Animal Wellbeing and Conservation

Overview

The Area of Concentration (AOC) in Animal Wellbeing and Conservation is designed for students wishing to explore animal-human interactions and gain skills for meaningful work with animals or carry out animal research. The interdisciplinary approach incorporates theory and practice to learn about other animals' biological and psychological worlds and humans' responsibilities and roles in relation to other species.

Students who graduate with an AOC in Animal Wellbeing and Conservation may go on to further study in veterinary school, medical school, or graduate school or pursue work as animal trainers, managers in national parks, animal lab technicians, zoo or aquarium managers, animal-oriented policy advisors, or natural resource officers at government agencies (such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, or the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission).

Faculty in Animal Wellbeing and Conservation

Gordon Bauer, Professor Emeritus/Visiting Professor of Psychology
Peter Cook, Associate Professor of Psychology
Nicolas Delon, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Environmental Studies (On Leave)
Heidi Harley, Professor of Psychology/Peg Scripps Buzzelli Chair/Director of Environmental Studies Program
Athena Rycyk, Associate Professor of Biology and Marine Science

Requirements for the AOC in Animal Wellbeing and Conservation

A minimum of thirteen (13) academic units, consisting of eight (8) core units plus five (5) track courses.

Course List
Code	Title
Core Courses
Animal-Oriented Psychology Course
Select one from the following examples:
PSYC 2135	Introductory Psychology Seminar: The Sensory World of Animals*
PSYC 2140	Introductory Psychology Seminar: Animal Thinking*
PSYC 2145	Introductory Psychology Seminar: Animal Thinking with Dolphin Lab*
PSYC 2170	Introduction to Psychology Seminar: The Exotic Sensory World of Animals*
Animal-Oriented Biology Course
BIOL 2100	Foundations of Biology I
or BIOL 2200	Foundations of Biology II*
Animal-Oriented Philosophy Course
PHIL 2475	Animal Minds and Ethics*
Animal Well-Being Course
PSYC 3800	Introduction to Animal Well-Being
Quantitative Reasoning Course
Select one from the following:
STAT 2100	Introduction to Applied Statistics
STAT 2125	Statistics for Economics and the Social Sciences
BIOL 2150	Biostatistics
PHIL 2700	Formal Logic
PSYC 2115	Introductory Psychology Seminar: The Embodied Mind*
Research Methods Course
BIOL 4960	Research Methods in Biology
or PSYC 4550	Research Methods in Psychology
Internship in Animal Wellbeing and Conservation
Internship relevant to area of interest and credit-bearing for one unit
Animal Wellbeing and Conservation Capstone
Capstone one unit course
Track Courses
Select five additional courses in one of the following tracks:
Animals and Society
The Animals and Society Track focuses on ethics, arts and humanities, law, policy, and behavior change.
ANTH 3320	Conservation and Indigenous Knowledge
ANTH 4200	Anthropology of Food
ECON 2200	Political Economy of Food and Agriculture
LITR 3140	Eco Poetry & Ecoperformance Workshop
LITR 3244	The Sexual Politics of Meat: A Reading As A Writer Seminar
LITR 3750	Ecopoetics
PHIL 2450	Environmental Ethics
PHIL 2500	Food, Animals, and the Environment
Animal Minds and Behavior
The Animal Minds and Behavior Track focuses on animal behavior, conservation biology, genetics, cognition, neuroscience, endocrinology, and training.
ANTH 2600	Intro to Biological Anthrop*
BIOL 2360	Animal Behavior
BIOL 3360	Animal Behavior Laboratory
BIOL 3100	Ecology*
BIOL 3125	Wildlife Ecology and Management
BIOL 3370	Invertebrate Zoology
BIOL 3375	Invertebrate Zoology Laboratory
BIOL 3660	Marine Mammal Biology
BIOL 4750	Neuroethology
PSYC 2010	Animal Thinking
PSYC 2300	Animal Behavior Processes Laboratory: Goldfish Learning and Cognition
PSYC 3000	Behavioral Endocrinology
PSYC 3420	Animal Learning and Cognition: Contemporary Approaches
PSYC 4800	Humans and Other Animals: Exploration of a Complex Relationship
PSYC 4810	Humans and Other Animals: Welfare and Emotions
Additional Requirement
Senior Thesis in Animal Wellbeing and Conservation and Baccalaureate Exam

Requirements for the Joint AOC in Animal Wellbeing and Conservation

A minimum of nine (9) academic units, consisting of seven (7) core units plus two (2) track courses.

Course List
Code	Title
Core Courses
Animal-Oriented Psychology Course
Select one from the following examples:
PSYC 2135	Introductory Psychology Seminar: The Sensory World of Animals*
PSYC 2140	Introductory Psychology Seminar: Animal Thinking*
PSYC 2145	Introductory Psychology Seminar: Animal Thinking with Dolphin Lab*
PSYC 2170	Introduction to Psychology Seminar: The Exotic Sensory World of Animals*
Animal-Oriented Biology Course
BIOL 2100	Foundations of Biology I
or BIOL 2200	Foundations of Biology II*
Animal-Oriented Philosophy Course
PHIL 2475	Animal Minds and Ethics*
Animal Well-Being Course
PSYC 3800	Introduction to Animal Well-Being
Quantitative Reasoning Course
Select one from the following:
STAT 2100	Introduction to Applied Statistics
STAT 2125	Statistics for Economics and the Social Sciences
BIOL 2150	Biostatistics
PHIL 2700	Formal Logic
PSYC 2115	Introductory Psychology Seminar: The Embodied Mind*
Research Methods Course
BIOL 4960	Research Methods in Biology
or PSYC 4550	Research Methods in Psychology
Internship in Animal Wellbeing and Conservation
Internship relevant to area of interest and credit-bearing for one unit
Track Courses
Select two additional courses in one of the following tracks: ¹
Animals and Society
The Animals and Society Track focuses on ethics, arts and humanities, law, policy, and behavior change.
Animal Minds and Behavior
The Animal Minds and Behavior Track focuses on animal behavior, conservation biology, genetics, cognition, neuroscience, endocrinology, and training.

¹: See track courses listed under full AOC requirements, above.

Representative Senior Theses in Animal Wellbeing and Conservation

Enrichment for Bottlenose Dolphins across Different Contexts
Training Equine Behaviors to Olfactory Stimuli
Reducing Inconsistencies in Our Attitudes Towards Animals
Sleeping with the (Cuttle)fishes: Measuring Sleep through Arousal Threshold in the Dwarf Cuttlefish, Sepia bandensis
The Effectiveness of Emotional Support Animals at Alleviating Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety in College Students Living on a Residential Campus