HUMAN-ANIMAL RELATIONSHIPS in Spring 2023 (PY1099FB2)

Psychology, building on its heritage from philosophy and physiology/medicine, has played a particularly influential role in the study of non-human animals and of different sorts of human-animal relationships. It could seem paradoxical, then, that psychologists have only recently become active participants in cross-disciplinary ‘animal studies’ and ‘environmental studies’ where human-animal relationships are featured center-stage. Through readings, creative projects, and debates, this course contributes to a ‘genealogical’ perspective on representations, practices, and experiences of human-animal relationships. We focus on debates concerning the scientific study and clinical contributions of non-human animals, including their classification, naturalistic observations of their behavior, their selection as experimental subjects and more recently as ‘model organisms,’ as well as on their involvement in animal-mediated therapies and emotional support for humans.