Animal History



Overview

Combining lectures and seminars with tours of the galleries and behind the scenes at the Museum of Natural History, this course explores the history of animals and their interactions with humans. How can humans tell animals' stories? How successful are they in doing so? How intertwined are animals' and humans' histories? How has human understanding and concern for animals changed over time? Through a short introduction using the themes of telling animals' stories, captivity, classification, natural history museums, and evolution and extinction, we will examine animal and human interactions from the ancient world to the present.

The course provides a rare opportunity to see behind the scenes at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. You will get a tour from one of the Museum’s Collections Managers, Mark Carnall, and see how the vast majority of the collections (99.9999% of it isn’t on display), are organised away from the public areas. The tour will look at a brief history of the Museum, some highlights from the collections and touch on the day to day working of the Museum.

Programme details

Courses starts: 6 Nov 2025

Week 1: How do we tell animals’ histories? We will explore theories including animal agency, and animals as companion species in relation to humans, and we will look at the history of animal rights movements (at Ewert House)

Week 2: Captivity: animals as gifts, animals and diplomacy, royal and public collections, difficulties in acclimatisation, conservation and animal welfare (at Ewert House)

Week 3: What is an animal? The history of classification (at Ewert House)

Week 4: The history of natural history museums, including a behind the scenes tour (at the Museum of Natural History)

Week 5: Evolution and extinction (at the Museum of Natural History)

Certification

Digital badge

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be issued with an official digital badge from the Department for Continuing Education, University of Oxford. After the course, you will receive an email with a link and instructions on how to download your digital badge. You will be able to add your badge to your email signature and share it on social media if you choose to do so. In order to be issued with your badge, you will need to have attended at least 80% of the course.

Fees

Description Costs
Course Fee £180.00

Funding

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:

Concessionary fees for short courses

Tutor

Dr Rosemary Cresswell

Dr Rosemary Cresswell is a Departmental Lecturer in Lifelong Learning (History). She is a historian of health, humanitarianism, charity and voluntarism from 1850-2020. She is currently writing the History of the British Red Cross, 1870-2020: Health and Humanitarianism, to be published by Bloomsbury. Rosemary has also published further research related to infectious disease (including humans and animals), first aid, the Red Cross, and on the history of nursing.

Read Rosemary's full academic bio.

Course aims

This course is a short introduction to the topic of animal history. With set readings each week, the course combines lectures and seminars with tours of the galleries and behind the scenes at the Museum of Natural History in Oxford. The classes aim to introduce participants to the subject of history through an interdisciplinary approach drawing on other subjects such as biology, geology and philosophy.

Course objectives:

  • To explore animals through the discipline of history, drawing on other subjects' influences.
  • To examine how historians and other scholars have discussed the complex history of animal and human relations, and the evidence which they use.
  • To question the extent to which humans can tell us about animals' stories and experiences.
  • To consider the role of museums of natural history in explaining and curating animals' histories.

Teaching methods

Lectures and seminars in weeks 1-3 and museum tours and seminars in weeks 4-5.

Learning outcomes

  • Appreciation and analysis of historians' accounts of animals' pasts.
  • Understanding of how other disciplines can inform historians' approaches to the study of animals' histories.
  • Comprehension of how scientists and other investigators explored the classification and evolution of animals.
  • Evaluation of the establishment and purpose of zoos and museums of natural history in presenting animals to human audiences.
  • To question the extent to which humans can explain animals' stories and experiences.

 

Assessment methods

This course is non-accredited, so there are no assessments.

 

Application

Please use the 'Book now' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an Enrolment form for short courses | Oxford University Department for Continuing Education

Level and demands

The Department's Weekly Classes are taught at first year undergraduate level.

Weekly preparatory reading is expected in order to contribute to seminar discussions.

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support