CRITICAL ANIMAL STUDIES

Critical Animal Studies (CAS) is a highly interdisciplinary field of studies and practices born recently to counter the growing depoliticization of Human-Animal Studies from an eco-systemic perspective. The main objectives of the CAS are: tackle animal oppression and the power relations that discriminate the living by elaborating a critique of mainstream animal studies and the systems of oppression in force; analyze the relationships between humans and non-humans in the nature-culture continuum; promote resistance and regeneration practices for human and non-human animals together.
The course deals with CAS authors, themes, methods and tools by deepening the animal question through its links with class, ethnicity, gender and ability; the abuses and violence of colonialist and extractivist practices that speciesism and all connected forms of discrimination convey and support; the intersectional, decolonial and transcultural critiques to the imaginary and narratives of the Anthropocene

- Address the animal question in its ecosystemic and intersectional dimension
- Understand the language, ideology, practices and institutions that convey and support speciesism
- Develop a critique of the positioning starting from a reflective methodology
- Promote a multi-species society against all forms of discrimination.

No prerequisites are needed.

After a methodological introduction, on the key concepts and approach of Critical Animal Studies, the course will address more specifically the relationship between feminist perspectives and CAS, focusing on the following themes:
- Intersections between Feminist Animal Studies and Critical Animal Studies.
- Taxonomies and speciesism, science, reproduction and biopolitics.
- Nature's queer performativity, the pharmaco-carnisty regime, hormones and changing bodies, agesim and sexism.
- Productive and reproductive labour in private and public space, care practices between normativity and resistance, stereotypes and animalization.
- Interspecies assemblages, becoming-with and becoming.against, interdependence, vulnerability, risk, ableism, sexism, racism.
- Reproductive multispecies justice, milk studies, decolonial perspectives,
- The paradoxes of care and contagion, between visibility and invisibility, distance and proximity, and animal categorizations.
- Zoopticon, colonialis, orientalism and the animal spectacle.
- The performance of black animal body.
- Visuality and the animal imaginary in mew media.

Texts and documents (detailed reading list) in the class space in Moodle.

In class activities (reading files and discussion) and final paper (different for attending and non attending students: attending students will deliver a group work, non attending students an individual one).

Lectures, seminars by external experts and attending students, group work.

English

Students are required to read the assigned texts before class in which they will be discussed and on the basis of the schedule provided. Laptops will be used exclusively for assigned activities. The use of mobile phones is not allowed in class except for motivated reasons previously agreed with the teacher.
Please note that for attending students, participation is part of the final evaluation.

Students in the classroom will be respectful of each other and everyone's participation will be guaranteed. This class promotes accountability, equality, freedom of expression and collaboration. No kind of discrimination, verbal or otherwise, will be allowed in the classroom. For specific needs, or problems that occur in class, students are asked to contact me privately.

written and oral

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Natural capital and environmental quality" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development