Course Details

No animal has had a greater impact on world history than the cow. This course employs the history of cattle as a lens to investigate broad patterns in human-animal interaction from the Paleolithic era until today. Our principal goal is to gain insight into the conception and treatment of animals in diverse cultural settings. To keep the topic manageable, we will focus on cattle and related bovine species, but you are welcome to write about other species and themes for your final paper. The assigned readings range widely across world history, including the Ancient Near East, the Greco-Roman world, India, East Africa, Europe, and the Americas.