UNIVERSITY STUDIES 420

Animal and Human Welfare: Medical, Moral and Social Connections

Fall 2002

Instructor:	John Nolt, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Philosophy	John C. New, Jr., DVM, MPH, Professor, College of Veterinary Medicine
Office:	818 McClung Tower	A205 Veterinary Teaching Hospital
Office Hours:	9-10 MWF, and by appt.	Call 974-5576 and ask for Department secretary. She will schedule appointments.
Phone:	974-7218	974-5576
E-mail:	nolt@utk.edu	jnew@utk.edu
Web site:	web.utk.edu/~nolt	—

Description: This multidisciplinary course explores the medical, moral and social aspects of animal-human interactions. The course examines perspectives on the ethical treatment of animals; the benefits and risks of humans' relationships with companion animals; the relationship between animal abuse and interpersonal violence; and the costs and consequences of using animals as resources. By exploring the interdependence of humans and animals, we will consider the argument that fostering human welfare requires compassion and justice for animals as well as for humans.

Rationale: Despite the growth of the animal rights movement, the widespread abuse of animals persists, and the links between cruelty to animals and interpersonal violence are often ignored, with tragic consequences for both animals and people. This course highlights these connections, examining the complexities of humans' relationships with animals through the lens of diverse disciplinary perspectives.

Textbooks:
Tom Regan, The Case for Animal Rights, Univ. of California Press, 1983
Peter Singer, Animal Liberation, Avon Books, 1990

Grades
Grades will be based on the following:
Three analytical essays
Essay 1 (Animal Ethics) 25%
Essay 2 (Companion Animals) 20%
Essay 3 (on guest lectures) 20%
Group project 30%
Class participation/attendance 5%

Analytical essays: Essay topics will be handed out in advance for each section of the course.

Group project: Group projects consist of 15 hours of animal welfare-related community service by each member of the group, a substantial written report jointly authored by the group, and a class presentation near the end of the semester. Individual work within the group will be evaluated both by the group and by the instructors. Through attendance is important at all times, it is crucial when your classmates are giving their presentations.

Class Participation/Attendance: Class attendance is required. You are expected to arrive promptly at class meetings prepared to discuss the assigned readings for the week. An attendance "sign-up" sheet will be circulated during the first five minutes of class.
Course Calendar

Date	Instructor	Reading	Topic
8/22	John New, John Nolt	—	Mechanics of the course, Introduction to Ethics
8/27	John Nolt	A.J. Ayer, The Problem of Knowledge: Analysis and Justification of Knowledge about Other Minds [online]; Regan, Chapter 1	Animal minds, animal experience
8/29	John Nolt	Singer, Chapter 1	The Principle of Equality
9/3	John Nolt	Singer, Chapters 2 and 3	Animal Research, Factory Farms
9/5	John Nolt	Singer, Chapter 4	Vegetarianism
9/10	John Nolt	Singer, Chapters 5 and 6	Speciesism
9/12	John Nolt	Regan, Chapters 3 and 6	Animal Welfare, Critique of Singer
9/17	John Nolt	Regan, Chapters 7-8	Justice, Equality and Rights
9/19	John Nolt	Regan, Chapter 9	Implications of Rights View
9/24	Guest Lecture: Elizabeth Strand		Children and Pets
9/26	John Nolt	Mary Anne Warren, "A Critique of Regan's Animal Rights Theory," [online]	Critique of Regan
10/1	John Nolt	Albert Schweitzer, "Reverence for Life"; Aldo Leopold, "The Land Ethic"	Biocentrism, Ecocentrism
10/3	John New	The origins of attachment theory: John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth,Dev. Physch. 28(5), 759-775 and Humans and pets and attachment, Brit J Psych, 1978, 1233, 550-5	Theoretical Foundations of the Human-Companion Animal Bond
10/8	John New	No readings. Handout will be provided	Demographics of Pet Ownership in the U.S. First Analytical Essay Due
10/10	FALL BREAK
10/15	John New	Characteristics of shelter-relinquished animals and their owners in U.S. pet-owning households, JAAWS 3(3), 2000, 179-201	The Relinquishment of Dogs and Cats
10/17	John New	Health benefits of pets for families, Pets and the Family, 191-202 and Health benefits of pets: NIH Technology Assessment Workshop, 1987, 1-6	The Benefits of Human-Companion Animal Interactions
10/22	Guest Lecture: Niall Shanks		Animals and science
10/24	John New	Attachment between people and their pets: Behavior problems of pets that arise from the relationship between pets and people, Interrelations Between People and Pets, Chapter 15, 271-294	Animal-Assisted Activities and Therapy, Benefits, and Risks
10/29	John New	The welfare of assistance and therapy animals: An ethical comment, Handbook of Animal-Assisted Therapy: Theoretical Foundations and Guidelines for Practice, Chapter 18, 415-431	Ethical Considerations and the Welfare of Companion Animals
10/31	Guest Lecture:
11/5	Guest Lecture:		Second Analytical Essay Due
11/7	Guest Lecture: Neil Greenberg		How Ethology Guides Our Decisions about Animal Welfare
11/12	Guest Lecture:
11/14	Guest Lecture:
11/19	Guest Lecture:
11/21	Guest Lecture:
11/26	Class Presentation	—	—
11/28	THANKSGIVING
12/3	Class Presentation	—	—
12/10	Final Exam Period 8-10 a.m.		Third Analytical Essay Due

[last updated 09/04/02]