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Abstract
This seminar explores the role of animals in the human imagination—narrative, visual, and symbolic—to understand how we, narrative animals, evolved by telling stories and representing our relationship with other species.
Objective
The course, comparative and transdisciplinary in nature, stands at the crossroads of the environmental humanities and biocultural studies, weaving together cognitive archaeology, evolutionary theory, ecomedia studies, archetypal psychology, and literary theory.
Content
This seminar explores the role of animals in the human imagination—narrative, visual, and symbolic—to understand how we, narrative animals, evolved by telling stories and representing our relationship with other species. The course, comparative and transdisciplinary in nature, stands at the crossroads of the environmental humanities and biocultural studies, weaving together cognitive archaeology, evolutionary theory, ecomedia studies, archetypal psychology, and literary theory. After an introduction to the evolutionary and material origins of storytelling and image-making, the seminar focuses on animals in modern and contemporary literature and the visual arts. Each week is dedicated to an emblematic animal figure—dogs, cats, monkeys, cockroaches, bears, and others—examined as a narrative device, symbolic mirror, and imaginative laboratory, up to the transformations of animal imagery in the Anthropocene. The course is designed as a dialogical, collaborative space, where theoretical readings, creative texts, and visual materials intersect with the active contributions of all participants.
General Information
- Language
- Italian
- Levels
- DS , MSC
Examination
- Type
- graded semester performance
Registration & Places
- Max Places
- 60
Course Components
| Type | Title | Time & Place | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| lecture | Animali narrati e animali narrativi. Immagini, storie, sogni, evoluzione | No time listed | 28 h semesterly |
Offered In
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Science in Perspective (In “Science in Perspective”-courses students learn to reflect on ETH’s STEM subjects from the perspective of humanities, political and social sciences. Only the courses listed below will be recognized as "Science in Perspective" courses.)
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Type A: Enhancement of Reflection Competence (SiP courses are recommended for bachelor students after their first-year examination and for all master- or doctoral students. All SiP courses are listed in Type A. Courses listed under Type B are only recommendations for enrollment for specific departments.)
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