Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2024 - HUM 360 B100

Special Topics: Great Themes in the Humanistic Tradition (4)

Birds and the Human Imagination

Class Number: 4431

Delivery Method: Blended

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 4 – Dec 3, 2024: Wed, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    45 units.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Interdisciplinary study of a selected theme that has made a lasting contribution to the humanistic tradition in more than one field of endeavour (e.g., philosophy, politics, literature, economics, religion). May be repeated once for credit when a different topic is taught. Students who have credit for a course with this content under another Humanities course may not take this course for further credit. Breadth-Humanities.

COURSE DETAILS:

Auguries for the Anthropocene: Birds and the Human Imagination 

“Hope” is the thing with feathers

BY EMILY DICKINSON 
“Hope” is the thing with feathers - 
That perches in the soul - 
And sings the tune without the words - 
And never stops - at all - 
And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard - 
And sore must be the storm - 
That could abash the little Bird 
That kept so many warm - 
I’ve heard it in the chillest land - 
And on the strangest Sea - 
Yet - never - in Extremity, 
It asked a crumb - of me. 

An Augur was a Roman priest who dedicated his spiritual energies to divination by reading the signs of bird behavior and flight. Whether through a small flock of ‘sacred’ chickens, or the flight of an eagle through a patch of sanctified sky, Augurs made meaning with the bodies of birds. In the age of the so-called Anthropocene, the age of human domination, it is not so different as we watch in horror as birds decline globally, portending broader ecological losses on a vast scale.  

Birds have captivated human cultures throughout time and culture. Fellow earthlings, vital food source, messengers from the Otherworld, angelic envoys, and scientific marvel. Birds are intimately woven into the human imagination; as parables for us and as representatives of the Transcendent. We have hunted and domesticated birds. We have written about them, painted them, and told stories about birds. It is not hyperbole to say, that where there are humans, there are birds, even in the cities.  

Much like my course on trees and forests, this course will take a meandering course that explores birds in evolutionary biology, history, culture, mythology, religion. We will also look to the history of birding and conservation as a contemporary practice of spiritual/contemplative ecology that is ever aware of the systemic racism of Western environmentalism and the deep unsustainability of global capitalism. Finally, we will look at the plight and prospect of birds in the age of human domination and explore the feathered hope that birds inspire. 





COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

  • Become familiar (but not expert) in the biology of birds. 

  • Explore the basics of birding and bird identification.  

  • Survey the appearance and significance of birds in religion, literature, and mythology.  

  • Come to terms with the risks birds face through the ecological crisis.  

Grading

  • Semester bird list 10%
  • Native bird presentation 10%
  • Field Journal 25%
  • Reading Reflections 25%
  • Final Project 30%

NOTES:

This course fulfills the Global Humanities requirements for the  

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

  • Stephen Moss, Ten Birds that Changed the World (2022)

  • Charlotte McConaghy, Migrations (2020)

Additional Texts (Excerpts Provided):

  • Hellen MacDonald, H is for Hawk (2014)  
  • John Young, What the Robin Knows (2012)  
  • Lyanda Lynn Haupt, Crow Planet (2009)

Required Birding App:

  • Cornell’s Merlin Bird ID App (Free)

REQUIRED READING NOTES:

Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

SFU’s Academic Integrity website http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating. Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the university community. Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the university. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the university. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION

Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.