Description
Multispecies perspectives can challenge and expand long-standing questions in Western philosophy: Who or what counts as a knower? What kinds of knowing are valid? Is knowledge a product of mind, body, or something else? Historically, these epistemic questions have been answered in ways that neutralize the knowing and knowledge contribution of and for more-than-human beings, as well as those on the margins of society considered less than “human.” Consequently, these assumptions often support the destruction of ecological habitats, industrialization of food animals, widespread use of insect and plant toxins, water and air pollution, climate extinctions, ecological militarism, labor exploitation, and the perpetual flow of living beings used for entertainment, research, clothing, companionship, and economic resources. We will consider a Process-relational approach (associated with Alfred North Whitehead) to "nature alive" beyond the subject-object bifurcation before engaging cross-cultural and multidisciplinary perspectives (including Buddhist, Sikh, Jain, Christian, Muslim, African, Daoist, LatinX, Animist, Kabbalistic, Indigenous, among others) as well as philosophies of plant and insect life, race and disability studies, laboratory epistemology, embodied semiotics, and scholar-artists. Students will experiment in producing new critical modes of responsiveness with existent entities who co-constitute our entangled planetary existence.
Upper image by Adam Wolpa (www.wolpa.studio)
Upper image by Adam Wolpa (www.wolpa.studio)
SPRING 2026
HUM 270 / PHILOS 200 / REL ST 170
Tuesdays 4-6:50 / Humanities Hall 303
Brianne Donaldson / [email protected]
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 LEARNING OBJECTIVES
HUM 270 / PHILOS 200 / REL ST 170
Tuesdays 4-6:50 / Humanities Hall 303
Brianne Donaldson / [email protected]
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 LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- Identify components of several cross-cultural ontologies that account for multispecies relations
- Analyze features or practices related to multispecies un/knowing in various relational epistemologies
- Evaluate ethical obligations or mutuality within vulnerable multispecies relations
- Synthesize diverse knowledges—including scientific, indigenous, artistic, religious, philosophical, experiential, among others—to produce new modes of multispecies knowing
Visiting Hours (Spring 2026)
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Where to find my office: Murray Krieger Hall, Room #223 (Bridge level entrance)
Visiting hours start Thursday, April 9, 2026
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Policies
A NOTE ON "RELIGION"
UCI Religious Studies "offers a critical multidisciplinary lens into world religions, global philosophies, history, and cultural expressions that continue to shape the contemporary world." This class will deal with the uncountable concepts, values, phenomena and practices that (possibly) constitute a concept called "religion," as well as secularism, atheism/non-theism, agnosticism, naturalism, existentialism, scientism, and several points between. Citizens who are not fluent in the complexities of the study of religion and its ongoing interpretations will cede that ground to fundamentalisms, religious nationalisms, and the erasure of cultures and practices that can benefit or injure the living world. So we will dig in. Students are encouraged to bring their evolving selves to this class with a spirit of humility and dialogue alongside one another. "Conversion" is not the aim of this class; rather, our collaboration together aims to help you leave a more curious and courageous version of however you entered.
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 10, 2026). See the policy here.
ATTENDANCE POLICY
All students can miss one class with no penalty. Beyond that, each absence is a 10pt reduction. Attendance will begin after the drop/add period. 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 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.
LATE WORK POLICY
Scheduled class presentations must be presented on your chosen day/s to receive a grade. All other work has a 2-hour grace period unless arrangements are made. After the drop/add deadline (April 10), late assignments will receive the following one-time deductions: 0-10 point assignments (=1 pt deduction); 11-40 points (3 pt deduction); 41+ points (5 pt deduction). All late work is due by June 12, 2026.
UCI Religious Studies "offers a critical multidisciplinary lens into world religions, global philosophies, history, and cultural expressions that continue to shape the contemporary world." This class will deal with the uncountable concepts, values, phenomena and practices that (possibly) constitute a concept called "religion," as well as secularism, atheism/non-theism, agnosticism, naturalism, existentialism, scientism, and several points between. Citizens who are not fluent in the complexities of the study of religion and its ongoing interpretations will cede that ground to fundamentalisms, religious nationalisms, and the erasure of cultures and practices that can benefit or injure the living world. So we will dig in. Students are encouraged to bring their evolving selves to this class with a spirit of humility and dialogue alongside one another. "Conversion" is not the aim of this class; rather, our collaboration together aims to help you leave a more curious and courageous version of however you entered.
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 10, 2026). See the policy here.
ATTENDANCE POLICY
All students can miss one class with no penalty. Beyond that, each absence is a 10pt reduction. Attendance will begin after the drop/add period. 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 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.
LATE WORK POLICY
Scheduled class presentations must be presented on your chosen day/s to receive a grade. All other work has a 2-hour grace period unless arrangements are made. After the drop/add deadline (April 10), late assignments will receive the following one-time deductions: 0-10 point assignments (=1 pt deduction); 11-40 points (3 pt deduction); 41+ points (5 pt deduction). All late work is due by June 12, 2026.
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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. It is also a serious academic offense that can result in failing a paper, failing the class, and academic dismissal from the university. Please see the UCI Policies on Academic Honesty. It is your responsibility to read and understand these policies. A.I. USE My experience is that AI is like binge watching a reality show; it can satisfy certain cravings for a time but ultimately leaves one longing to participate directly in creative life. Each student will be required to include a short paragraph (3-5 sentences) on each submitted assignment as to if/how you used AI for your assignments, along with its helps and hindrances, if applicable. |
DISABILITY ACCOMODATIONS
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) to ensure that such accommodations are implemented as soon as possible. This can include priority test-taking, extended time on quizzes, seating preference, transportation, document conversion, among many other possible accommodations. And please feel free to meet with me to discuss ways that I can make the classroom, materials, or assignments more accessible.
FIRST GENERATION SUPPORT!
Check out the School of Humanities' first-generation services here, including incoming seminar, peer mentor program, and more.
KNOW YOUR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS FOR ALL
Flyer and wallet cut-out can be found here. U.S. Constitution here.
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) to ensure that such accommodations are implemented as soon as possible. This can include priority test-taking, extended time on quizzes, seating preference, transportation, document conversion, among many other possible accommodations. And please feel free to meet with me to discuss ways that I can make the classroom, materials, or assignments more accessible.
FIRST GENERATION SUPPORT!
Check out the School of Humanities' first-generation services here, including incoming seminar, peer mentor program, and more.
KNOW YOUR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS FOR ALL
Flyer and wallet cut-out can be found here. U.S. Constitution here.
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].
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].
Assignments
ALL WORK CAN BE TURNED IN PRIOR TO THE DUE DATE (JUST LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT FEEDBACK SOONER THAN DUE DATE)
1. DISCUSSION LEADER WORKSHEETS (1 solo worksheet @ 30pts; 1 joint worksheet at 15pts)
Each week 2 students will sign up to create a discussion leader worksheet for that week's readings a send it to all participants/faculty before class. Each student will lead a 12-15 minute discussion (for a combined total of 25-30 minutes) using your sheet. Please see below instructions.
1. DISCUSSION LEADER WORKSHEETS (1 solo worksheet @ 30pts; 1 joint worksheet at 15pts)
Each week 2 students will sign up to create a discussion leader worksheet for that week's readings a send it to all participants/faculty before class. Each student will lead a 12-15 minute discussion (for a combined total of 25-30 minutes) using your sheet. Please see below instructions.
| Discussion Leader Worksheet (Multispecies Knowing).docx |
2. JUNK JOURNAL ARCHIVE: 2 EXPERIENCES OF MULTISPECIES KNOWING
Craft two 1.5-2 page single-spaced reflections (approx. 900-1200 words) that richly engage your own evolving experiences of multispecies knowing as they overlap the various "threshold concepts" and assigned course content for the assigned weeks.
As "junk journals," these embodied reflections will be an archive of your own experience of multispecies knowing. Each journal is an intersection of your encounter with embodied experience, materiality, and varieties of knowing; they may contain a mixture of words, pictures, scraps, found objects, poetry, fabric, leaves, scribbles and doodles, dreams, and many other elements. However, those are an accompaniment to the embodied experience. The main requirements include:
1. Junk Journal 1 (due Week 5; covering weeks 1-4)
2. Junk Journal 2 (due Week 9; covering weeks 5-9)
Please turn in a digital copy of your junk journal each week, rather than the hard copy. However, you will bring all three journals as an archive on Week 10 to share with the class.
3. QUESTIONS FOR GUEST SPEAKER DURING WEEK 7 (May 12)
Please submit 1-2 questions for Dr. Bhogal onto the relevant Canvas Discussion thread by 11:59 on May 11.
3. FINAL PROJECT
We'll be using Chicago Manual of Style
Craft two 1.5-2 page single-spaced reflections (approx. 900-1200 words) that richly engage your own evolving experiences of multispecies knowing as they overlap the various "threshold concepts" and assigned course content for the assigned weeks.
As "junk journals," these embodied reflections will be an archive of your own experience of multispecies knowing. Each journal is an intersection of your encounter with embodied experience, materiality, and varieties of knowing; they may contain a mixture of words, pictures, scraps, found objects, poetry, fabric, leaves, scribbles and doodles, dreams, and many other elements. However, those are an accompaniment to the embodied experience. The main requirements include:
- seeking multispecies encounters in some way
- engaging multispecies knowing through/with the assigned "threshold concepts" and weekly content
- changing your encounter/s in each journal; don't just repeat/expand on the same experience
- balancing the intellectual reflection with feeling encounter and creativity
- please do not intentionally kill or injure anything deliberately to facilitate encounter or junk journaling
- you have some flexibility in your word count, but ensure you offer sufficient depth to engage sources in the covered weeks to elucidate your encounter/s
1. Junk Journal 1 (due Week 5; covering weeks 1-4)
2. Junk Journal 2 (due Week 9; covering weeks 5-9)
Please turn in a digital copy of your junk journal each week, rather than the hard copy. However, you will bring all three journals as an archive on Week 10 to share with the class.
3. QUESTIONS FOR GUEST SPEAKER DURING WEEK 7 (May 12)
Please submit 1-2 questions for Dr. Bhogal onto the relevant Canvas Discussion thread by 11:59 on May 11.
3. FINAL PROJECT
We'll be using Chicago Manual of Style
- Proposal (1 page) (Tues, May 5, 11:59pm)
- In-class progress report (Tues, May 19)
- Final (Tues, June 9, 11:59pm)
| Multispecies Knowing Final Project.docx |
| Syllabus Research Chart Sample.pdf |
All readings should be done before class. If you don't complete all the reading one week, you can definitely still contribute (1) on what you did read, (2) by asking questions of your colleagues, (3) by listening, (4) by sharing reflections on your evolving modes of multispecies knowing, etc. An occasional "pass" in class discussion is also perfectly fine.
Weekly Schedule
Week 1 / Tuesday, March 31
Materialism, Mechanism, and Knowledge
Read before class:
Alfred North Whitehead, Modes of Thought
While reading, please pay special attention to, and be ready to discuss:
Assignments
Materialism, Mechanism, and Knowledge
Read before class:
Alfred North Whitehead, Modes of Thought
- Lecture 7, Nature Lifeless (127-32); pdf below
- Lecture 8, Nature Alive (148–54); pdf below
- Brianne Donaldson, "Introduction: From the Limits of intelligibility to Perceptive Rearrangements" (by way of introducing myself to you, I'll read from this in class; p. 1–11)
While reading, please pay special attention to, and be ready to discuss:
- What habits of thought is Whitehead is responding to and/or repudiating?
- What are features of nature dead or nature alive?
- Any other memorable terms, concepts or claims?
- Your own Qs
Assignments
- Everyone will sign up for their Discussion leader slot today
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Week 2 / Tuesday, April 7
Threshold Concept 1: We can communicate with nonhuman nature and nonhuman nature can communicate with us
KL
Alfred North Whitehead, excerpt from Process and Reality (pdf below; p. 18–20; stop at Section II)
Art/Praxis
Assignments
Please do not include Whitehead's 2 pages in your leader worksheet; we will all cover that together
Threshold Concept 1: We can communicate with nonhuman nature and nonhuman nature can communicate with us
KL
- Barrett, p. 14-15
- María del Rosario Acosta López and Juan Diego Pérez Moreno, "Decolonizing Listening: From Grammars of lo Inaudito to Expansive Onto-Epistemic Thresholds" (p. 105–20)
Alfred North Whitehead, excerpt from Process and Reality (pdf below; p. 18–20; stop at Section II)
Art/Praxis
- Please watch the below collection of examples (about 10 total minutes) of making animal Others heard/seen in the public eye or the Law, including a nonviolent direct action in March 2026 (what connections to do you make with course concepts so far; what insights are new, troublesome, productive?)
- Video 1: Introducing a problem: A Tail of Two Dogs, by Naturewatch Foundation (3 min)
- Video 2: Introducing a rescue and "voluntary prosecution": Lawyer and activist Wayne Hsuing (2 min)
- Video 3: Rescue 1 (March 15, 2026; Ridglan Farms in Wisconsin) by BeHereNow_Films (3 min; update: 31 dogs were rescued; law enforcement conficated 8; 23 made it to safety, veterinary care, and new homes)
- Link for Rescue 2 (Ridglan Farms in Wisconsin) will take place on on April 19, 2026; options to support, join the effort, or learn more here
- Video 4: Different rescuers in U.K. aquitted in March 2026 for removing beagles from MBR Acres research facility March 2026: video here (4 min)
Assignments
Please do not include Whitehead's 2 pages in your leader worksheet; we will all cover that together
- Discussion Leader A: Juliet
- Discussion Leader B: Ruzanna
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Week 3 / Tuesday, April 14
Threshold Concept 2: There are different ways of knowing
KL
Assignments
Please do include Whitehead's 6 pages in your someone's leader worksheet
Threshold Concept 2: There are different ways of knowing
KL
- Barrett, p. 14-16
- Graham Harvey, "Multispecies Kinship and Kindness: Knowing Life Through Animist Etiquette and Ethics" (p. 152–66)
- Beatrice Marovich, "Weaving Life and Death Back Together: On Multispecies Morality" (p. 34–44)
- Art/Praxis: Jo-Anne McArthur, "Knowing Animals in the Anthropocene through Animal Photojournalism" (p. 167–78)
Assignments
Please do include Whitehead's 6 pages in your someone's leader worksheet
- Discussion Leader A: Frisian
- Discussion Leader B: Luis
- Discussion Leader C: Seb
Week 4 / Tuesday, April 21
Threshold Concept 3: Worldview is the lens through which we experience reality
KL
Assignments
Threshold Concept 3: Worldview is the lens through which we experience reality
KL
- Barrett, p. 14-17
- Donovan Schaefer, "Voracious Secularism: Emotional Habitus and the Desire for Knowledge in Animal Experimentation" (p. 45–70)
- Art/Praxis: Jess McCulloch, "Why is Art the Place to Imagine Chimeras and Human-Animal hybrids?" (online)
Assignments
- Discussion Leader A: Maria
- Discussion Leader B: Luis
Week 5 / Tuesday, April 28
Threshold Concept 4: Transrational (transpersonal) intuition and embodied knowing are valid ways of knowing
KL
Threshold Concept 4: Transrational (transpersonal) intuition and embodied knowing are valid ways of knowing
KL
- Barrett, p. 14-18
- (theory) Matthew Calarco, "Identity, Difference, Indistinction" (pdf below)
- (application) Margaret Robinson, "Indigenous Veganism: Feminist Natives Do Eat Tofu" (pdf below)
- (application) Val Plumwood, "Prey to a Crocodile"
- Art/Praxis: Julia Schlosser (BD: add pdf) OR add the ecosystem game here? Add AI interview somewhere?
- Choose Reading Groups for Week 9
- Discussion Leader A: Wonjun
- Discussion Leader B: Andrew
- Junk Journal 1 (due Week 5; covering weeks 1-4)
| Calarco, Identity, Difference, Indistinction.pdf |
| Robinson, Indigenous Veganism.docx |
Week 6 / May 5
Threshold Concept 5: Knowing is relational
KL
Threshold Concept 5: Knowing is relational
KL
- Barrett, p. 14-19
- Che Gosset, "The Genre of the Animal: Beyond Racial Capitalist Consumption" (p. 210–221)
- Jana Rožker, "Unknown Patterns of Intersubjectivity: Zhuangzi, the Seabird and the Happy Fish" (p. 195–209)
- Art/Praxis: Angela Robinson and Laura Terrance, "The Obligations of Our Ecological Relations: A Challenge for Land Acknowledgments" (p. 101–04)
- Add ecosystem or happy shopper game?
- Discussion Leader A: Andrew
- Discussion Leader B: Frisian
- Discussion Leader C: Ruzanna
- PROPOSAL FOR FINAL PROJECT DUE by 11:59pm tonight
Week 7 / Tuesday, May 12 / Balbinder Singh Bhogal Visit
Threshold Concept 6: Dominant beliefs and discourses can undermine other ways of knowing as valid
KL
There is no discussion leader this week, but everyone will submit 2-3 questions for Balbinder Singh Bhogal prior to class.
Threshold Concept 6: Dominant beliefs and discourses can undermine other ways of knowing as valid
KL
- Barrett, p. 14-19
- Balbinder Singh Bhogal, "The Forbidden Turn: Decentering Modern Subjectivity by Integrating Animal and Mystic Affects" (p. 210–221)
There is no discussion leader this week, but everyone will submit 2-3 questions for Balbinder Singh Bhogal prior to class.
Week 8 / Tuesday, May 19
Threshold Concept 7: The Map Is Not the Territory
KL
Threshold Concept 7: The Map Is Not the Territory
KL
- Barrett, p. 14-20
- Ralph Acampora, "Precursor to Knowledge: Semiosis as Ground of Multispecies Morality" (p. 21–33)
- Elisa Aaltola, "How to Love Animals? Attentive Platonic Love as an Epistemic and Moral Method" (p. 296–310)
- Art/Praxis: David Rothenberg, "making Music with Mysterious Species in Ponds" (p. 263–76)
- STEP 2 FINAL PROJECT DUE
- Discussion Leader A: Seb
- Discussion Leader B: Roniya
- Discussion Leader C: Wonjun
Week 9 / Tuesday, May 26
CHOOSE YOUR OWN READING / MAKE YOUR OWN THRESHOLD CONCEPT
Everyone will do Art/Praxis; then in groups of 2-3, you will choose a reading and make a joint discussion sheet. Each participant will handle a section; together you will also craft your own new "threshold concept" from the reading, drawing upon all you've read and experienced this quarter. Each Group will have 12 minutes to present.
Possible KL readings (not all need to be selected):
Assignments
CHOOSE YOUR OWN READING / MAKE YOUR OWN THRESHOLD CONCEPT
Everyone will do Art/Praxis; then in groups of 2-3, you will choose a reading and make a joint discussion sheet. Each participant will handle a section; together you will also craft your own new "threshold concept" from the reading, drawing upon all you've read and experienced this quarter. Each Group will have 12 minutes to present.
Possible KL readings (not all need to be selected):
- Kai Horsthemke, "Environmental Ethics, Climate Change and African Social Epistemology" (p. 84–99)
- Michael Marder, "The Tree of Life-Death: On the Vegetal Wisdom of Life in the Book of Zohar" (p. 121–34)
- Brianne Donaldson, "Expansive Modes of Multispecies Knowing Toward Nonviolence in the Early Jain Canon" (p. 135–51)
- Jacob Bull, "Gendered Assumptions in Narratives and Practices of Animal Welfare" (p. 179–94)
- Bligh Somma, "Fahr al-Dīn al-Rāzi's Multispecies Epistemology" (p. 248–62)
- Daniel M. Stuart, "A Multispecies Cosmovision: Knowing Nonhumans Beyond the Cognitive Imaginary in Buddhist Thought and Practice" (p. 277–95)
- Gabriele Schwab, "Transpecies Selves: Rethinking Species-Being and the Boundaries of the Human" (p. 311–24)
- Alfred North Whitehead, "The Aims of Education" (p. 1–14; pdf below)
- BD: Add AI Interview?
Assignments
- All groups will present for 12 minutes each
- Junk Journal 2 (due Week 9; covering weeks 5-9)
| Whitehead, Aims of Education.pdf |
Week 10 / Tuesday, June 2
Archive Reflection
KL
BD: Maybe add a couple pages of Whitehead?
Assignments
Archive Reflection
KL
- Suzanne Bost, "Knowing Multiply, Unexpectedly, Imaginatively: Decolonizing Knowledge with Gloria Anzaldúa" (p. 325–338)
BD: Maybe add a couple pages of Whitehead?
Assignments
- Bring your Junk Journal Archive to class, along with a final project description. You'll be narrating how your embodied experience of multispecies knowing in the journal informed how you approached your final project
- Discussion Leader A: Maria
- Discussion Leader B: Roniya
- Discussion Leader C: Juliet
| Dotson, How is this paper philosophy?.pdf |