We are living in the times of the “turn to the animal” in which various disciplines — including philosophy, psychology, theology, ethology, literary studies, and all the sciences — are reexamining our perceptions of and discourses about our planetary companions and what these perceptions and discourses reveal about who we are. This course will do the same, not through the enormous amount of academic literature these disciplines have generated, however, but through modern poetic thought broadly construed with a focus on the poetry of Rainier Maria Rilke. In the process, we will wonder why so many thoughtful people, including so many philosophers, turn to poetic thought for insights into issues as central (and as troubling) as this one is. And why is poetic thought, in the opinion of many, the way in which the question of the animal is best addressed? These are difficult matters, but the course and its readings won’t be as we ease our way towards a reexamination of perceptions that have been foundational to all cultures. There will be lectures, exercises, and discussions. All materials provided; no particular background expected. What is required is a willingness to work together.

This course will combine lecture with class discussions.