Living with Animals: Urban Wildlife, People, and the City of Chicago

Course Code

CEGU 23302 97

Cross Listed Course Code(s)

ARCH 22302, CHST 22302

Course Description

Did you know that Chicago is home to one of the largest urban coyote populations in North America? Or that millions of migratory birds stop by the city’s lakefront each year? Urban centers, like Chicago, are increasingly vital in their ability to support biodiversity as it declines in other habitats across the globe. How can we make sense of Chicago as a wild ecosystem? Through site visits to centers that research and rehabilitate urban wildlife, discussions with wildlife biologists and urban planners, and firsthand observations of our wild neighbors, this course will explore what it means to live alongside animals in an urban setting. Readings and discussions will evaluate the environmental history of Chicago and the many species which call it home to understand how city parks, boulevards, and cemeteries have become thriving ecosystems. This historical background will serve as a foundation for students to think critically about the ways in which cities plan for their wild inhabitants. Using methods from the environmental humanities and animal studies, we will ask questions not only about the ways in which urban structures have impacted wildlife in Chicago, but also about how wild animals have shaped Chicago and its human inhabitants.

The course will include site visits to and guest speakers from institutions like the Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation, US Army Corps of Engineers, DuPage County Conservation Center, the City of Chicago, Lincoln Park Zoo, and the Field Museum.

Instructor(s)

Jessica Landau

¹ UChicago students can self-register.

² Visiting students and pre-college students apply through the same application.