Editor’s note: Wondering what’s happening in the classroom at Colgate? Here’s a real-time glimpse into academic life on campus — a syllabus from a course underway this semester.
ENST 324 Hunting, Eating, and Vegetarianism
Ian Helfant, Professor of Russian and Eurasian Studies; Director, Environmental Studies Program
Course Description
Historically, hunting and fishing for food have been some of the most direct ways humans have interacted with nature. However, in modern industrialized society, people are often unaware where the flesh they consume comes from, as most animals and fish are raised, caught, and slaughtered on a mass scale. Subsistence hunting and fishing, too, have become increasingly problematic as habitats disappear and the human population expands. While the majority of people remain carnivorous, some have switched to vegetarian or vegan diets for ethical, religious, health-oriented, or environmental reasons.
This course uses a humanistic perspective to examine these fundamentally important issues in an international and historical context. It also focuses on the local environment, with visits to a local beef farm and an apiary, in addition to an analysis of Hamilton’s ongoing deer cull. This course utilizes an interdisciplinary approach, combining literature, artistic and documentary films, autobiographical accounts, online hunting forums, self-reflective essays, and scholarly analyses to investigate the intertwined themes of hunting, industrial versus family farming and fishing, vegetarianism, veganism, and their relevance to our lives as individuals and members of industrialized society.
Course Goals
1. Develop nuanced and firmly grounded ethical stances concerning our relationships with some of the key animal species with whom we coexist and upon which many of us subsist.
2. Understand the challenges and opportunities that confront those who hope to eat responsibly, whether they choose an omnivorous or plant-based diet.
Key Assignment
In addition to a reflective essay, a draft research paper, and daily reading responses throughout the semester, this course culminates in a 12 to 15-page research paper or an in-class presentation option.
Selected Course Materials