PHIL 489/689
"Animal Ethics and Science"
Spring semester, 2008 – MW 12:30-1:45 p.m., 213 Bolton Hall

Featuring: Philosophical theories of animal welfare, animal rights, and neo-Cartesianism Related scientific research on animal consciousness Pedagogical issues

This course will introduce students to the main philosophical theories in animal ethics (animal rights, animal welfare, and neo-Cartesianism), discuss related contemporary research on animal consciousness, and consider ways to introduce discussions of animal ethics in the classroom. Philosophers read will include Peter Singer, Tom Regan, Bernard Rollin, Peter Carruthers, and Carl Cohen. Related scientific research discussed will include: pain and nociception, language acquisition, mirror self-recognition, episodic memory and autonoetic consciousness, and “using a ‘theory of mind’.” Designed for students majoring in the life sciences, the course will include discussion of strategies for starting and managing classroom discussions of such issues.

About the instructor: Gary Varner is the author of a book and over thirty articles on animal issues and environmental ethics. He has been invited to speak on related topics by the Smithsonian Institution, the American Bar Association's National Judicial College, the American Veterinary Medicine Association, the Society for Range Management, the Society for Conservation Biology, the Wildlife Society, the Society for Marine Mammology, the North American Association for Environmental Education, the Foundation for Luso-American Development, the European Chapter of the Society for Ecological Restoration, and the Columbus Zoo.

Further information: Click here to retrieve a draft syllabus for the course, including a lengthy list of possible readings. And here is a poster that you could use to spread the word about the class.