My animal of choice is the Camel
One main result of your research and consideration will be a 6-8 page written essay assessing the historical and environmental changes connected to your selected animal.
The written version also requires the selection of at least two images incorporated into a tightly constructed and well-honed environmental history essay. The video edition should incorporate images and must include at least four relevant quotes from written material.
Your essay must include a description of your chosen animal and its relationships to humans and the environment, 2) the historical origins (causes) of an animal-centered issue, 3) an explanation of the course (development) of its history, 4) how this is connected to place, and 5) an assessment of what has made this better or worse (status/outcome/implication/promise).
A successful project will examine the origin, course, and implications of a particular slice of animal history. You can tilt this to your strengths and interests, but should discuss your topic and research strategy with Dr. Fountain as soon as possible – and regularly beyond that.
Consider the following themes and questions as you explore the role of animals in shaping human history and of humans in shaping the animal world:
• Introduction to Animal History: What are the varieties of animal history to explore? How do history, science, and philosophy intersect? How do indigenous understanding of animals differ from “Western” views? How is studying animals – that have their own mobility and agency – different than studying other kinds of history? What kind of intellectual choices can I make in this class?
• Ancient Animals: How did people incorporate animals into their worldviews? Why were some worshipped and others hunted (or sometimes both)? How did animals – both wild and domestic – shape the Ancient World? How did people come to know and understand animals? How did imagined and imaginary animals reflect culture and science?
• Colonial Animals: How did the place of animals change with the rise of colonization and capitalism? How did animals become “creatures of empire?” Have their roles as invasive species, as tools of conquest, as cultural companions – been positive or not?
• Biological Animals: How have animals made or reshaped ecosystems? How do extinctions, irruptions, or introductions impact history? What do students of history, policy, psychology, etc. need to understand about animal science? What do students of veterinary science, biologists, ecologists, resource managers, etc. need to understand about animal history?
• Modern Animals: How have conservation, preservation, and regulation of animals changed human-animal relations? How has modern animal representation changed the legal and scientific standing of species? What is the history of animal welfare and animal rights? Why do we care about some animals more than others?
•Philosophical Animals: Why are some animals food & others friends? Why are some animals vermin? What is the role of zoos and animal performers in shaping history and policy? Is reviving extinct species ethical? What is our responsibility to species or individual animals? Are animals active historical actors?
– here are the sources:
1. https://www.cabidigitallibrary.org/doi/full/10.5555/19871495711#core-collateral-purchase-access
2.https://ijries.org/administrator/components/com_jresearch/files/publications/IJRIES_1721-01_Final.pdf
3. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=9ed1bquVydsC&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=History+of+camels&ots=aJw3TdhZ-B&sig=Fl0P1RvWhcwhlos4RPGaRNHIV_I
4. https://washingtonstate.on.worldcat.org/search/detail/1286666635?queryString=kw%3ACamels&changedFacet=scope&clusterResults=true&groupVariantRecords=false&scope=zs%3A36214
5. https://www.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/research/projects/transforming-human-camel-relations-context-social-and-ecological-dynamics
6. https://www.aramcoworld.com/Resources/Learning-Center/February-2019/Humans-Animals-and-Movement
