Not liking dogs is un-human. Our longtime “besties,” besides being all cute and Lassie-like, strike me as an interesting example of our more favorable relationships with nonhuman animals. We often call “companion” species members of the family. Hell, there are people, at this moment, making a living off of haute couture nonhuman animal clothing and accessories. Yet, these nonhuman beings appear to occupy a curious position as second-class subjects. In other words, their subje

I was in my eighteenth year when the first gulf war started in 1990 (the one that Baudrillard said didn’t actually happen). Except for the odd excursion into the equatorial paradises like Panama and Granada, the United States was not at war from about the time I was born until I became an adult. Sure, there was the Cold War, but that was pretty much thawing by the time I was learning the alphabet. I have learned that I will, on occasion, have some trouble relating to my stude

Like so many of my nonviolent friends, I am drawn to HBO’s television adaptation Game of Thrones. And as I watch characters lose heads, hands, and other members, I wonder what it is about our historical situation that draws so many of us to this spectacle of violence? To theorize violence is to approach questions of evil, justice, and the human condition. It sets me on a path of ethical questioning where one of my best guides is Hannah Arendt. To her that path winds through t

A watershed is a geographic feature that divides water into different systems. A watershed also represents the tributaries and gathering ground for a central body of water. As graduate students at the University of Nebraska, we acknowledge the significance of watersheds to the agricultural industry as well as the ecology of the Great Plains region. However and perhaps most popularly, a watershed is known to be a crucial event or occurrence recognized as causing a turning poin