RICHARD FADOK

From Rochester to Rome, every city around the world is home to both human and nonhuman animals. The form that co-habitation takes, however—whether mutualistic, exploitative, indifferent, antagonistic, or neighborly—varies culturally across time and space. This introduction to the interdisciplinary field of animal studies traced the many configurations between the borough and the “beast” using scholarship in history and anthropology.

In the first half, we surveyed how human-animal relations shaped the urbanization of America, from early 17^th century colonialism and the introduction of domesticated livestock through the industrialization of animal agriculture, the mechanization of horses, and the rise of pet-keeping, zoos, pest and disease control, and the management and conservation of wildlife. The next part comparatively examined how encounters with other species animate the everyday experience and meaning of contemporary urban life in cities as diverse as Baku, Dar es Salaam, and Buenos Aires, including beliefs and practices about bodies/identity, homes/belonging, and the internet/intimacy. Through cases of slugs, capybaras, squirrels, and more, we explored how interspecies care, violence, and justice ramify in human politics, law, and economy, as well as nonhuman physiology, ecology, and geography.

Our daily work consisted of readings, responses, and in-class discussions and activities, including a visit from RocDog, an analysis of rfalconcam, and a vegan protein bar tasting. Throughout the term, we conducted archival and ethnographic research to produce a public humanities website about animals in Rochester that investigates how we live with them and how we might yet live otherwise.