assigned Readings:
(1) Covenant of the Wild. 1991.Stephen Budiansky. Yale University
Press.
(2) The Ape and the Sushi Master. 2001. Frans de Waal. Basic
Books.
(3) Philosophy Reading Packet (from People, Penguins and Plastic Trees,
1995) (provided in class)
***
Note: There may be more readings assigned as the semester progresses.
Dr. Patricia McConnell: 365 Birge Hall, 265-2725 (campus ofc) or 767-2435 (business ofc). The class email address is: zoology335-301-s07@lists.wisc.edu (all messages automatically go to the entire class) and my private email is pbmcconn@wisc.edu. Email is a great way to contact me and I am always happy to talk with students about the class and your participation in it. I am on campus every Tuesday and Thursday, with office hours from 4 pm to 5 pm on Tuesdays. The website for the class is http://www.zoology.wisc.edu/courses/335/335home.html.
Alicia Medina (Teaching Assistant): 445
Henry Mall, Office #104. 263-4840 Email: amedina@wisc.edu (email
is the best way to contact Alicia). Office hours are from 9:30 to
10:30 on
Wednesdays, or by appointment. The OPTIONAL discussion section is
held on Thursday, at 3:50 PM, in 350 Birge Hall.
Grading:
The two (in-class) exams will be short answer and essay questions. The
exams are scheduled for March 13th and May 10th. There
is no Final for this course. You must see the Teaching Assistant well
in advance if you can't attend on an exam day. The first exam is worth
90 points, the second is worth 110 points. The term paper, due on April
10th is worth 100 points. Thus, the grades will be based on a
total of 300 points. If a student fails to take one exam or to turn
in the paper, his or her grade will automatically become a "D." If
two exams or one exam and the paper are not received, the grade automatically
becomes an "F."
“The Biology and Philosophy of Human-Animal
Relationships”
Zoology/Wildlife Ecology 335
Patricia B. McConnell
This course is an inquiry into the complex and often contradictory relationships between humans and other animals. It begins by examining the paradox of humanity—asking when and how humans, clearly still members of Class Mammalia, became an animal like no other. We will do a comparative study of several aspects of behavior often labeled as unique in humans, including culture, tool use and language. The semester continues with a discussion of a major change in the relationship between humans and other animals, the process of domestication. We’ll look at how the process could have begun, and what changes from wild type progenitors are exhibited by domestic animals.
A substantial section of the course is devoted to the study of ethology and behavioral ecology, first in a general sense, and then related specifically to common domestic animals. Domestic animal ethology will be studied through a series of lectures, slides, videos and live demonstrations. The Ethology section ends with a comparative study of cognition in human and non-human animals, and an objective process by which to determine suffering in other species. This section provides a foundation on which to form opinions about welfare and rights issues later in the semester.
The next section of the semester is an inquiry into philosophical perspectives of our duties toward other animals. Beginning with Aristotle, the course provides a brief history of the changing nature of our perceptions of other animals, and beliefs about our obligations toward them. Several different perspectives are examined in depth, distinguishing between concerns about animal welfare vs. concerns about animal rights, the viewpoint of ecological holists, and the balancing act of two factor egalitarianism.
The semester concludes with a substantial section on current social controversies involving our relationships with animals. It begins with considerations about our relationship with wild animals and the ecosystems in which they live, the ethics of using animals in bio-medical research, and continues with discussions about our impact on animals in agriculture and animals as companions. It includes guest lecturers from a variety of fields, from wildlife conservation to agriculture.
The goal of the course is to provide students the foundation needed to make thoughtful, educated decisions about their relationships with other animals. It does not prescribe what those decisions should be, but rather encourages all citizens to examine each issue—from wildlife conservation to eating meat to keeping pets—from many different perspectives. None of these issues are simple or black and white, and each of us needs to thoughtfully examine many different perspectives before making an informed and personally ethical decision about our own behavior.
This is not an easy course. It involves a relatively heavy reading load early in the semester, and research for—and careful writing of—a term paper later in the semester. Every semester a few students complain about the amount of work required, but most students give the course an outstanding evaluation and admit that the work is more than worth it effort by the time the semester is over.