ENG 347: The Representation of Animals

Professor L. Cole, Spring 2006

Beginning in the 1980s and partly influenced by theoretical developments in literary studies, books and articles began appearing in every discipline on the subject of animals, eventually forming a new field known as “animal studies.” ENG 347 serves as an introduction to that work, with a focus on Anglo-American literary and cultural studies, and particularly its preoccupation with the problem of “representation.” Our fundamental premise is this: the portrayal of animals in popular culture matters. Historically, to define what is “animal” is simultaneously to define what is not—in other words, what is “human”--where definitions of the “human,” as we shall see, are less stable than one might otherwise assume. Within this broad context, we shall explore several ethical and methodological approaches to the subject of animals, some of them deeply influenced by post-structuralist theory---the works of Foucault, Deleuze, Lacan, and Derrida. Familiarity with poststructuralism, however, is less important to this course than is the ability of students to approach texts—critical, literary, scientific, filmic—with an active analytical intelligence and an open mind.

Required Texts:

Critical:

Baker, Steve. Picturing the Beast: Animals, Identity, and Representation (U. of Illinois)

Guerrini, Anita. Experimenting With Humans and Animals: From Galen to Animal Rights. (Johns Hopkins)

Latour, Bruno. We Have Never Been Modern. Tr. Catherine Porter. (Harvard University

Press)

Wolfe, Cary. Animal Rites. (Chicago).

Instructor’s packet: Works marked by an asterisk will be available for purchase in the Department of English

Literary:

Behn, Aphra. Oroonoko. (Norton Critical Edition).

Burroughs, Edgar Rice. Tarzan, Man of the Apes. (Modern Library).

Stoker, Bram. Dracula. (Norton Critical Edition).

Swift, Jonathan. Gulliver’s Travels. (Norton Critical Edition)

Wells, H.G.. The Island of Dr. Moreau. (Bantam)

Course Goals:

The student successfully completing this course will be able to demonstrate:

--The ability to read a work of literature or a filmic text within a given methodological context

--The ability to summarize and distinguish between several different schools of thought within animal studies

--The ability to write a college-level essay about a primary text, using correct citation and consistent bibliographical format

--The ability to use both the internet and the USM library to locate sources and to conduct research

Grading: All of the above skills are required to pass this course. Students who demonstrate a better-than-average ability to execute them will receive a B. Students whose papers are decidedly more informed and accomplished than those of the majority of their classmates will receive an A. The grade will be based mostly upon two essays and an oral report.

A note on plagiarism: The emergence of internet sites devoted to literary analysis has brought with it the rise of plagiarism in college courses. This tendency seems to manifest itself more often when unprepared students are faced with unfamiliar or especially challenging material. If you experience anxiety or frustration in writing your papers please contact me for help; do not be tempted to take some other writer’s words or ideas and try to pass them off as your own. Plagiarism is an offense that, at best, will result in your failing this course; at worst, it could result in your expulsion from the university.

Course Requirements and Policies:

Essays: Your grade will be based mostly upon two essays of 4-6 pages, and a group project. I will offer suggested topics for the two essays, though you are free (with advanced permission) to write on a topic of your own choosing, so long it as it pertains to the course material. Final essays must be typed in 11-or 12-pont font with a 1.5 inch margin. They must conform to Chicago or MLA style. (On this, see Diane Hacker, Writing About Literature.)

Group Project: Early in the semester, I will divide the class into small groups whose members will work together throughout the semester to develop a presentation. Groups may (with guidance) choose their presentation topic so long as it conforms to the following criteria: the topic must pertain to animal studies; it must be narrow enough to be coverable in a 30-minute format; it must be complex enough to require extra reading and research. Each team will submit to the class an outline and bibliography upon presentation.

In-class and impromptu writing assignments: On the theory that students should receive frequent feedback, you will sometimes be asked to write short responses which will then serve as the basis of classroom discussion. Works marked by an asterisk are likely candidates for such papers. These will be checked rather than graded.

Reading: As you can see from the syllabus, below, on some days the reading is heavy but on others there is no reading at all. Consequently, it is useful to plan ahead. Every student is expected to come to class having read the assigned material. Should (for reasons beyond your control) you ever come to class unprepared, please let me know in advance. I will not call on you that day. Should too many students come to class without having read the material, I will be forced to give daily quizzes that will be averaged with other assignments to constitute your final grade.

Late papers: This class is organized so as to minimize the possibility of late papers. Papers will be marked down half a letter grade for every day they are overdue. Papers postmarked on the due date will not be penalized. Nor will papers emailed to me before class begins. I will need a hard copy of that paper, however, to grade. You may drop the finished essay by 311 Luther Bonney.

Attendance, Withdrawal, Incompletes: Students are expected to attend every class meeting. Should you find your absence is unavoidable, please contact a classmate—not your professor—for notes and any handouts or syllabi changes. No student missing more than two classes may pass this course. Also, please note the university policy regarding withdrawals. I cannot issue you a withdrawal after the posted date. Finally, except under the most unusual, unavoidable, and well-documented of circumstances, I no longer gives “Incompletes.” Please take this into account as your are planning your semester.

Office Hours and Contact Information: I will announce my office hours after the first week of class, and hope to meet with each of you at least once during the semester. My office phone number is 780-4093, but I am more easily reached through email. My email address is lcole@maine.rr.com.

Working Syllabus

Part One: Experimenting With Animals

January 17 Introduction and The Fly (1986, dir. Cronenberg)

.January 24 Guerrini, Experimenting With Animals and Humans pp.1-92; Hogarth, The Four Stages of Cruelty (online); Steintrager, from Unnatural Cruelty*

January 31 Swift, Gulliver’s Travels

February 7 H.G. Wells, The Island of Dr. Moreau

February 14 Guerrini, pp 93-152. Bring in a contemporary newspaper or magazine account of anything pertaining to animals and science.

February 21 Winter Break

February 28 Latour, We Have Never Been Modern

Part Two: Race and Sexuality: The Beast Within

March 7 First Essay Due. Film: Cat People (1942, dir. Tourneur)

March 14 Behn, Oroonoko; Susan Wiseman, “Monstrous Perfectability: Ape-Human Transformations in Hobbes, Bulwer, Tyson”*; Gary Taylor, “White Science”*

March 21 Stoker, Dracula; Jonathan Arata, “The Occidental Tourist: Dracula and the Anxiety of Reverse Colonization”*

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March 28 Spring Break

April 4 Burroughs, Tarzan, The Ape Man; Catherine Jurca, “Tarzan, Lord of the Suburbs”*; go online to familiarize yourself with social darwinism

April 11 Second Essay Due. Wolfe, Animal Rites; Film: The Silence of the Lambs (1991, dir. Demme)

Part Three: Animals and Contemporary Popular Culture

April 18 Baker, Picturing the Beast. Reports.

April 25 Baker, Picturing the Beast. Reports.

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May 2 Baker, Picturing the Beast. Reports.

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