Drury University to offer minor in Animal Studies

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Springfield, Missouri, United States of America (Free-Press-Release.com) January 26, 2012 -- Students interested in examining the ways in which humans and animals interact will have the opportunity to earn a minor in Animal Studies from Drury University. The minor was approved by Drury’s faculty in the fall of 2011. The six required courses for the minor will all be available in the 2012-2013 Drury Catalog, but several students have already expressed a desire to pursue the minor.

“The Animal Studies minor is for students interested in gaining an in-depth understanding of the diverse ways in which the lives of animals and humans intersect,” says Dr. Patricia McEachern, the Dorothy Jo Barker Endowed Professor of Animal Rights. “The interdisciplinary nature of the minor allows students to consider historical and contemporary interactions between humans and animals from a range of perspectives.”

The foundational course for the minor is Animal Ethics. It is team-taught by instructors from the fields of biology, criminology, philosophy, psychology, religion, and sociology. Besides Animal Ethics, the other five courses required for the 18 credit hour minor are:

• Animals in Literature

• Animals and Society

• Animal Law I

• Social Movements

• Undergraduate Internship Experience

For the internship experience, students are permitted to select instructor-approved sites of interest. Some students may wish to complete their internship abroad, others may want to travel to a different state, and still others may desire to intern at a local or state organization.

Faculty members participating in the Animal Studies minor are:

• Dr. Wendy Anderson, Ph.D., Biological Sciences, Professor and Director of Campus Sustainability

• Tony Brown, J.D., Assistant District Attorney, Taney County Prosecutor’s Office

• Dr. Peter Browning, Ph.D., Religion, Professor and University Chaplain

• Dr. Jana Bufkin, Ph.D., Criminology & Criminal Justice, Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Programs in Criminology & Criminal Justice

• Dr. Donald Deeds, Ph.D., Biological Sciences, Professor

• Dr. David Derossett, Ph.D., Sociology, Assistant Professor

• Dr. Lisa Esposito, Ph.D., Philosophy, Associate Professor and Chair of the Philosophy and Religion Department

• Dr. Vickie Luttrell, Ph.D., Psychology, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Behavioral Sciences

• Dr. Patricia McEachern, Ph.D., French, Professor, Dorothy Jo Barker Endowed Chair, and Director of the Drury University Forum on Animal Rights

• Dr. Patricia Morris, Ph.D., Sociology, Assistant Professor

Animal Studies     education