ANTH0057-1 : Anthropology of human-animal relationships

Study Programmes 2016-2017

ANTH0057-1

Anthropology of human-animal relationships - 1st part : theory

Duration :

30h Th

Number of credits :

Master in anthropology (120 ECTS)		3
Master in sociology and anthropology (60 ECTS)		3

Lecturer :

Véronique Servais

Language(s) of instruction :

French language

Organisation and examination :

Teaching in the first semester, review in January

Units courses prerequisite and corequisite :

Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program

Learning unit contents :

This year, the theme of the seminar is the anthropology of animals, understood as the anthropology of human-non human relationships. The course is divided in three parts :
1- An introductory course where some basic knowledge is presented, drawing from the work of Descola, Ingold and Latour
2- A theoretical part devoted to the examination of specific questions concerning anthropozoology and the relationship with the natural world
3- Practical exercices aiming at experiencing what it is to be affected by animal bodies and/or other natural beings. These exercices will be later the target of an autoethnographic reflexive work.

Learning outcomes of the learning unit :

At the end of this teaching unit, students will be able to:

develop fruitful collaborations with natural sciences scientists, because they will be acquainted to their epistemology and way of thinking
understand the socio-anthropological roots of the animal issue, and more broadly the "non human" issue
take seriously non western ontologies and tackle questions about relativism in ontologies
question their own relation with other living beings

Prerequisite knowledge and skills :

None

Planned learning activities and teaching methods :

The course is built on academic and experiential work, the latter being the object of an analytic autoethnographic report.

Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning) :

The course is organized as a 2h per week seminar. It will take place at the first term. Students' active participation is expected. Relevant scientific papers will be introduced as they are needed. Each group is expected to expose its advances in research every two to three weeks.
The practical part is a visit to a nearby zoo as well as the regular visits that the students need to pay to a chosen tree. These visits must be documented in a personnal diary.