This broad survey examines how French writers, philosophers, and naturalists from the sixteenth to the early nineteenth century posed and reposed the animal question. Featuring critical names of the period (Montaigne, Descartes, La Fontaine, Voltaire, Buffon, Lamarck, Cuvier), the course follows arguments, debates, and controversies whose stakes remain ours: humans as animals, animal-machines, animal rights, fiction and politics, the coining of the term "biology," and early theories of evolution, extinction, and ecosystems. The course is addressed to students in the humanities as well as science majors who wish to understand the layered history behind key themes and concepts of today's biology and its subdisciplines (zoology, botany, microbiology, genetics, ecology). PLEASE NOTE: No prior knowledge of French literature or history of science is required. All readings are available in English translation. Taught in English with option for written assignments in French.
3-5 units · Letter (ABCD/NP)
This broad survey examines how French writers, philosophers, and naturalists from the sixteenth to the early nineteenth century posed and reposed the animal question. Featuring critical names of the period (Montaigne, Descartes, La Fontaine, Voltaire, Buffon, Lamarck, Cuvier), the course follows arguments, debates, and controversies whose stakes remain ours: humans as animals, animal-machines, animal rights, fiction and politics, the coining of the term "biology," and early theories of evolution, extinction, and ecosystems. The course is addressed to students in the humanities as well as science majors who wish to understand the layered history behind key themes and concepts of today's biology and its subdisciplines (zoology, botany, microbiology, genetics, ecology). PLEASE NOTE: No prior knowledge of French literature or history of science is required. All readings are available in English translation. Taught in English with option for written assignments in French.
Offered in Autumn 2026 at Stanford University.