Encountering animals, in their own words
Students who took the semester-long special topics seminar, “Critical Animal Studies,” (EAS 590) taught by Dr. Jieun Cho in Spring 2025 at Duke University, developed a collection of essays representing their final projects for the course.
The goal of the course was for students to explore the significance and roles played by non-human animals in today’s socioecological crises. Although the coursework had a regional focus on Asia, several students completed final projects based on their own experiences with animals closer to home.
Throughout the semester, students examined the intersections of animal life, social justice, and environmental ethics in a multispecies world, investigating the constantly evolving relationships between animals, humans, and their environments.