An Alter-World: Animals, Humans, & Poetics

Discovery Core Experience: NSc & A&H Course

BCORE 117 & 116

60-Second Syllabus: An Alter-World: Animals, Humans, & Poetics

About This Course:

This course seeks to establish a creative learning community that resists conventional, human-centered perspectives and explores new ways to engage in the conversations on the environment. Reading animal-focused and environmental poetries written in diverse languages (English original and English translation) across the globe, students are provided with tools to
re-conceive their environment as global citizens from a cross-cultural and multi-species vantage point.


To showcase each of their individual “alter-worlds,” students will create a multimodal project that demonstrates an alternative version of the world where the co-inhabitation of humans and animals in an environment is portrayed via poetic and artistic lenses.

Why Should I Take This Course?

This course is for those who are interested in:

  • Exploring diversity and inclusion causes from zoological and eco-cultural viewpoints
  • Building knowledge of cross-cultural perspectives and practices on animal-focused and environmental poems and conversations
  • Participating in creative, collaborative, and hands-on modes of learning and knowledge production

Professor Hsinmei (May) Lin (she/her)

About Professor Lin:

  • Ph.D. University of Washington, Seattle
  • M.A. National Chengchi University, Taipei, Taiwan
  • B.A. Fu Jen Catholic University, Taipei, Taiwan

Contact: