EGMT 1530: The Nonhuman

This course examines some of the diverse ways that people have understood and interpreted the difference between humans and nonhumans. In it, we will focus on three subcategories of the nonhuman: animals, technology, and god(s). Students will interact with films, short stories, artworks, and scholarly essays that engage questions of difference that exceed the borders of the “human.” What does race have to do with animal zoos? How does artificial intelligence challenge our understanding of humanity’s relationship to technology? How do different conceptions of the sacred and divine shape different ideas of the human creature? Students will consider ways that seemingly strict or absolute boundaries of difference can break down or be transgressed. On the other hand, it is to examine how our understanding and treatment of nonhumans is inextricably tied to our understandings and treatments of other humans.