How Humans View and Relate to Animals in the Past and Present (EN-CUR-762)

How humans view and relate to animals depends on the context (culture, time period, environmental circumstances …) they live in. In this LS, students from primary school will look at some visual historical sources in detail to reflect on what they see, what they think is happening in them, and how they relate to current views on animals and relationships between humans and animals. Following this analysis, the students will engage in a philosophical conversation on the ethical question, ‘Should all animals be treated in the same way?’

By this LS, the students will not only learn to look in detail at historical sources, but also learn (1) that there is a difference between an opinion on a historical given and the historical given itself, (2) that ideas and notions of life around us are shaped by the (historical) context in which we live, and thus variable, (3) to reflect on values and practices in current society, (4) to voice their opinion in a respectful manner.

This learning scenario has been developed during the “Digital Education with Cultural Heritage 2023” online course. The course aimed to improve teachers’ understanding of cultural heritage in order to efficiently integrate it into their lessons and practices. The courses can be accessed here.

Author: Kim Descheemaeker

Age of students: 8-12

Subject and topic: History; art; language; social skills; learn to learn; citizenship; philosophy; environment

Would you like to know more about this learning scenario? You can download it below:

CC BY 3.0: the featured image used to illustrate this article has been found on Europeana and has been provided by the University of Edinburgh.