Postgraduate Module Descriptor

ANTM106: Representation of Animals Through Religion

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

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

The module forms broadly three parts and will focus upon: animist or shamanist approaches, and the historical and continued use of animals as ancestral or spiritual guides; the construction of and conduct towards non-human animals in contemporary religious discourse and practice; cosmology and animal participation. It will investigate the anthropomorphism of animals in religious thought and ceremonial activity, and the animals in the construction of religious ethical discourse, around either gift or sacrifice, or compassionate ideologies associated with animal welfare.

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:

Introduction
Deification and Worship of Non-Human Animals (Ancestral Animals and Animals as Spiritual Guides)
Animals in Hindu and Buddhist Religious
Hindu Temple Animals
Animals in Religious Art
Gifts to the Gods and Animal Sacrifice
Abrahamic religions, ethics, and animal welfare
Buddhism, Compassion, and Non-Violence Towards Animals
Bereavement and Pet Funerals
Anthrocosmology, Deep Ecology, and New Age Spirituality

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

...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	10	10 x 1 hour podcast audio lectures with accompanying PowerPoint presentations
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	10	10 x 1 hour discussion/seminar participations on the VLE discussion forums (Including formative assessments)
Guided Independent Study	30	Preparation for formative assessments
Guided Independent Study	100	Research and writing of summative assessments

Online Resources

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).

http://vle.exeter.ac.uk/