HRS 318: Animals, Persons, and Ethics                   Spring 2009

For your paper topics you have three types of options.

Option #1

Select an animal—either a kind or a particular species—upon which to write a philosophical essay.  Research the behavior, cognitive and communicative abilities, evolutionary history, social dimensions, cultural meanings, economic role, and scientific importance of this animal.  Explore the degrees and types of personhood demonstrated by this animal.  Evaluate how this animal is treated in one or several societies.  Construct arguments for what the ethical treatment of this animal ought to be and how best to bring about adherence to the ethics involving this animal.  You must announce in class the animal kind (or species) you will research and write on, and your choice of animal kind (or species) must not already have been claimed by someone else in class.

GROUP ALPHA — Papers due April 15

Erin Bruggeman —            rabbit
Sarah Fredrick —             shark

Dave Gantz —                  mongoose

Megan Lewandowski —   dog

Joel Mapes —                  polar bear

Katie Young —                frog

GROUP BETA — Papers due April 22

Douglas Deever —           Option #2
Jack Kostal —                  Option #2
Curtis Mullins —               Option #2
Rob Placek —                  Option #3

Group Delta — Paper due April 24

Becky Bullard —              killer whale
Kelly Maddock —            cow (Bos)

Elizabeth Sokolowski —   Option #2 - due April 27 (Beta + 5)

GROUP GAMMA — Papers due April 29

Brian Clifton —                wolf (Option #3)
Natalie German —            woodpecker
Sumit Kar —                    chimpanzee (Option #3) 
Jane Mathew —               goat

Natalie Nielsen —            fox
Amanda Ross —              Option #3

Sarah Roszhart —            circus elephant

Option #2

Write a philosophical essay on Ridley Scott’s film Blade Runner and P. K. Dick’s novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?  The significance of (artificial) animals is much more explicit and considerably more prominent in the novel than in the film.  Are Replicants persons?  Defend your answer with arguments.  Explore the relationships between real animals, artificial animals, biological persons, and Replicants.  Attend closely to both the screenplay of the film and the novel, or just concentrate on the novel.  Draw from (or critique) Hanfling’s essay and Mulhall’s essay as appropriate.  Many different topics can be devised on course themes in both this novel and this film.

Option #3

Devise your own topic on animals, persons, and ethics upon which to write a philosophical essay.  As long as it focuses on themes in this course and is of a feasible scope, Prof. S is likely to approve it.  Meet with him to discuss your topic so he can approve it before you begin serious work on your paper.

last updated 28 April 2009