Animal Geography: The Course Syllabus Spring 2017

Where in Human-Animal Relations GEOG 30703 Section 34214

Monday 3-5:40pm | Location: Reed-Jones Hall 215

Instructor: Professor Doubleday

Office Hours: Monday 11am-2:30 pm and by apt. - Scharbauer Hall 2015B
E-mail: k.doubleday@tcu.edu
INTRODUCTION
Animals & Geography introduces students to the rapidly evolving sub-discipline of Animal Geography within
the wider body of research on human-animal relations through focused readings, in class discussions and
writing. The course explores diverse and complex roles that humans and animals have in each other’s individual
daily geographies and lifespans across a variety of places. Course topics are related to the growing concerns and
debates such as global biodiversity loss and environmental degradation, growing human-wildlife conflict in
urban and developing countries, and the role of human management in species and individual animal
management (urban, domestic spaces, protected areas, and other relevant spaces). Human and animal lives have
always been entwined, yet the efforts and failures to coexist are intensified by global environmental and social
changes. This course explores how both people and animals are active participants in creating human, animal,
and human-animal places, boundaries, and a more-than-human world.

GUIDING QUESTIONS
How are animals placed, defined and encountered by people? What ethical and moral questions and concerns
arise from the diverse ways humans and animals create, maintain and break spatial relations?

COURSE OBJECTIVES for STUDENTS

 Comprehend the main principles of Animal Geography used to study human-animal relations.
 Distinguish a wide array of ways to think about animals and human-animal relations through ideas of place,
space and boundaries.
 Apply class concepts, topics, and understandings to assignments.
 Think critically, make educated assumptions, and form opinions about the roles, meanings and
consequences of animal actions and placements in society.

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REQUIRED TEXTS
The course readings come primarily from literature categorized as Animal Geography but readings from other
disciplines engaging human-animal studies are also included, as well as, general audience resources. Readings will
be available for download on the course TCU Online page, under Files (Readings). In addition to these
readings, we will view (either together or on your own before class) video clips throughout the semester. Links
to the full videos (we will rarely be able to watch full documentaries/videos) will also be available on our course
TCU Online page, under Files (Video Links).

EVALUATIONS
1. Essay Exams: Two take-home essay exams (the last the final) will test readings and class discussions.
Student will have a choice of two questions from at least three. The questions will be handed out two weeks
before the exam date to be turned in on the day specified in the syllabus calendar.

2. Projects: Projects 1) Through this project students will engage the ideas of animals as active agents in the
creation of spaces, places and cultural landscapes through the case study of: The Fort Worth Stockyards
(detailed directions in ‘Files’ on TCU Online). Project 2) Animals are in the news more so than ever, in a variety
of ways: e.g. related to environmental concerns, as case studies for and against trophy hunting, as internet
celebrities themselves, for having seemingly ‘intimate’ relationships for people, etc. For this project students are
to use course readings, assigned video clips and class discussions to analyze an animal-related current event
(detailed directions in ‘files’ on TCU Online) through the lends of animal geography.

4. Assignments: There will be five assignments each worth 20 points to be completed outside of class time.
They will either directly or indirectly relate to that week’s readings and/or topics covered so far in class.

5. Quizzes & Minute Papers: A quiz will be given most class days (10) to test students' comprehension of
reading/media material. Or in place of quizzes, I will ask for 'minute papers' where students will respond on the
spot at the beginning or end of class. For example, students may be asked to provide the main points of
readings due that day before discussion starts, or provide their view on readings or class discussions, etc. This is
part of the course's goal of active learning and also to gauge how the class and students are understanding class
content. Each quiz or paper will be worth 5 points for a total of 50 points.

6. Participation: Attendance and participation are very important; students are expected to come to class
prepared in order to participate in discussion and follow lecture content. All in-class and homework exercises will
connect closely to the exams and assignments. Participation points come from a mixture of contributing during
lectures, notes from special events, and being an active member during group discussions.
In order to fully participate will require completing the assigned readings/videos before class, to be prepared to
discuss the material, and to be able to participate in the class activities on the readings by sharing your thoughts
and questions. These activities are designed to develop your critical reading skills. You will not just complete the
readings, but you will put the readings to work! You can do so by asking: What are the connections between the
readings and the themes and case studies we’ve discussed in class? What perspective is the author writing from?
How does the reading help me understand the course material better and/or problematize it? What questions
does the reading raise for me? I will often ask you what your questions are, come prepared to raise and discuss
them!

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 Activity Points Letter Grade Points
1. Two Exams (100 points each) 200 A (95% +) 546 +
A- (92% +) 528-545
2. Projects (100 points each) 200 B+ (88% +) 504-527
3. Assignments (20 points each) 100 B (85% +) 480-503
B- (82% +) 456-479
4. Quizzes & Minute Papers (10 points each) 50 C+ (78% +) 432-455
C (78% +) 396-431
5. Participation 50
C- (72% +) 372-395
Total Possible Points 600 D (68% +) 348-371
F (<62%) < 347

COURSE SCHEDULE
I reserve the right to modify this syllabus and course schedule as deemed necessary. You wi ll receive notice of
changes through TCU Online and/or through email in advance.

Due Dates &

Readings/Video
Date Topics Assignments
(to be read/watched BEFORE class)
Given
1) Syllabus/Assignment Johnston 2008 (pg 633-637 stop at AN Theory) Due by
overview 1pm:Readings
Urbanik 2012 (excerpts) assignment (1)
Jan. 23
2) ‘Bringing the Animals Back
In’: Intro to Animal
Geographies
1) Cultural Animal Landscape Wolch 1998 (Ch 6, Zoopolis) Project 1
Direction
2) Zoopolis (Film) Uploaded

Jan. 30 3) Agency & Due before

Hybridity: A co- class: ‘Your
constructed world Animal Map’
assignment

1) Assemblages ½ Class: Dempsey 2010 Due Feb 10th

½ Class: Sundberg 2011 5pm:
2) Actor Network Project 1
Feb. 6
Theory Gullo, Lassiter & Wolch 1998 (Ch. 7, The
Cougar’s Tale – see further directions in sources)

1) Review Project 1 Adams 2016

Feb. 13
2) Human Animal Relations:
Attention Economy, Traces
Animals & Territoriality Philo & Wilbert 2000 (pg 6-14) Due before
class: Enviro-
Feb. 20 Guest Speaker: Kelsi Nagy, PhD Coleman 2004 (Ch 1) organism
Candidate Oxford, Geography assignment
Department (ethnography & sacred
cow)

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 Exam 1
Questions
Handed Out
Transgressing the human- Plumwood 2012 “Meeting the Predator” pg. 9-21
Feb 27 animal boundary

Transgressing the human- Plumwood 2012 “A Wombat Wake” pg. 49-53 Due March
animal boundary 10th by 6pm:
Optional: Candea 2010 Exam 1
Watch: Practicing more-than- Optional: Life lessons from big cats
March 6 human geographies – Sarah March 11th
Whatmore Assignment 4
Directions
Uploaded

SPRING BREAK
Optional Listening: Episode 16 – Compassionate Conservation

1) ‘Placing’ Wildlife: Zoos Everyone: Quammen 1998 Due March

24th:
Additional readings will be divided among Assignment 4
March 20
students and posted in TCU Online

Human-Wildlife Conflict: “It’s Capek 2005 March 29th

a space problem” Assignment 5
March 27
Optional: Treves & Bruskotter 2014 Directions
Uploaded
No class April 3rd: Instead watch 1 & 2 below
AAG 2017 BOSTON

Required: 1) Watch ‘The Ivory Game’ (Netflix)

2) The Poachers Pipeline

Optional (if you want more info/sides of the story on Illegal Wildlife Trade): Episode 14 – Undercover with the US Fish and
Wildlife Services

Huma-Wildlife Conflict 2 Athreya et al. 2013 Due April 5th:

Assignment 5
Woodroofe et al. 2014
April 10 April 5th
Project 2
Directions
Uploaded
Animals ‘Out of Place’ Mooallem 2013 (– see further directions in Due April 17th
sources) by Noon:
Guest speaker: Rodrick Roben, Project 2
April 17 Wildlife Rescuer Rajasthan India Listen: Episode 12 Buffalo Field Campaign

Optional: Episode 11 Bethany Cotton on

dispersing US wildlife
‘Re-placing’ Wildlife: Mooallen 2013 Ch 7 Exam 2
April 24 Restoration & Rewilding Questions

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 Listen: Episode 15 Grizzly Bears Returning Uploaded
to North Cascades? April 26th
Guest speaker: Rob Denkhaus Buller 2008
Fort Worth nature Center &
May 1 Last Day Refuge Manager Geroge et al. 2016
of Class

‘Medicine of the Wolf’

Due: Final
May 12th
Exam by 5pm

COURSE WITHDRAWAL DATE : Last day to withdraw at 100% tuition refund Jan 23, 2016.
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM ME:

Intellectual engagement
To ensure this course is as rich, compelling and engaging process as possible I will regularly use a mix of
media in class, combining short lectures with group discussion and individual work. My most important role
in the class is to push your thinking beyond taken for granted assumptions using the lecture material, the
readings I assign, the assignments I have designed, and the questions I ask you in class. Sometimes (often) I
will take on a position that feels uncomfortable for you, sometimes this will reflect my opinions and
sometimes not. The point is that we stretch ourselves and think critically about the ways we think about the
non-human world, and human-animal relations and places. I will encourage you to engage as actively as
possible in this process and to push yourselves and your peers, respectfully, as we move through the class
together.
Advising
You can expect me to be available via email from 9am-5pm on weekdays and to respond to your respectful
emails within 2 days (usually far sooner). I will also be available during my office hours. You may arrange to
meet with me by appointment outside assigned office hours.
Grading
You can expect your assignments to be carefully reviewed and fairly graded according to transparent grading
policies I will share with you in advance. Your assignments and exams will usually be returned within two
weeks (and usually far sooner).
MAKE UP POLICY: If you miss graded assignments or exams because you are absent and the absence falls under
the conditions for an excused absence, we will set up a makeup date. Students are entitled to excused absences
for the purpose of observing their major religious holidays if the instructor is notified by the end of the first full
week of classes. Make-ups will not be given for unexcused absences or when documentation of excused absence
is not provided. Late assignments are not accepted.
CLASSROOM ETIQUETTE: Reading outside material, headphones, phones, private conversations and text
messaging are disrespectful to me, and your classmates; none of these activities should be taking place while
class is in session.
Laptops and cell phones
Laptops can be useful tools for your learning and I recognize that completing our readings online enables you
to avoid costly printing/book purchase fees. However, as we all know, they can be distracting when used in
class. For this reason I do not permit laptop or cell phone use in the classroom unless I specifically say
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 otherwise. There will be times when you can use these devices but until that time they will remain in
your backpack and/or out of reach. Because of this you should come to every class with a notebook in
hand for notes and to take daily quizzes and finish other in-class assignments.
Cell phones must remain in your bags throughout class. Students with phones on their desks or who use
their phones without permission will not receive participation for that day’s class. If you repeatedly use your
phone in class you will not receive participation credit for the semester. Please take note.
Respectful engagement
The varied experiences you bring to the classroom are our best resources for exploring the many issues raised.
The course is designed to be provocative, to engage you, and to push you and your peers to rethink taken for
granted assumptions. Doing so can be unsettling and that’s ok, that is what learning is all about. However we
must work hard in-class to ensure that we are always respectful, empathetic and supportive. I expect you to
listen actively and attentively to the opinions and thoughts of your peers, to respect the ideas of others
even when they contradict or challenge your own, and to keep confidential any conversations we have
in class that relate to particular individuals.
If you recognize yourself as someone who often contributes, work on listening to others and encouraging them
to speak. If you know you are quieter, push yourself to share at least one reflection with the class or in small
group discussions during each session. I will call on you to do so.
CHEATING & PLAGIARISM: All exams, in-class quizzes, and assignments must be individual work. All work
prepared for this course must be original and prepared for this class only during this semester only. In particular,
borrowing any author’s words (from a Web site or otherwise) without citing that person constitutes plagiarism,
even if you change the words ever so slightly. Any student caught cheating or plagiarizing at any time and on any
type of assignment, exam, quiz or homework risks receiving an “F” for the course or some component of the
course at the instructor’s discretion. Ignorance of what constitutes plagiarism or cheating is not a valid excuse.
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: Texas Christian University complies with the Americans with Disabilities
Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 regarding students with disabilities. Eligible students
seeking accommodations should contact the Coordinator of Services for students with Disabilities in the Center
for Academic Services located in Sadler Hall, 11. Accommodations are not retroactive, therefore, students
should contact the coordinator as soon as possible in the term for which they are seeking accommodations.
Further information can be obtained from the Center for academic Services, TCU Box 297710, Fort Worth, TX
76129, or at (817) 257-7486. Adequate time must be allowed to arrange accommodations and accommodations
are not retroactive; therefore, students should contact eh Coordinator as soon as possible in the academic term
for which they are seeking accommodations. Each eligible student is responsible for presenting relevant,
verifiable, professional documentation and/or assessment reports to the Coordinator. Guidelines for
documentation may be found at http://www.acs.tcu.edu/DISABILITY.HTM.
Students with emergency medical information or needing special arrangements in case a building must be
evacuated should discuss this information with their instructor/professor as soon as possible.
The statement may also be accessed on both the Undergraduate Council website and the AddRan Curriculum
Committee page on the AddRan College web site (http://www.addran.tcu.edu/curriculum.html).