HIST 319 - Animals in Human History

The history of animal-human relations is a recent, and rapidly growing, sub-field of history. By moving animals inward from the periphery of human history, scholars have revealed the tremendous role that animals have played in humanity's development. This course examines several key areas of human existence that have been affected by animals, including food supply and domestication, warfare, industry, companionship and pet keeping, sport, entertainment, zoological gardens, and the recent emphasis on animal rights. Although there will be some reference to earlier periods and other areas of the globe, the course will be concentrated on the West in the modern period. In studying the key trends in human-animal history, students will learn to read and think critically, to understand an author's central argument, to communicate effectively in written form, and to evaluate an author's sources.