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’.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
This module's assessment will evaluate your achievement of the ILOs listed here - you will see reference to these ILO numbers in the details of the assessment for this module.
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).

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.