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“The idea that some lives matter less is the root of all that’s wrong with the world” ―  Esther the Wonder Pig
 
In this course we will literature on the mutual and changing relationship between humans and their non-human animals. We focus specifically on the relationship between children and animals, from pets to wild creatures. If animals (or minor creatures) are acknowledged in a work of fiction, they are done so marginally at best, and usually as tools for the development and domestication of their human counterparts. In learning to care for & train their pets, Children would themselves (ideally) learn important lessons about empathy and (self)discipline. We read examples of these early educational animal stories for children, as well as children’s literature that reflect changing attitudes towards animal rights and human obligations. We will also consider representations of animals across different fairy tales and folk stories for children, and a final unit on animal revenge stories will look at the role of non-human animals in eco-horror for children.