This course explores how animals and people are situated within the web of structures and connections known as “society.” Module 1 considers some of the key symbolic roles that animals play in society by investigating the practice of “thinking with animals.” We investigate how people construct different meanings of animals and the implications these meanings have for both animals and humans. You will gain first-hand experience of this by analyzing how animals are represented in the media. Modules 2 and 3 investigate human-animal relationships, including those that involve suffering as well as those that are beneficial. Although many people describe their pets as friends or family members, Module 2 takes a deeper dive into what constitutes friendship and family membership where other species are concerned. Module 3 examines the dark side of these relationships, focusing on animal abuse and its relationship to domestic violence. Module 4 focuses on people’s encounters with those animals outside the boundaries of the home and the farm. The way people understand and regard the species commonly considered “wild” shapes the treatment and moral status of these animals.
This course is part of the Animals and Society Specialization
Offered By
Animals and Society SpecializationUniversity of Colorado BoulderAbout this Course
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Try Coursera for BusinessWhat you will learn
Demonstrate knowledge of how animals serve as symbols and metaphors in the media
Summarize the practices and interactions that allow for human-animal relationships
Identify the major factors that lead to animal abuse
Represent instances of human-wildlife conflict
Skills you will gain
- Animal welfare
- Sociological concepts
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Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
Thinking with Animals
Close Relationships
The Dark Side
Wild(life) Encounters
Reviews
- 5 stars75.75%
- 4 stars14.14%
- 3 stars9.09%
- 1 star1.01%
TOP REVIEWS FROM ANIMALS, SELF, AND SOCIETY
Course is very informative. WARNING - If you sign up as audit, it will noe let you complete unless you upgrade to paid certificate course.
Awesome course! Learned a lot. Very interesting and easy to learn from. Educational. I am studying to be a vet tech and this will be a valuable course on my resume.
A really great course, easy to follow lectures and great information! I had a really fun time with it, and the peer graded assignment really solidified what I had learnt. I definitely recommend! :)
Excellent course. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Lots of very good information!!
About the Animals and Society Specialization
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