christakins

Accepted Yale's offer.

Same deal. My husband I will be moving ourselves, a cat, and a dog from Oregon to either D.C., Indiana, or Texas. We made an even longer trek (and with an additional cat) from Florida to Oregon 6 years ago, and it worked out fine. Our dog was a puppy at the time so he was in a kennel, as were the cats, but we made sure to stop every couple of hours so he could have a play break. Sure, it added some time to our trip but saved our sanity. We found most Best Westerns are pet-friendly and cats generally get really vocal after 9 hours in a car. 
 
As for pet-friendly housing, we've been lucky here; it seems everyone has a dog. In general though, independent landlords as opposed to apt complexes are more open to pets. Check around on Craigslist, and ask those in the area for recommendations. Also, don't rule out a place because the ad says "no pets." Give the landlord a call, explain the situation, and offer to have your dog meet him/her. It's worked for us. Good luck!

I think that animal studies has immense staying power. That animal studies is even controversial as a thing to study is blowing my mind. It has practical applications to our culture, to our relationships with the beings things that live on this Earth, with what we eat and how that food is produced, with the object of suffering, with the beings we call "man's best friend," with how we complete scientific research, with our livestock and companion animals and nuisance animals, etc. I think that views on these things are shifting not just in academic circles, but in modern culture as a whole, and that the study of these shifting views is relevant in the long term.

Super pumped to be able to say: officially attending Rice University in the fall!

the point is that that sort of absolute, non-socially-constructed boundary between "human" and "non-human" does not exist. how do you define "human"? our bodies are made of microrganisms. we use technology in a way that makes it an extension of our selves. our minds behave in ways other matter does. the more we learn about animals, the harder it becomes to nail down ways we are different. writers have noticed these things throughout history, and represented them in literature.

It really depends on your scope and approach, but a good place to start would be Calarco's Zoographies: The Question of the Animal and Haraway's When Species Meet. Also check out Cary Wolfe, Kelly Oliver, Giorgio Agamben (The Open and Homo Sacer), and Heidegger. As for literature, I'd recommend Kafka (especially "A Report to an Academy"), Coetzee, Frankenstein, and Planet of the Apes.
 
You only asked for introductory material so I'll stop here.
 
ETA: Animal studies is essentially posthumanism -- the study of nonhuman animals and a move away from anthropocentrism (not always, though). Again, it's really broad and depends on the approach. 

Drink your milk, Shelby.

Hi Strong White Flat,
 
I'm so jealous you're attending the conference! I submitted a proposal, which was accepted but due to unforeseen circumstances (namely the price of airfare during conference weekend) I'm unable to attend. I have no doubt Timothy Morton's presentation will be fantastically wild. You'll have to PM me with the details. 
 
I don't have any info on UVA or Charlottesvile for you, just a sincere, "Go get 'em, champ!" 

Soo... because you're so honest, you're going to reveal who you are, and then make honest formal complains about the most severe of these issues with your University, instead of on an anonymous internet forum?

In at Georgetown as well! Now waiting to hear about funding...

In at Georgetown as well! Now waiting to hear about funding...