New multidisciplinary course to be offered in the 2009-2010 academic year

The Drury University Forum on Animal Rights is entirely funded by the Bob Barker Endowment Fund for the Study of Animal Rights. The Centerpiece of the Forum is the new multidisciplinary Animal Ethics GLST 212 course, which will be taught in the 2009-2010 academic year. Animal Ethics meets the GP21 requirement for Values Inquiry.

This cutting-edge multidisciplinary course is designed to acquaint the student with the contemporary and historical animal-rights issues. A primary goal of the course is to
raise moral consciousness about the most current conditions and uses of nonhuman animals and therein the ethical dimension of relationships between nonhuman animals
and human beings. The course is structured in two sections: a) ethical theory and b) applied ethics.

The course will be team taught by professors from across the disciplines. Students will study a range of issues related to nonhuman animals including the animal rights
debate, spay/neuter issues, vivisection, animal law, animal fighting, views of nonhuman animals in various religious traditions, sustainability, associations between animal abuse and interpersonal violence, factory farming hoarding, wildlife control, and overpopulation. In addition to Drury faculty, guest speakers will address such issues as
puppy mills, animal control, and issues related to local animal shelters. The course will include a visit to an animal shelter or zoo.

By the end of the course, students will have continued to develop the ability to read thoughtfully, think critically and imaginatively and communicate ideas powerfully
in writing and speaking.

Visit drury.edu/animalrights for additional details about the course and its history.