NESC 340 Native Views on Animal Behavior

Combines Native American traditional knowledge with Western science in a comparative study of thought processes, consciousness, beliefs and rationality which result in indivudual nonhuman animal behavior. Topics include animal intelligence, emotion, behavior, and communication with emphasis on Indigenous cognitive ethology as a foundation for tribal wildlife research and management. Prerequisites: PHIL 140 or NESC 310.

Credits

5

Outcomes

1. Examine and interpret the main tenets of Indigenous cognitive ethology (ICE).
2. Identify three definitive characteristics of ICE and explain how they differ from mainstream cognitive ethology.
3. Analyze three Native American philosophers and explain how their ideas have contributed to Indigenous cognitive ethological thought.
4. Compare and contrast three viewpoints of mainstream cognitive ethology with corresponding viewpoints of ICE, and suggest how each contributes to an understanding of animal behavior.
5. Recommend three ways in which ICE can be used to help improve the philosophical and ethical foundations that govern wildlife research and management.