Lesson #3: Animal Studies and Value Paradigms
Do other animals have value in and of themselves or because of their usefulness to humans? Consider the photograph on the right. Do the pigs in this concentrated animal feeding operation have value in and of themselves or because of their usefulness to humans as pork? If we believe that they have value in and of themselves, can we support an industry that treats them as commodities?
In this lesson, you'll answer questions like these as you learn about value paradigms, conceptual maps of who we include in our moral community. You'll also apply value paradigms to an animal-human relationship in which you are interested. Lesson Objectives By the end of the lesson, you'll have met the following objectives:
Lesson Assessments As evidence that you've met the objectives, you'll complete the following assessments:
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By Unknown - http://www.epa.gov/region7/water/cafo/images/hogssm2.jpg, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1863697
Value paradigms are conceptual maps of who we include in our moral community.
For a more thorough definition, go to the conceptual toolbox. By Toolbox_icon.jpg: Tanemoriderivative work: ויקיג'אנקי - This file was derived from: Toolbox icon.jpg:, CC BY 2.1 jp, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26463947
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Learn
For the Learn activity, please watch the Lesson #3 Presentation. Please also read an excerpt from Bill Lynn's "Animals, Ethics and Geography" and an excerpt from the Federal Highway Administration's Wildlife-Vehicle Collision Reduction Study. Value paradigms are conceptual maps of who we include in our moral community. Four important value paradigms in animal studies are anthropocentrism, biocentrism, ecocentrism, and geocentrism. According to anthropocentrism, Western society's dominant value paradigms, humans are included in the moral community, but other animals and the environment are not. In contrast, biocentrism includes humans and other animals; ecocentrism includes humans and the environment; and geocentrism includes humans, other animals, and the environment.
Please also read the Journal Entry #3 Example. If you'd like, you can review the Journal Entry Example, Journal Entry Rubric, Forum Comment Example, and Forum Comment Rubric to remind yourself how to write and assess your journal entries or comment on other students' forum posts and assess your comments. For this lesson's journal entry, which I describe in more detail below, you'll be using the value paradigms of anthropocentrism, biocentrism, ecocentrism, and geocentrism to analyze a news article about the animal-human relationship. Then, you'll be reflecting on how using value paradigms to analyze the article affected your understanding of the animal-human relationship. Once you've written your entry, you'll share it with me so I can give you feedback on it. Next, you'll post it in the course forum so other students can read and comment on it. You'll also post it on the course blog so people outside the course can learn from it. Once you've posted it, you'll comment on other students' posts.
Checklist:
Please also read the Journal Entry #3 Example. If you'd like, you can review the Journal Entry Example, Journal Entry Rubric, Forum Comment Example, and Forum Comment Rubric to remind yourself how to write and assess your journal entries or comment on other students' forum posts and assess your comments. For this lesson's journal entry, which I describe in more detail below, you'll be using the value paradigms of anthropocentrism, biocentrism, ecocentrism, and geocentrism to analyze a news article about the animal-human relationship. Then, you'll be reflecting on how using value paradigms to analyze the article affected your understanding of the animal-human relationship. Once you've written your entry, you'll share it with me so I can give you feedback on it. Next, you'll post it in the course forum so other students can read and comment on it. You'll also post it on the course blog so people outside the course can learn from it. Once you've posted it, you'll comment on other students' posts.
Checklist:
Apply
For the Apply activity, you'll be using value paradigms to analyze a news article about the animal-human relationship. First, think of an animal-human relationship in which you are interested, and do a Google search for a news article about that relationship. After reading the article, identify examples of anthropocentrism, biocentrism, ecocentrism, and geocentrism in it. Add those examples to your journal entry. Then, think about which value paradigm or paradigms the author has. Add your explanation to your entry.
Checklist:
Checklist:
- Begin Journal Entry #3 by choosing an animal-human relationship in which you are interested.
- Find a news article about that relationship and add a link to it to your entry.
- Copy and paste examples of anthropocentrism, biocentrism, ecocentrism, and geocentrism in the article to your entry, making sure to cite them properly.
- Explain which value paradigm or paradigms the article's author has.
Reflect
For the Reflect activity, you'll be responding to prompts about the Apply activity. Now that you've used value paradigms to analyze a news article about the animal-human relationship, it's time to check your understanding of value paradigms, anthropocentrism, biocentrism, ecocentrism, and geocentrism, as well as to using value paradigms to analyze the article affected your understanding of the animal-human relationship. If it didn't affect your understanding, that's okay. I'd like to know if the activity doesn't accomplish its aim so I can improve it. If it did affect your understanding, I'd like to know how.
Checklist:
Checklist:
- Complete Journal Entry #3 by defining value paradigms, anthropocentrism, biocentrism, ecocentrism, and geocentrism in your own words, explaining why value paradigms is an important concept for animal studies, and explaining how using value paradigms to analyze a news article about the animal-human relationship affected your understanding of the animal-human relationship.
- Email me when you've completed Journal Entry #3 so I can give you feedback on it.
Share
For the Share activity, you'll be reading my feedback on your journal entry and revising your entry, then posting it to the course forum's #valueparadigms channel. Reflection is an important part of the learning process, but so is sharing your reflections with others. As you write about value paradigms and the animal-human relationship, you're creating new knowledge. If you share that knowledge with others, you'll be contributing to their learning and the field of animal studies.
You'll also be sending me your revised journal entry so I can post it on the course blog. I think it is important that learning experiences be authentic, and one way to make this course authentic is by sharing the knowledge you create with other people. To make that happen, I've shared the course blog with some of my colleagues in the field of animal studies. By posting your revised journal entry on the blog, more people will have the opportunity to learn from you.
Checklist:
You'll also be sending me your revised journal entry so I can post it on the course blog. I think it is important that learning experiences be authentic, and one way to make this course authentic is by sharing the knowledge you create with other people. To make that happen, I've shared the course blog with some of my colleagues in the field of animal studies. By posting your revised journal entry on the blog, more people will have the opportunity to learn from you.
Checklist:
- Read my feedback on your Journal Entry #3 and revise your entry.
- Post your revised entry in the course forum's #valueparadigms channel and email it to me so I can post it on the course blog.
Discuss
For the Discuss activity, you'll be reading and commenting on other students' forum posts. Just as sharing your reflections with others is an important part of the learning process, so too is comment on other students' reflections. As you agree with, ask questions about, or even challenge other students' thoughts on value paradigms and the animal-human relationship, you're also creating new knowledge. By discussing the forum posts, you'll be contributing to others' students' learning and the field of animal studies even further.
Checklist:
Checklist:
- Read at least one other student's forum post.
- Comment on the student's forum post.
Works Cited
Federal Highway Administration. (2008). Wildlife-vehicle collision reduction study: Report to Congress. Retrieved from https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/safety/08034/08034.pdf
Lynn, W. S. (1998). Animals, ethics and geography. Retrieved from http://www.williamlynn.net/pdf/lynn-1998-animals-ethics-geography.pdf
Lynn, W. S. (1998). Animals, ethics and geography. Retrieved from http://www.williamlynn.net/pdf/lynn-1998-animals-ethics-geography.pdf