FSS:ENS231 Environmental Problems - Course Information

ENS231 Environmental Problems, Animal Rights and Christianity

Extent and Intensity

2/2. 6 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).

Teacher(s)

Mgr. Jan Zámečník, Ph.D. (lecturer), doc. Mgr. Bohuslav Binka, Ph.D. (deputy)

Guaranteed by

doc. Mgr. Bohuslav Binka, Ph.D.
Department of Environmental Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Bc. Petra Burišková
Supplier department: Department of Environmental Studies – Faculty of Social Studies

Timetable

each even Thursday 8:00–11:15 P52

Course Enrolment Limitations

The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 50 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/50, only registered: 0/50, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/50

fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with

there are 17 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display

Course objectives

The main aim of the lectures is to familiarize students with some significant streams of christian theology and to show them how the representatives of these streams reflect on environmental problems and how they answer the argument that the Christian tradition is the source of the ecological crisis. During the lectures the students have the opportunity to think the essay The Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis by Lynn White through, get acquainted with the interpretation of biblical texts referring to the relationship to nature and the concepts of nature (the Genesis creation narrative in the context of contemporary science, the environmental interpretation of the Book of Revelation etc.) and with the ideas of some theologians or theological streams of the 20th and 21st century whose focus is on the environmental ethics and the relationship to nature (Albert Schweitzer, Alfons Auer, Sallie McFague, Leonardo Boff etc.)
The aim of the seminar is to familiarize students with the relationship between animals and human beings and, with the help of selected essays, discuss the following questions: In what way do animals and human beings differ? What are the key ethical issues in our treatment of animals? Do animals have rights? What is the biblical and contemporary view on animals? In addition, students are acquainted with the arguments of the British theologian, animal defender and founder of “The Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics“, Andrew Linzey.

Syllabus

• The outline of the lectures:
• 1) Christian theology as the source of the ecological crisis (Lynn White´s argument and its critics).
• 2) Biblical texts on creation and nature. Creation narrative and natural sciences (creationism and evolution).
• 3) Liberation theology and environmental ethics (Leonardo Boff).
• 4) Feminist theology and environmental ethics (Sallie McFague).
• 5) Process theology and environmental ethics (Jay B. McDaniel).
• 6) Autonomous morality and environmental ethics (Alfons Auer).
• 7) The ethics of reverence for life (Albert Schweitzer).
• The outline of the seminar:
• 1) Speciesism and the difference between animals and human beings.
• 2) Animal rights (defense, critique, Universal Declaration of Animal Rights).
• 3) Animal testing, its legitimacy and limits.
• 4) Animals in biblical texts and apocrypha. Jesus and animals.
• 5) Vegetarianism/veganism as a moral and biblical ideal?
• 6) “Hunting as the Anti-Gospel of Predation“. Andrew Linzey´s arguments against hunting.
• 7) Patenting animals? Genetic engineering in Andrew Linzey´s view.

Literature

recommended literature
• NORTHCOTT, Michael S. The environment and christian ethics. 1st pub. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996, xv, 379. ISBN 0521576318. info
• SANTMIRE, H. Paul. Nature reborn : the ecological and cosmic promise of Christian theology. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2000, x, 154. ISBN 0800632346. info
• KÜNG, Hans. Na počátku všech věcí : přírodní vědy a náboženství. Translated by Vladimír Petkevič. Vyd. 1. Praha: Bergman, 2011, 219 s. ISBN 9788090420731. info
• LINZEY, Andrew. Animal theology. University of Illinois Press. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1995, x, 214. ISBN 0252064674. info
• Jejich jest království : výbor z knih o etickém chování vůči zvířatům a jejich osudu. Edited by Matthew Scully - Mark H. Bernstein - J. Moussaieff Masson - Jan Čejka. Vyd. 1. Praha: Práh, 2005, 141 s. ISBN 8072521128. info
• Zvířata jsou naši bližní : výbor z děl světových humanistů a křesťanských myslitelů. Translated by Jan Čejka. Vyd. 1. Praha: Práh, 2010, 247 s. ISBN 9788072523177. info
• CHAPOUTHIER, Georges. Zvířecí práva. Translated by Olga Smolová. Vyd. 1. Praha: Triton, 2013, 118 s. ISBN 9788073876074. info

Teaching methods

Lectures: Lectures and discussion with students, a workshop at the environmental centre in Horní Krupá is planned tentatively as part of the course.

Seminar: Independent reading of selected texts, group work, presentation of views and discussion.

Assessment methods

Colloquium

Language of instruction

Czech

Further comments (probably available only in Czech)

Study Materials
The course is taught last offered.
General note: Příště bude vyučován na podzim 2017.

• Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2015, recent)
  
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