​
Animal Ethics & Religion
REL ST 170 / PHILOS 130
​Spring 2025
​
​CLASS TIME: Tues/Thurs 2:00–3:20pm
Anteater Learning Pavilion 2100

 Professor: Brianne Donaldson / [email protected]
Image credit: Jo-Anne McArthur WeAnimalsArchive.org

DESCRIPTION

​​Although animal ethics were expressed in global religious traditions going back to antiquity, a sharp human/animal split emerges within Western philosophy (Aristotle), science (Descartes) and the humanistic study of religion (from Thomas Aquinas up to Durkheim and Eliade). We'll examine challenges to this split through philosophical approaches of (1) Identity (e.g. Singer and Regan), (2) Difference (Derrida) and alternative third approaches of (3) Indistinction. Using this three-fold framework—along with virtue ethics, feminist ethics of care, and important threshold concepts for reconceiving human-animal relations--we will examine ethical issues related to animals in the food system, scientific research, hunting, pet-keeping, and entertainment. We will further explore how animal ethics overlaps species, race, and gender violence. Finally, we will join our analysis with experimental modes of thought, feeling, and action capable of creating new opportunities for multispecies knowing and response.

STUDENT LEARNING GOALS

  1. Articulate the identity, difference, and indistinction approaches to animal ethics theory, with examples of each
  2. ​Investigate multiple competing religious, secular philosophical, and scientific views of animals utilizing diverse theoretical frameworks
  3. Consider multi-sensory threshold concepts that have shaped one's beliefs, experiences, and preferred forms of knowing (epistemology) other-than-human life
  4. Apply theory and ethics to modern film, data analysis, case studies, personal reflection, and public interventions

OPENING RECITATION

Opening Recitation:
​Khāmemi savva-jīve, savve jive khamantu me/
metti me savva-bhūesu, veraṃ majjha na keṇai//
 
I ask pardon of all creatures, may all creatures pardon me.
May I have friendship with all beings and enmity with none.
--Pratikramaṇa-sūtra, 49 (of the Jain tradition)

Source: R. Williams, Jaina Yoga: A Survey of the Medieval Śrāvakācāras (Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, [1963] 1991), 207.

 STUDENT VISITING HOURS: COME SEE ME! (Spring 2025)

Where to find my office: Office Krieger Hall  223 (Bridge level)
Visiting hours start Tuesday, April 8, 2025.
  • Tuesday (in person) 3:45–4:45pm
  • Contact me for other times by phone or Zoom (https://uci.zoom.us/j/98945597900); *Note that I often don't check email after 6pm.
  • When writing me, please include a greeting such as "Hi _____" or "Dear _____" so I feel like a means to your success as well as my own end; I will endeavor to do the same for you.

REQUIRED TEXTS 

Matthew Calarco, Thinking Through Animals: Identity, Difference, Indistinction (Stanford University Press 2015).
  • Publisher: Stanford Briefs
  • ISBN-10 : 0804794049
  • ISBN-13 : 978-0804794046
  • Cost: Approx. $10
​*OTHER INDIVIDUAL READINGS WILL ALSO BE LINKED IN THE SCHEDULE BELOW.

POLICIES

ATTENDANCE POLICY
Attendance will begin the second full week of class, after the drop/add deadline (April 11, 2025). After this date, all students can miss two classes without penalty. On the third absence, students will receive a one-time 3-point deduction, and an additional 3-point deduction for every absence thereafter. The two days you miss can be for any reason: illness, emergency, religious observance, travel, mental health day, out of class events, etc. If you choose to miss two days for any of these valuable reasons, and then fall ill or have an emergency, those absences still count, although the penalty is certainly not fatal if you otherwise attend class and complete work to a strong level. However, if you have an extended illness, extended family emergency, or extended immigration-related issue, please contact me as soon as you are able to and we will discuss a plan going forward. *Also, if something has kept you from reading or feeling prepared for class, please still come. You can always “pass” in discussion. So long as this is not a regular occurrence, your engaged presence will still benefit you, your peers, and our collective work.
​
CONTENT CONSIDERATION 
Some of the content in this course may be difficult to read, view, or consider as it relates to animals in food, research, and hunting, among other issues. Nevertheless, it is important to grapple with these difficulties so that our work together is not relegated to the realm of thought and theory alone. I have curated the assignments intentionally and carefully, and provided assignment frameworks so that you approach all tasks with questions in mind; that is, I will never "throw you into the deep end" without tools for swimming. In additional to these guiding frameworks, you can sometimes also choose your own assignment, such as one of the required films, or the final project. If you find something particularly challenging, I would encourage you to write about it in your essays, or discuss it with peers in your group work, or raise it in conversation with me, your friends, counselor, or family. 
​
​ADD/DROP DEADLINES
Students may DROP or ADD a course through 5:00 p.m. on Friday of the second full week of classes April 11, 2025; click here.

DISABILITY ACCOMMODATIONS
All of us have different abilities, strengths, and challenges with learning. Students who believe they may need accommodations to succeed in this class are encouraged to register online with the Disability Services Center (or call 949-824-7494) as soon as possible to ensure that such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion. This can include priority test-taking, seating preference, transportation, document conversion, among many other possible accommodations. Also, please feel free to meet with me to discuss any ways I can make any aspect of the classroom, materials, or assignments more accessible. 

LATE WORK POLICY 
The late policy will begin after the drop/add deadline of April 11, 2025. There is a one-hour grace period on all assignments, except online quizzes, which must be completed by class time. After the drop/add deadline, late assignments (after the one-hour grace period) of up to 40 points will receive a one-time 2-point deduction; late assignments over 40 points will receive a one-time 4-point deduction. All work is due by the last day of the final exam.

TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM
Disciplined use of devices for note taking or looking up information relevant to an immediate discussion in class is welcome. Checking out cat memes, doom scrolling, texting, and personal email, while tempting, is not. Various studies link social media to negative thought patterns and varied symptoms of addiction; Other studies report that even short breaks from social media improve well-being. Moreover, it is evident to everyone when a colleague is checked out of class and into their device, and it lessens what the class can be as a whole. I prefer to leave this disciplined restraint to you, but will address it myself if needed. I will do my best to facilitate an active learning environment whenever possible. 
FOOD AND HOUSING INSECURITY
​Any student who has difficulty affording groceries or accessing sufficient food to eat every day, or who lacks a safe and stable place to live, and believes this may affect their performance in the course, is urged to contact the UCI BASIC NEEDS CENTER at [email protected] / 949-824-0607. Also, please notify me if you'd like to so we can seek out other relevant resources. 

​UCI MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING AND RELATIONSHIP VIOLENCE PHONE LINES (24-HRS/DAY)
UCI has several free resources and services to support well-being and safety. Click here  / (949) 824-7273 / [email protected].

FIRST GENERATION SUPPORT!
Check out the School of Humanities' first-generation services here, including incoming seminar, peer mentor program, and more. ​
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY AND PLAGIARISM
We are here to do the hard work of learning together. Academic dishonesty erodes this goal and your own self confidence, and is a serious academic offense that can result in failing a paper, failing the class, and academic dismissal from the university. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to:
  • Plagiarism (copying words, phrases, or ideas from other authors/sources without giving citation credit)
  • Copying answers from another student or allowing another student to copy your answers
  • Communicating exam answers to other students during an exam or attempting to use notes or other aids during an exam
  • Using AI Chat or other Large Language Models to write your papers. There are valuable uses of AI but also many ethical issues related to bias, transparency, misinformation magnification, environment, privacy and others. UCI has its own ZotGPT with oversight so that your searches contribute to the in-house database alone. AI sources should not be used to generate your papers.
Academic dishonesty and plagiarism actions are a violation of the UCI Policies on Academic Honesty It is your responsibility to read and understand these policies. Note that any instance of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Academic Integrity Administrative Office for disciplinary action and is cause for a failing grade in the course.

LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION
I do write letters of recommendations for students if I feel I can offer a knowledgeable and positive account of an applicant. Because programs requesting such letters are seeking input from someone who has known applicants for a significant duration and depth, I only consider writing for students who I have had in at least two classes (or one class and another substantive manner such as thesis) and who I can genuinely speak to their work quality, attendance, collegiality, clarity, curiosity, and likely success in future programs. Letters require a back and forth with me so please allow ample time for consideration and completion.


ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING

320 Possible Points This Quarter
1. Attendance (see policy above)
​2. Snapshot Reflection, Animal Ethics (10 pts) [3%]
​3. Pre-class quizzes (5pts each; best 14 of 19 = 70pts) [22%]
4. Animal Ethics and Religions Worksheets/Essays (3 x 60pts each; 180pts total) [56%]
5. Final Exam, including Applied Animal Ethics outline (60pts) [19%]
6. Extra Credit (approximately 10-12 points possible); see below
ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTIONS
1. Participation: Attendance
Attendance will be taken each session beginning the third week of class (after the drop/add date of April 11, 2025). See the full policy above.
​
2. Snapshot Reflection: What is Animal Ethics?(10 pts)  [3%]
Due: Session 2a by start of class
We'll start this assignment on the first session. Please open the document here, fill in, and upload by class time on Tuesday, April 8. You will use this snapshot again for the final exam.
Snapshot Reflection on Animal Ethics.Spr25.docx
File Size: 14 kb
File Type: docx
Download File
3. Pre-class quizzes (19 total; 14 will count; 5 points each; 70 points total) [22%]
Due: Complete on Canvas by start of every class, starting session 1a 
Before each class for which we have reading of any kind (19 classes total), you will take and submit a quiz (open book; 20 minute limit) prior to coming to class through Canvas. In early weeks, this will include terms for key terms, philosophical/religious figures, and critical concepts. In later weeks it will include reading comprehension questions about diverse positions on a particular issue. These quizzes and reading questions will also function as the primary study guide for your final exam. I will count the 14 highest scores; you can take all 19 quizzes if you like, or skip up to five. Note: Quizzes will open on Canvas 24 hours prior to class until the start of class, that is, 2pm on Mondays and Wednesday.
4. Three Animal Ethics and Religions Worksheets/Essays (3 x 60pts each; 180pts total) [56%]
Due: Upload to Canvas 4a, 7a, 10b start of class
Please find worksheet rubrics for each essay below.  
Worksheet/Essay 1 (Animal Ethics & Religion.Spr25).pdf
File Size: 273 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
Worksheet/Essay 2 (Animal Ethics & Religion).Spr25.pdf
File Size: 189 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
Animal Ethics Film List for Worksheet 2 Here.
6. Final Exam (60pts) [19%]
​The open-book final exam will include you crafting an Applied Animal Ethics Outline, along with key terms and questions from quizzes and class discussions. A study guide and rubric will be handed out by Week 10.
7. Extra Credit (10-12pts)
There are occasional extra credit points in quizzes and there will be 5-point extra credit question on the final exam. Also, all students will receive 3 extra credit points if 70% of the class fills out the class evaluation
​
​All work should be your own during this quarter. I welcome you talking to colleagues and peers beforehand, but all quizzes and projects should reflect only your work unless otherwise specified.
UCI Canvas grading guide                          
A+ 100–96.5
A    96.5–93.5
A-   93.5–90
B+  90–86.5
B.   86.5–83.5
B-   83.5–80
C+  80–76.5
C    76.5–73.5
C-   73.5–70
D+  70–66.5
D    66.5–63.5
D-   63.5–60
F     60–0  

RESOURCES: 5 WAYS TO TAKE NOTES AND BEDFORD CITATION GUIDE 

Optional Documents (these will be noted in the syllabus schedule as needed)

MJ Barrett, et al., (Full article) Shifting Relations, 6 Threshold Concepts.pdf
File Size: 396 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
Derrida (Full chapter; annotated) The Animal that Therefore I Am.pdf
File Size: 9766 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
usda_annual_lab_research_report_2020.pdf
File Size: 590 kb
File Type: pdf
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Annotated "Is 'Organic' Humane?"
File Size: 1685 kb
File Type: pdf
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Porphyry, On abstinence.pdf
File Size: 783 kb
File Type: pdf
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Would you eat your cat?.pdf
File Size: 1488 kb
File Type: pdf
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Zoroastrian Scriptures; The Dog (p. 195).pdf
File Size: 10405 kb
File Type: pdf
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u.s._animal_welfare_act_excerpt.pdf
File Size: 913 kb
File Type: pdf
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 WEEKLY SCHEDULE ​(and tips for class preparation)

TIPS FOR CLASS PREPARATION:
  • Tips for reading notes: See the video under resources (above) for different note-taking methods; I've built in weekly activities for engaging the readings as well. 
  • Trouble following a reading or Short on time? Try one or more of the below rather than throwing in the towel:
    • What is the full title and who is the author of the reading? Tell us something briefly about the author.
    • What kind of source is this, according to The Bedford Handbook (see link in "Resources" above)? 
    • Pick 1-2 terms in the reading and look them up independently using online sources and just try to understand that term in its context; sharing this info in class will be edifying for us all.
    • Pick a figure named in the reading and look them up independently . . . sharing this info in class will be edifying for us all.
    • Read the opening paragraph and see if you can identify the main conclusion/s that will be covered
    • Read the section headings and the closing paragraph
    • "Pass" in class discussion; a rare "pass" is perfectly acceptable so long as it does not happen regularly

I. MULTIPLICITY OF RELIGIOUS PERSPECTIVES

Week 1

NOTES FOR SYLLABUS
  1. ​Readings and videos listed in the below schedule should be completed BEFORE coming to class (unless noted by "in-class"). 
    Green text below signals OPTIONAL readings for those who may have a particular interest. They are NOT required readings. However, you are welcome to use any optional readings as sources for class projects alongside assigned readings. I'm also happy to chat about anything you read.
  2. "In class" means that we'll do that reading or activity in class together. It is not required to read or prepare for it in advance.
  3. You will need the assigned course text in class by Week 3 (see "Texts" section above). Prepare in advance.

1a Tuesday, April 1 
Pluralizing Religious Accounts of Animals
  • Read Angus Taylor, "From Aristotle to Darwin" in Animals & Ethics: An Overview of the Philosophical Debate, 3rd. edition (p 33–35 only; pdf below)
Assignments
  • Before class: From the reading, identify 2-3 alternate views of animals from between traditions or within the same tradition. Upon what does the difference of view seem to be based?  
  • In class: We'll work on Personal Snapshot "What is animal ethics?" assignment in class (See Worksheet above in "Assignments; upload Tuesday 4/8 by class time)
Angus Taylor, Aristotle to Darwin, missing page corrected.pdf
File Size: 10983 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
​1b Thursday, April 3
Animals and Greek/Western Thought & Practice
  • Read Angus Taylor, "From Aristotle to Darwin" in Animals & Ethics: An Overview of the Philosophical Debate, 3rd. edition (pages 36–38 only; pdf above in session 1a)
  • Read excerpts from Aristotle's Politics (pdf below)
  • Optional reading (not required; just for those interested): Devin Henry "Aristotle on Animals" (pdf below)
Assignments
  • Canvas Quiz 1, due by class time ​
Aristotle, Politics, Book 1 (annotated).pdf
File Size: 3718 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
Devin Henry, Aristotle on Animals (annotated).pdf
File Size: 6567 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Week 2

 2a Tuesday, April 8
​​Animals and Indian Thought & Practice
  • Read Padmanabh Jaini, "Indian Perspectives on the Spirituality of Animals (pdf below) ​
  • ​Read "Edicts of Emperor Aśoka" (pdf below)
  • Optional reading (not required; just for those interested): Amber Carpenter, "Illuminating Community: Animals in Classical Indian Thought" (pdf below)
​​​​​Assignments
  • Canvas Quiz 2, due by class time 
  • Upload to Canvas: Personal Snapshot "What is animal ethics?" by class time (see Worksheet in "Assignments" section above)​
  • In class: We'll go over Animal Ethics and Religions Worksheet/Essay 1 (see rubric in "Assignments" section above)​
Padmanabh Jaini, Indian Perspectives on Spirituality of Animals.annotated.pdf
File Size: 2547 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
Amber Carpenter, Animals in Classical India.pdf
File Size: 7329 kb
File Type: pdf
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Edicts of Emperor Aśoka.pdf
File Size: 1228 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
2b Thursday, April 10
Animals-as-Machines
*note: "Descartes" is pronounced "Day-kaart" (French); Ideas related to Descartes are sometimes called "Cartesian"
  • Read Angus Taylor, "From Aristotle to Darwin" in Animals & Ethics: An Overview of the Philosophical Debate, 3rd. edition (pages 38–42 only; pdf above in session 1a)
  • Read Samuel Kaldas, "Descartes versus (Ralph) Cudworth on the Moral Worth of Animals"  
  • Read Two accounts of animals in the book of Genesis (pdf below; I've annotated this to give some context)
  • Optional reading (not required; just for those interested): Richard Sorabji, "Augustine on Irrational Animals and the Christian Tradition" (pdf below; 195–202)
  • Optional reading (not required; just for those interested): Humphrey Primatt (1776), "A Dissertation on the Duty of Mercy and Sin of Cruelty to Brute Animals"  (Preface and 1–13; pages have really large print so this is the equivalent of 4-5 pages) note that the Old English "s" looks like an "f" in this digital copy of the original text). ​
  • Optional reading (not required; just for those interested): Peter Harrison, "Descartes on Animals"
​​Assignments
  • Canvas Quiz 3, due by class time ​
Genesis 1-2, Animal Ethics (annotated).pdf
File Size: 314 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
Sorabji, Augustine on Irrational Animals & Christian Tradition.pdf
File Size: 2454 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Week 3

3a Tuesday, April 15 
Animals and Social Contract, Evolution, and Subjectivity
  • Read Angus Taylor, "From Aristotle to Darwin" in Animals & Ethics: An Overview of the Philosophical Debate, 3rd. edition (pages 42–56 only; pdf above in session 1a)
  • Watch, "Susan Blackmore (describes Thomas Nagel's philosophical question)--What's it like to be a Bat? and the problem of subjectivity" (2 minutes)
  • Optional: If desired, you can find a short summary of Nagel's question and the "hard problem" of explaining subjective experience from an objective "thing" like a brain here.​
  • Optional reading (not required; just for those interested): Paul Chance, "We're Only Human Apart From the Animals: There Must Be Something About Us that Makes Us Unique," Psychology Today (2 pages; pdf below).
Assignments
  • Canvas Quiz 4 by class time 
  • In class: we'll watch Faculty Office Hours
  • In class: We'll go over The Bedford Handbook (in "Resources" section above)​​
Chance, We're Only Human Apart from the Animals.pdf
File Size: 294 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

II. Critical Theories and Practices

3b Thursday, April 17
​​Assessing Existing Animal Ethics Theories: "Identity" Approach 
  • Read Matthew Calarco, Thinking Through Animals: Identity, Difference, Indistinction​​ (hereafter TTA): ​Intro and Ch 1 portion (p. 6–16 only; stop at paragraph that starts, "In line with Singer...")
  • ​​Read Peter Singer, "Practical Ethics" (Utilitarian/Consequentialism theory; 10 pages; pdf below)
  • Optional reading (not required; just for those interested): Jeremy Bentham, Excerpts from An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation (1789; pdf below)
​​ ​ Assignments​
  • Canvas Quiz 5 by class time ​​
Singer, Practical Ethics.pdf
File Size: 3802 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
Jeremy Bentham excerpt.pdf
File Size: 311 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Week 4

4a Tuesday, April 22 (Earth Day)
​​Assessing Existing Animal Ethics Theories: "Identity" Approach (Challenging Binary Oppositions) Assignments
  • Canvas Quiz 6 by class time 
  • Worksheet/Essay 1 due by class time
  • In class: We'll go over Animal Ethics and Religions Worksheet/Essay 2 (see rubric in "Assignments" section above)​​
Regan, The Case for Animal Rights.pdf
File Size: 3103 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
4b Thursday, April 24 
​​​Assessing Existing Animal Ethics Theories​: "Difference" Approach 
  • Read Matthew Calarco, Ch 2
  • Read excerpts from Jacques Derrida (French; sounds like Dare-ih-dah), "The Animal that Therefore I Am (More to Follow)" (pdf below) (Derrida's full chapter is in "Resources" section above for those interested)
  • ​Prepare before class for table activity :
    • Compare two media sources describing pigs: (1) Pork Checkoff, "Pig Handling) (pdf below; 2 pages) and (2) "No, Pigs Aren't Dirty," Farm Sanctuary (1 page) Questions: How are "pigs" variously described in each media source? Do you see any examples of a difference-based approach? These are good notes for Research Charts.
  • In-class: We'll also consider spiders and Charlotte's Web
Assignments​
  • Canvas Quiz 7 by class time​​​​
Derrida, Excerpts from "The Animal that therefore I Am" (shortened, annotated).pdf
File Size: 10710 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
Pig Handling, Pork Checkoff.pdf
File Size: 1127 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Week 5

5a Tuesday, April 29  
​​​Varieties of Difference-based Approaches: Virtue Ethics, Care Ethics, and Capabilities​
  • Read (online, Animal Ethics) "Virtue Ethics and Care Ethics"
  • Read Angus Taylor, Ch 3 excerpt "Nussbaum's Capabilities Approach,' p. 84–87 (pdf below)
  • Prepare before class for table activity:
    • Read Avi Selk (pdf below, from The Washington Post), "The Extraordinary Life and Death of the World's Oldest Spider" (Question: In this media narrative, look for examples—and note in your Research Charts?—examples of virtue and care ethics, and also Nussbaum's capabilities approach); you can see a photo of a Gaius villosus spider here
    • ​​Quick look: 50 Ways You Can Help Animals, Humane Decisions. Question: If you were to attempt one of these items, which would it be and what aspects of virtue or care ethics would you need to cultivate in order to try it?  
Assignments
  • Canvas Quiz 8 by class time ​​
Angus Taylor (85-87, Capabilities Approach).pdf
File Size: 2432 kb
File Type: pdf
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Avi Selk, Life and Death of Oldest Spider.pdf
File Size: 188 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
5b Thursday, May 1  
​Assessing Existing Animal Ethics Theories​: "Indistinction" Approach ​​​Assignments
  • Canvas Quiz 9 by class time 

Week 6

6a Tuesday, May 6 
​​Practicing Indistinction through Threshold Concepts 
  • Read: Short zine by M.J. Barrett, "Threshold Concepts for Multispecies Communication" (pdf below; for those who'd like to see the original research by Barrett, et al. that led to this zine, you'll find the full article in "Resources" section above")​
  • Read: Alice Walker, "Am I Blue?" (4 pages); Questions for class activity as you read Walker: (1) Identify any threshold concepts in both readings, drawing from Barrett's zine above. (2) Also, identify any examples of a Calarco's description of an Indistinction approach in pro-animal philosophy [experiences that render the space between being human and being animal indistinct in some way]?​
  • In class, we'll read together: Giorgios Mangakis, "A Drop of Blood" (1 page; pdf below)
  • In class, we'll play Animal Senses Game
Assignments
  • Canvas Quiz 10 by class time ​​
Mangakis, Drop of Blood.pdf
File Size: 373 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

III. ETHICAL APPLICATIONS & IMAGINATIONS

6b Thursday, May 8​
​Issues in Legal and Moral Personhood
Question as you read: This week's reading present perspectives on animal (legal) personhood and subjectivity (remember Nagel's "What's it like to be a bat?" above). As you read (in your research charts?), attempt to identify the unique ways each author approaches their analysis of personhood/subjectivity.
I recommend watching/reading the pieces in the order listed. Assignments
  • Canvas Quiz 11 by class time 
  • In class: We'll go over Animal Ethics and Religions Worksheet/Essay 3 (see rubric in "Assignments" section above)

Feminist Natives (see email from margaret robinson)
https://www.phoenixzonesinitiative.org/resource/advancing-medical-research-through-ethics-and-innovation/ (charismatic megafauna)
​Why we need a Belmont Report for Animals

Syl Ko, By Human Everybody Means.pdf
File Size: 4676 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Week 7

7a Tuesday, May 13 Syllabus is still in process after this point
​The Ethics of Eating Animals 
  • Read: Angus Taylor, "Is it Wrong to Eat or Hunt Animals" in Animals & Ethics: An Overview of the Philosophical Debate, 3rd. edition (only read 91–104; pdf below) Identify as many different ethical views as you can in Taylor's text; we will practice representing these in class.​
  • Read: Carol Adams, "The Rape of Animals, The Butchering of Women" (5 pages; pdf below) How would your describe Adams' approach?
  • Read: Lisa Held (online, Civil Eats) "Inside the Rural Resistance to CAFOs" How would you describe Held's approach?
  • Watch: Tony Weis, "The Industrial Grain-Oilseed-Livestock Complex" (7 min video; apologies for the dramatic music on this video, but Weis is a global expert on the inputs and output of industrial ag in his book The Ecological Hoofprint and I wanted you to hear a bit from him; please be prepared to describe the grain-oilseed-livestock complex Weis is referring to).
    • ​​​In class (data): USDA Livestock (pdf below)​

    • Optional reading for those interested (not required): 
    • Read G. Fay Edwards, "Reincarnation, Rationality, and Temperance: Platonists on Not Eating Animals" (pdf below; for those interested you can find Porphyry's On Abstinence of Animal Flesh in "Resources" section above)
    • ​​​
Assignments​
  • Canvas Quiz 12 by class time 
  • Worksheet/Essay 2 Due by 11:59pm tonight
Taylor, Ch 4.pdf
File Size: 9971 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
Adams, The Rape of Animals.pdf
File Size: 6101 kb
File Type: pdf
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USDA Livestock Data 2020
File Size: 1244 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
7b Thursday, May 15
​Becoming Animal/Becoming Edible 
These three narratives offer different ways of "becoming animal;" identify how each source makes its argument; how does each source balance rational facts while also moving through other threshold concepts (from week 5b)?  
  • ​​Read: Temple Grandin, "Thinking Like Animals" (3 pages)
  • Read: Brian Henning and Hope Henning, "Logos, Pathos, and the Absent Presence of the Persons We Eat" (pdf below)
  • Christine Ro, "Why A ‘Humane’ Label On Meat And Eggs Means Very Little," Forbes May 2023
    • Watch in-class: American Meat Institute, "Video Tour of a Beef Plant Featuring Temple Grandin" (10 min)
      • When watching this video, please note the features of humane slaughter, or the "points of audit" that Grandin introduced to the beef slaughter industry in the 1990s (at 8:30 mark)
      • In-class: Beyond Meat, Impossible Meat/Kosher
Assignments
  • Canvas Quiz 13 by class time 
  • Upload Self-Assessment 2 by class time
Grandin, Thinking Like Animals.pdf
File Size: 2642 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
Henning&Henning, Logos, Pathos.pdf
File Size: 684 kb
File Type: pdf
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8a Tuesday, May 20
​Transforming Ethical Sensibilities and Eating
What would it look like for you to undertake a version of any of the practices laid out by these others to shift an established sensibility?
  • ​​​Read: Michael Marder: "Is it Ethical to Eat Plants?" (pages 29–34; pdf below) (Note for BD: include Porphyry, Abstinence 1.6; 1.18)
  • Read: Justin Fifield, "Living in Awareness of Death: Buddhist Experiments in Ethical Sensibility"
  • Watch: Nas Debates, "Is Eating Meat Wrong?" Try to identify one argument from each side you find compelling; using terms and ideas from our course, try to analyze each argument as to its fundamental view of human-animal relations, any normative ethical theories (consequentialism, deontology, virtue, care), identity, difference, or indistinction, or any threshold concepts. 
Assignments Assignments
  • Canvas Quiz 14 by class time 
Marder.Is it Ethical to Eat Plants?.pdf
File Size: 156 kb
File Type: pdf
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Fifield, Living in Awareness.pdf
File Size: 1545 kb
File Type: pdf
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Week 8

G. F. Edwards, Platonists (annotated).pdf
File Size: 10112 kb
File Type: pdf
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8b Thursday, May 22 (Jon Gill visit on Zoom)
​​Animals in Scientific Experimentation ​ ​​​Assignments
  • Canvas Quiz 15 by class time 
Taylor, Ch 5, Animals Scientific Research.pdf
File Size: 9209 kb
File Type: pdf
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USDA, annual lab research report, 2020.pdf
File Size: 590 kb
File Type: pdf
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Week 9

9a Tuesday, May 27 
​Investigating the Research Attitude
  • Read: John Gluck, " The Gift of the Monkey Who Danced into Oblivion and the One Dressed in a Cage" (pdf below); how might you relate Gluck's argument to any of the threshold concepts we've examined or to Marder's or Fifield's suggestion of changing our ethical sensibilities? Can you think of any concrete ways laboratory leaders or their student teams can cultivate Gluck's invitation to "come closer" or reexamine the "lure of the research imperative"? 
  • Read: Angus Taylor, "Is it Wrong to Use Animals for Scientific Research," in Animals & Ethics: An Overview of the Philosophical Debate, 3rd. edition (excerpt 129–34, "Fox's Case For Animal Experimentation" and "Fox's Case Against Animal Experimentation" and "Scepticism about Benefits"; pdf below)
  • Watch: These Supercows Are Genetically Bred To Fetch Six Figures At Auction (7 min) Do you find any overlaps with genetic engineering described in this video and Gluck's description of "the lure of the research imperative"?  
Assignments
  • Canvas Quiz 16 by class time 
  • See final exam details in syllabus; study guide handed out next week ​​
Gluck, The Gift of the Monkey Who Danced into Oblivion.pdf
File Size: 302 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
In Class Case Study, Esophageal Tube Placement.docx
File Size: 15 kb
File Type: docx
Download File
9b Thursday, May 29
​Hunting and Wildlife Control
Somewhere add Animal Photojournalism https://theviifoundation.org/animal-photojournalism-seeing-from-another-species/​
Add https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSHEeM4icLc&t=2s​ ​Assignments
  • Canvas Quiz 17 by class time 
  • ​Spring 2025 Class evaluations here (due xxx); If 70% of class fills out, all receive 3 extra credit points)​
Taylor, Ch 4.pdf
File Size: 9971 kb
File Type: pdf
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Week 10

10a Tuesday, June 3
Ethics of Keeping Pets Assignments​
  • Canvas Quiz 18 by class time 
  • ​​Spring 2025 Class evaluations here (due xxx); If 70% of class fills out, all receive 3 extra credit points)​
Carter, Prophetic Lab.pdf
File Size: 482 kb
File Type: pdf
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10b Thursday, June 5
​​Factors in Making Ethical Change ​​​Assignments
  • Canvas Quiz 19 by class time 
  • Animal Worldview Worksheet due today by class time for full consideration of Extra Credit (up to 10 points; see Extra Credit in "Assignments" section above; those turned in late may only be considered up to 5 points)
  • ​Spring 2025 Class evaluations here (due xxx); If 70% of class fills out, all receive 3 extra credit points)​​
  • Read G. Fay Edwards, "Reincarnation, Rationality, and Temperance: Platonists on Not Eating Animals" (pdf below; for those interested you can find Porphyry's On Abstinence of Animal Flesh in "Resources" section above)
Bashir, Goats of My Childhood.pdf
File Size: 502 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Week 11

FINAL EXAM 
The final exam will be open five days (Monday XXX 2pm – Friday XXX 2pm). The exam is open book and should reflection your own work only, as aligned with the virtue of honesty toward self and others. Exams must be done in one 2 hour and 15 minute sitting. Accommodation time will be added. For those interested, the official exam time was: xxx.
Notes below this are for professor's use.
Add Genesis Q into Quiz 3

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