To the Editor:

Jennifer Howard's article "Creature Consciousness" (The Chronicle Review, October 23, 2009) discusses sociological, literary, and philosophical areas of animal studies, but misses both the historical developments in the field (stretching back to the late 1970s) and large and significant areas of academic interest in animal welfare, such as the establishment of professorships in animal welfare (in England, the United States, New Zealand, Germany, the Netherlands, and Canada), the development of numerous centers on animals and society (for example, at Tufts University; the University of California at Davis, the Universities of Missouri, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee; and a number of others), the development of specific degree programs (at Tufts University and the University of Edinburgh), the offering of hundreds of courses in different types of animal studies, and now the establishment of a university that will grant degrees in animal studies (the Humane Society University, in Washington—www.humanesocietyu.org).

The other issue that Howard raises—the balance between advocacy and scholarship—is already a widespread issue in academic institutions but is largely ignored. The only unique element that might be present in any conflict between animal-protection advocacy and scholarship is the level of discomfort that academic institutions might have discussing the implications of animal-rights scholarship. For example, most large academic institutions conduct research on animals but are extremely reluctant to debate or even address the moral implications of the practice.

Andrew N. Rowan
Chief Scientific Officer
The Humane Society of the United States
Washington