The minor in Animal Studies, administered by the Department of Environmental Studies, draws from courses in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences to provide students with a wide range of options—from sociology and anthropology to ethics, law, and policy, and from biology and environmental studies to art and literary studies. This minor can be combined with any major and will help students develop strengths in a variety of academic and professional fields. This minor affords students one of very few opportunities in the country to incorporate animal studies into a college degree.
Minor Declaration
To declare the Animal Studies minor, CAS students must visit this departmental website and fill out the form listed under the "Declaring a Major or Minor" section; non-CAS students must declare the minor through the "Minor Application" form found on the "Academics" tab in Albert. The "host school" for the minor is CAS, and the "home school" is the school in which one is matriculated as a full-time student. The minor declaration request will then be processed by the student's home school.
Program Requirements
The minor requires 16 credits completed with a C or better (Pass/Fail courses cannot count) selected from the following list:
Topics in AS: (An Animal History of Science, Animals and American Empire, Introduction to Animal Studies, The Arrogant Ape, Animals and the Law, Community Ecology)
Topics in Animal Studies (The People Vs. The Sea; Wild Animal Welfare; Animal Stories; Animals, Art and Technology; Disability Across Species: Body Politics in More-than-Human Worlds; Policy Matters: Animals in the Anthropocene; The Psychology of Human Exceptionalism)
See Course Offerings for a full list of semester-by-semester course offerings that count towards the minor.
Policies
Policies Applying to the Minor
One course cannot satisfy more than one requirement for the Animal Studies minor. Students must earn a C or better in all courses for the minor. Pass/Fail courses cannot count toward the minor. Transfer students must complete at least half of the minor at NYU.
Students may double count no more than one course between the Animal Studies minor and another major or minor, as long as both departments approve.