Postgraduate Module Descriptor

ANTM105: Humans and Wildlife: Conflict and Conservation

This module descriptor refers to the 2019/0 academic year.

Module Aims

The module aims:

  • to enable you to engage in a critical and reflexive manner with a wide range of sociocultural interactions between humans, animals and environments (both natural and built) in the contemporary world;
  • to provide you with the knowledge and understanding to enable you to apply and critically evaluate various theoretical perspectives relating to human-animal-environment relations;
  • to critically evaluate the successes and failures of conservation initiatives, and consider how anthrozoological involvement can help to improve human-wildlife interactions on the ground.

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 Skills1. demonstrate a detailed knowledge and understanding of the manifold ways in which humans think about and interact with animals classified as wildlife;
2. show a sensitive yet critical appreciation of the ethical, social, political and economic implications of a range of initiatives designed to conserve endangered wildlife;
Discipline-Specific Skills3. demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of, and ability to critically assess a selection of key theoretical debates from anthropology and cognate disciplines surrounding human interactions with 'wild' animals in both 'natural' and 'built' environments;
4. apply relevant theoretical models in the analysis of 'real world' case studies/data;
5. demonstrate a critical awareness of the value of anthrozoology to the resolution of human-wildlife conflict;
6. establish examples of' 'best practice' and demonstrate an ability to critically evaluate the successes and failures of a range of conservation initiatives;
Personal and Key Skills7. identify a coherent research question and conduct effective independent research to answer that question;
8. effectively communicate complex ideas in a clear, accessible and academic manner;
9. synthesise and analyse material from a full range of sources;
10. present research in accordance with the requirements of a peer-reviewed academic journal.

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.

Abramson, A. & Theodossopoulos, D. (2000) Land, Law and Environment.London: Pluto Press.

Chrulew, M. 2011. Managing love and death at the zoo: the biopolitics of endangered species preservation. Australian Humanities Review 50: 137–157.

Descola, P. & Palson, G. (1996) Nature & Society: Anthropological perspectives.London: Routledge.

Ingold, T. (2000) The Perception of the Environment: Essays in livelihood, dwelling and skill.London: Routledge.

Knight, J. (ed.) 2000. Natural Enemies: People-Wildlife Conflicts in Anthropological

Perspective.London: Routldge.

Knight, J. 2006. Waiting for wolves in Japan: an anthropological study of people–wildlife relations.Hawai’i:University ofHawaii Press.

Lee, P.C. 2010a. Sharing space: can ethnoprimatology contribute to the survival of nonhuman primates in human-dominated globalized landscapes? American Journal of Primatology 72: 925–931.

Lee, P.C. 2010b. Problem animals or problem people? Ethics, politics and practice or conflict between community perspectives and fieldwork on conservation.: In:J. MacClancy and A. Fuentes (eds) Centralizing fieldwork: critical perspectives from primatology, biological and social anthropology.Oxford: Berghahn.

Lowe, C. 2006. Wild profusion: biodiversity conservation in an Indonesian archipelago.Princeton,NJ:PrincetonUniversity Press.

Milton, K. (1993) Environmentalism: the view from anthropology.London: Routledge.

Milton, K. (1996) Environmentalism and Cultural Theory: exploring the role of anthropology in environmental discourse.London: Routledge.

Milton, K. (2002) Loving Nature: Towards an Ecology of Emotion.London: Routledge.

Strang, V. (1997) Uncommon Ground: Cultural Landscapes and Environmental Values.Oxford: Berg.

Theodossopoulos, D. 1997. Turtles, farmers and ‘ecologists’: the cultural reason behind a community’s resistance to environmental conservation. Journal of Mediterranean Studies 7(2): 250–267.

Theodossopoulos, D. 2000. The land people work and the land the ecologists want: indigenous land valorisation in a Greek island community threatened by conservation law. In A. Abramson and D. Theodossopoulos (eds.) Land, law and environment: mythical land, legal boundaries.London: Pluto Press.

Theodossopoulos, D. 2002. Environmental conservation and indigenous culture in a Greek island community. the dispute over the sea turtles. In: M. Colchester (ed.) Conservation and mobile indigenous peoples: displacement, forced settlement, and sustainable development.Oxford: Berghahn Books.

Theodossopoulos, D. 2005. Troubles with turtles: cultural understandings of the environment on a Greek island. Oxford: Berghahn Books.

van Dooren, T. 2010. Pain of extinction: the death of a vulture. Cultural Studies Review 16(2): 271–289.