Animal Studies is a rapidly developing interdisciplinary field that draws from the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences to examine what nonhuman animals are like, how human and nonhuman animals relate to each other, and the aesthetic, moral, social, political, economic, and ecological significance of these relations.
NYU Animal Studies, active since 2010 and housed in the Department of Environmental Studies, is a central gathering place for people interested in these issues. Our students work with leading scholars in Animal Studies, Environmental Studies, and related fields; participate in intensive seminars, workshops, and conferences; and engage in a wide range of theoretical, practical, and creative pursuits upon graduation.
We administer an Animal Studies Minor (one of the first in the country) and an Animal Studies M.A. Program (one of the first in the world). We also support faculty and student research, in part by working with the NYU Center for Environmental and Animal Protection to conduct, support, and distribute high-quality research about important issues at the intersection of environmental and animal protection.
Our Mission
To develop and administer courses and degree programs in Animal Studies.
To contribute to the development of Animal Studies by supporting intellectually and empirically rigorous scholarship on animals and our relationships with them.
To start new conversations about animals, how we understand and represent their diversity and complexity, and how to best protect them and raise awareness about their importance.
To build bridges between academic fields, and between academia and society, in the study of animals and our interactions with them.