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Since September 2026
Instructor since September 2026
Zooanthropology,
From 37 £ /h
What if human culture is not exclusively human?
Zooanthropology, or On Becoming Cultural with Non-human Animals is an introductory 10-lesson course exploring the relationship between humans and other animals and asking a fundamental question: how much of what we call “culture” has actually emerged through our relationships with other species?
The course offers a different perspective. Rather than considering culture an exclusively human achievement, zooanthropology understands it as something that has emerged through relationships, encounters and exchanges between species. Other animals are not simply objects of human knowledge or resources for human development: they are subjects who have influenced, shaped and transformed us.
This perspective invites us to reconsider our own position in the world and to question some deeply rooted assumptions about the supposed boundary between humans and other animals. It also encourages us to decentre our perspective and to become more attentive to forms of intelligence, communication, emotion, learning and relationship that do not seem to resemble our own.
The course is transdisciplinary, drawing on anthropology, philosophy, ethology and other fields. Along the way, you will encounter concepts such as intersubjectivity, epiphany, hybridisation and epimelesis, among many others. But don't be intimidated by the terminology! No previous knowledge of anthropology, philosophy, ethology or zooanthropology is required. What the course does require is curiosity, an interest in human–nonhuman animal relations, and a willingness to question some familiar ideas and look at the world from a less anthropocentric perspective.
Slides and a bibliography will be provided.
Zooanthropology, or On Becoming Cultural with Non-human Animals is an introductory 10-lesson course exploring the relationship between humans and other animals and asking a fundamental question: how much of what we call “culture” has actually emerged through our relationships with other species?
The course offers a different perspective. Rather than considering culture an exclusively human achievement, zooanthropology understands it as something that has emerged through relationships, encounters and exchanges between species. Other animals are not simply objects of human knowledge or resources for human development: they are subjects who have influenced, shaped and transformed us.
This perspective invites us to reconsider our own position in the world and to question some deeply rooted assumptions about the supposed boundary between humans and other animals. It also encourages us to decentre our perspective and to become more attentive to forms of intelligence, communication, emotion, learning and relationship that do not seem to resemble our own.
The course is transdisciplinary, drawing on anthropology, philosophy, ethology and other fields. Along the way, you will encounter concepts such as intersubjectivity, epiphany, hybridisation and epimelesis, among many others. But don't be intimidated by the terminology! No previous knowledge of anthropology, philosophy, ethology or zooanthropology is required. What the course does require is curiosity, an interest in human–nonhuman animal relations, and a willingness to question some familiar ideas and look at the world from a less anthropocentric perspective.
Slides and a bibliography will be provided.
Extra information
The course will take place via google classroom
Location
Online from Switzerland
About Me
I hold a Doctorate in Anglistics from the University of Venice and a Ph.D. in Italian Studies from the University of Birmingham. Over the years, I have researched and lectured at universities in the UK and Switzerland on a range of subjects and authors, mostly related to Italian culture. Of all the writers I have studied, Giacomo Leopardi is the poet-philosopher to whom I feel most attached. His melancholic voice has accompanied me throughout my life, offering consolation and, in a sense, invisible guidance.
It was through my study of Leopardi that I first encountered the work of Roberto Marchesini, the founder of SIUA, the School for Human-Animal Interaction, and the Centre for the Study of Posthumanist Philosophy. Roberto is also the initiator of zooanthropology, a transdisciplinary approach to the study of human relationships with other animals and of the contribution that nonhuman animals have made to human culture.
After leaving academia, I found myself returning to this intellectual path. I studied at SIUA to become a certified dog educator and began collaborating with Roberto in 2019. Two years later, I launched the International Society of Zooanthropology, where I serve as President, co-directing its journal, HumAnimUs, with Roberto Marchesini, and contributing to courses, seminars, and study days.
More information about my academic work and publications, as well as my CV, can be found on my Academia.edu profile: https://independent.academia.edu/CosettaVeronese
It was through my study of Leopardi that I first encountered the work of Roberto Marchesini, the founder of SIUA, the School for Human-Animal Interaction, and the Centre for the Study of Posthumanist Philosophy. Roberto is also the initiator of zooanthropology, a transdisciplinary approach to the study of human relationships with other animals and of the contribution that nonhuman animals have made to human culture.
After leaving academia, I found myself returning to this intellectual path. I studied at SIUA to become a certified dog educator and began collaborating with Roberto in 2019. Two years later, I launched the International Society of Zooanthropology, where I serve as President, co-directing its journal, HumAnimUs, with Roberto Marchesini, and contributing to courses, seminars, and study days.
More information about my academic work and publications, as well as my CV, can be found on my Academia.edu profile: https://independent.academia.edu/CosettaVeronese
Education
Ph. D. in English Studies (University of Venice)
M. Phil. in Italian Studies (University of Birmingham)
Ph. D. in Italian Studies (University of Birmingham)
PG Certificate for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (University of Portsmouth)
Certified Dog Educator (SIUA)
M. Phil. in Italian Studies (University of Birmingham)
Ph. D. in Italian Studies (University of Birmingham)
PG Certificate for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (University of Portsmouth)
Certified Dog Educator (SIUA)
Experience / Qualifications
Lecturer in Italian Studies (University of Portsmouth, University of Birmingham, UK)
Research Fellow (University of Basel, CH)
Secondary school teacher (CH)
Research Fellow (University of Basel, CH)
Secondary school teacher (CH)
Age
Adults (18-64 years old)
Seniors (65+ years old)
Student level
Beginner
Intermediate
Duration
90 minutes
The class is taught in
English
Availability of a typical week
(GMT -04:00)
New York
Online via webcam
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
00-04
04-08
08-12
12-16
16-20
20-24
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