RHET-2142 Rhetoric of Animality

RHET-2142-001
Tuesdays, 6:00 - 9:00 PM, Fall 2022, 3M67

This course examines what has come to be known in the humanities as "the question of the animal". It considers how moral discourse in the West has failed to grapple with the physical and metaphysical presence of non-human animals. Students examine how the moral status of animals has been theorized in Western thought. In this course, we also interrogate the different tropes used to uphold the human-animal distinction, including the idea that speech, communication, and reason confer a special status upon humanity. A wide range of writings addressing "the question of the animal" will be explored.