Honors Collegium 164
Between the Species: The Human/Non-Human Animal Relationship
Enrollment: Honors Collegium courses are reserved for College Honors students during first pass enrollment, but open up to all students during second pass enrollment.
Course Description: Synchronous class meetings via Zoom on Tuesdays, 11:00am – 12:25pm. Exploration of intimate and changing relationships between humans and non-human animals. Examination of how we conceptualize animals: as companions, food, workers, representatives of self, and more; rights–or lack thereof–of animals; our animal industries: factory farming, shelters and rescues, animal workers, entertainment, fighting, races, hunting, medical research, and more; boundaries between human and non-human animals; violence against animals, both individualized and institutionalized; animals as concept; and social construction the difference between human and non-human animals.
Professor Terri Anderson
Born and raised in Southern California, Dr. Anderson has a Ph.D. in Sociology from UCLA, and B.A degrees in Sociology, Psychology, & Philosophy. She teaches in-person and online in a diverse range of topics for both the Department of Sociology and the Honors Collegium, and loves her dogs more than just about anything.
Q & A
What is your home department at UCLA? Sociology
How long have you been teaching your HC seminar? It’s new for Fall!
What is your favorite part about teaching this HC seminar? I care deeply about the topic, and welcome exploring it with my students.
What do you find to be the most compelling about the subject matter of this seminar? The capacity for education to have direct relevance and impact for everyday understanding and behavior.
What are the learning objectives for this course?
- A critical understanding of the roles of symbolism and culture in our perception and treatment of animals.
- Ability to explain how identities, values, and biases manifest in treatment of animals.
- Analytical understanding of the connections between speciesism, sexism, and racism.
- Understanding of the relationship of meat to such social phenomena as marginalization, oppression, and political and economic systems.
- A critical understanding of the ethics and effects of our use of animals–as pets, food, clothing, entertainment, and scientific research.
- Develop a personal philosophy of animal rights.