Module ANTM100 for 2017/8
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Postgraduate Module Descriptor
ANTM100: The Animal Mirror: Representations of Animality
This module descriptor refers to the 2017/8 academic year.
Module Aims
The module aims
1. to provide students with a detailed and theoretically grounded insight into a wide variety of animal representations in literature, in the arts and in other ‘media’ forms;
2. to enable students to engage critically with the ways such representations relate to, and can inform wider philosophical discussions of contemporary import (such as the environmental crisis and global sustainability);
3. to develop students’ abilities to apply appropriate theoretical models to representations of animals and the ‘nonhuman’.
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. demonstrate a detailed and coherent knowledge of a range of theoretical approaches to the representations of 'animals' and the 'nonhuman' in literature, the arts, and other 'media' or 'cultural' forms; 2. critically evaluate and theoretically analyse the relationships between the representations of animals and the consumption of animal representations; e.g. author / reader, artist / viewer, advertiser / consumer; 3. display an understanding of the ways in which contemporary representations of animals might inform wider theoretical/philosophical debates such as global environmental crisis; |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 4. demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the importance of 'animals' and 'animality' in the creation of anthropological ideas about self and others; 5. show a clear and detailed understanding of the historical development of theoretical approaches to the representations of animals within the social sciences; 6. demonstrate a reflexive awareness of the socio-cultural influences which lead to particular representations and interpretations of animals within the social sciences; 7. critically scrutinise dominant representations in light of recent theoretical developments in the social sciences; 8. synthesise visual imagery and written text in a coherent and critically analytical manner; |
| Personal and Key Skills | 9. engage in independent research and analysis; 10. communicate complex ideas to a diverse audience; and 11. present information utilising a variety of different media, including visual media. |
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
The structure and thematic content will include some or all of the following:
- The representation of animals in ‘culture’ and the media
- The representation of animals in literature (including an overview of how to approach working with texts)
- Animals and Colonialism
- Representing self and other
- The animal aesthetic: Animals in Art/Animals as Art
- Anthropomorphism
- The post-modern animal and post-humanism
- Hybrids
- Exhibiting animals
Learning and Teaching
This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | 130 | 0 |
...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities | 10 | 10 x 1 hour podcast audio lectures with accompanying powerpoint presentations |
| Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities | 10 | 10 x 1 hour discussion/seminar participations on the VLE discussion forums (Including formative assessments) |
| Guided Independent Study | 45 | Weekly preparatory reading for lectures and seminars |
| Guided Independent Study | 30 | Preparation for formative assessments |
| Guided Independent Study | 50 | Research and writing of summative assessments |
| Guided Independent Study | 5 | Attendance at an exhibition |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
How this Module is Assessed
In the tables below, you will see reference to 'ILO's. An ILO is an Intended Learning Outcome - see Aims and Learning Outcomes for details of the ILOs for this module.
Formative Assessment
A formative assessment is designed to give you feedback on your understanding of the module content but it will not count towards your mark for the module.
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-assessed exercises | Weekly Q&A discussions on VLE discussion forums (equivalent to 1 hour per week) | 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10 | Peer-assessed (via postings on ELE and/or The Den (Anthrozoology group on Exeter's social networking site) and written feedback on the discussion forums. |
| Reflexive journal relating to attending exhibition | Approximately 5 hours / 1500 words. | 2, 6, 9 | Written feedback. |
Summative Assessment
A summative assessment counts towards your mark for the module. The table below tells you what percentage of your mark will come from which type of assessment.
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Review of an exhibition | 50 | 2,000 words | 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 10, 11 | Written feedback. |
| Photo-essay with accompanying written critical analysis | 50 | 2,000 words | 2, 3, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11 | Written feedback. |
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 |
Re-assessment
Re-assessment takes place when the summative assessment has not been completed by the original deadline, and the student has been allowed to refer or defer it to a later date (this only happens following certain criteria and is always subject to exam board approval). For obvious reasons, re-assessments cannot be the same as the original assessment and so these alternatives are set. In cases where the form of assessment is the same, the content will nevertheless be different.
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Review of an exhibition | Review of an exhibition | 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 10, 11 | August/September re-assessment period |
| Photo-essay | Photo-essay (2,000 words) | 2, 3, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11 | August/September re-assessment period |
Indicative Reading List
This reading list is indicative - i.e. it provides an idea of texts that may be useful to you on this module, but it is not considered to be a confirmed or compulsory reading list for this module.
Atwood, M. 2003. Oryx and Crake. London: Virago.
Atwood, M. 2010. The Year of the Flood. London: Virago.
Baker, S. 2000. The Post-modern Animal .London: Reaktion Books.
Baker, S. 2001. Picturing the beast: Animals, identity, and representation .Urbana:University ofIllinois Press.
Bergthaller, H. (2010). ‘Housebreaking the Human Animal: Humanism and the problem of sustainability in Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake and The Year of the Flood’ English Studies . 91 (7): 728-743.
Burt, J. 2002. Animals in Film .London: Reaktion Books.
Chris, C. 2006. Watching Wildlife .University ofMinnesota Press.
Coetze, J. M. 2004. Waiting for the Barbarians .London: Random House.
Connor, D. 2006. ‘The Menagerie of the Senses’ Senses & Society . 1(1): 9 – 26.
Daston, L. & Mitman, G. 2006. Thinking with animals: new perspectives on anthropomorphism .ColumbiaUniversity Press.
Derrida, J. & Wills, D. 2002. ‘The Animal That Therefore I Am (More to Follow)’ Critical Inquiry 28, no. 2: 369-418.
Descartes, Rene. 1912. Trans. John Vetch 1934. Discourse on Method. Everyman's Library. London: Dent.
Drobnick, J. 2006. ‘Oleg Kulik: Zoophrenic Odors’ Senses & Society . 1 (1): 141 – 148.
Fudge, E. 2000. Animal .London: Reaktion Books.
Fuentes, A. 2006. ‘The Humanity of Animals and the Animality of Humans: A View from Biological Anthropology Inspired by J. M. Coetzee’s Elizabeth Costello ’ American Anthropologist Volume 108 (1).
Haraway, D. 1991. Simians, Cyborgs and Women: The Reinvention of Nature . Free Association Books.
Kristoffersen, Siv. 2010. ‘Half beast–half man: hybrid figures in animal art’ World Archaeology. 42 (2): 261-272
Malamud, R. 1998. Reading zoos: representations of animals and captivity .New York:New YorkUniversity Press.
Rachels, J. 1991. Created from Animals: The Moral Implications of Darwinism. Oxford:OxfordUniversity Press.
Rothfels, N. Representing Animals .IndianaUniversity Press.
Russell, C.L. and Ankenman, M.J. 1996. Orangutans as photographic collectibles: ecotourism and the commodification of nature. Tourism Recreation Research. 21(1): 71–78.
