Animals and Society Institute
Encyclopedia
The Animals and Society Institute is an independent research and educational organization that seeks to bring about institutional change by advancing the status of animals in public policy, promoting the academic study of human-animal relationships, and implementing programs to break the cycle between animal cruelty and other forms of violence. The Animals and Society Institute was formed in 2005 as a result of a merger of the Institute for Animals and Society (founded by Kim Stallwood
publisher of The Animals’ Agenda magazine), and PSYETA, Psychologists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, founded by psychologist Kenneth Shapiro. The organization is headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and led by Executive Director Kenneth Shapiro.
The ASI has two primary programs: AniCare and Human-Animal Studies.
Created in 1999, the AniCare Model of Treatment for Animal Abuse is the first professionally developed psychological intervention program for animal abusers over the age of 17. A program called AniCare Child is used to treat offenders under age 17.
The AniCare program uses a cognitive-behavioral approach with direct interventions emphasizing the client's need to acknowledge accountability for his or her behavior (much like the approach used with spouse batterers). It involves both assessment and treatment, using exercises that clinicians use to suggest specific interventions for the particular client. It addresses seven major concepts: accountability, respect/freedom, reciprocity, accommodation, empathy, attachment and nurturance. The ASI sponsors workshops to train social service professionals in the use of AniCare materials, and makes manuals and related videos and other materials available for purchase.
ASI's Rapid Response program was launched to complement AniCare with outreach to judges, prosecutors and others in court systems around the country, as well as to the media and the general public.
(HAS) is a rapidly growing interdisciplinary field that examines the complex and multidimensional relationships between humans and other animals. HAS comprises work in such areas of study as psychology, sociology, anthropology, political science, history, literary criticism and other disciplines in the humanities.
The ASI provides leadership in the HAS field by working with scholars and other interested parties to develop programs, events and publications and other resources that expand the availability of courses and resources in institutions of higher learning. ASI established a committee of leading HAS academics and other interested parties to focus on the institutional development of the field, as distinguished from direct support for research.
The ASI has a number of programs which help promote human-animal studies around the world. The organization provides information and materials to professors who are interested in establishing such programs; hosts the HAS listserv for academics, students and others who wish to learn more about this emerging academic endeavor; hosts an annual fellowship program for HAS scholars, now in conjunction with Wesleyan Animal Studies; partners with the Humane Society of the United States in offering the Animals and Society course awards; offers a bi-monthly e-newsletter devoted to HAS news around the world; and offers scholars a Scholar Page where scholars can post their research interests, load their CV and publications, and network with other scholars.
The ASI's two academic journals, Society and Animals (S&A) and the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, (JAAWS), offer in-depth and wide-ranging articles and reports that examine society's complex relationship with animals. S&A publishes articles in the humanities and social sciences, while JAAWS (a joint project with the ASPCA) publishes articles and reports from the natural sciences.
The ASI offers the AniCare Model of Treatment for Animal Abuse. The manual includes 10 concrete interventions and homeworks, a pre-post evaluation instrument, and list of resources. The organization also offers the AniCare Child manual, which is the first published treatment approach to focus exclusively on juvenile cruelty to animals. The practitioner's handbook provides comprehensive strategies and practical suggestions for assessing and treating childhood animal abuse.
The ASI has published six Policy Papers since Fall 2006, covering Dog Bites, Animals in Disasters, Elephants in Circuses, Human-Animal Studies, Dolphin-Human Interaction, and Confined Animal Feeding Operations.
Lantern Books published Teaching the Animal: Human-Animal Studies Across the Disciplines, a guidebook for scholars interested in teaching Human-Animal Studies, in 2010. This is an ASI project.
Kim Stallwood
Kim W. Stallwood is a British animal rights advocate. He is European director of the Animals and Society Institute, an animal rights think tank...
publisher of The Animals’ Agenda magazine), and PSYETA, Psychologists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, founded by psychologist Kenneth Shapiro. The organization is headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and led by Executive Director Kenneth Shapiro.
The ASI has two primary programs: AniCare and Human-Animal Studies.
AniCare
An important example of animal protection as a public policy issue is seen in ASI’s work within the “cycle of violence.” Studies show that there is a link between acts of cruelty to animals and violence toward humans, including child abuse, spousal battery and other types of criminal violence. The treatment of animal abusers has become an increasingly acknowledged necessity: 27 states currently recommend or mandate judges to require counseling for persons convicted of animal cruelty. ASI educates health, education and criminal justice professionals to recognize animal cruelty as a law enforcement issue and as a probably indicator of violence toward others.Created in 1999, the AniCare Model of Treatment for Animal Abuse is the first professionally developed psychological intervention program for animal abusers over the age of 17. A program called AniCare Child is used to treat offenders under age 17.
The AniCare program uses a cognitive-behavioral approach with direct interventions emphasizing the client's need to acknowledge accountability for his or her behavior (much like the approach used with spouse batterers). It involves both assessment and treatment, using exercises that clinicians use to suggest specific interventions for the particular client. It addresses seven major concepts: accountability, respect/freedom, reciprocity, accommodation, empathy, attachment and nurturance. The ASI sponsors workshops to train social service professionals in the use of AniCare materials, and makes manuals and related videos and other materials available for purchase.
ASI's Rapid Response program was launched to complement AniCare with outreach to judges, prosecutors and others in court systems around the country, as well as to the media and the general public.
Human-Animal Studies
Human-Animal StudiesHuman-animal studies
Human–animal studies is a new academic field that examines the relationships between nonhuman and human animals. It includes scholars from a diverse range of fields, including anthropology, sociology, biology, and philosophy....
(HAS) is a rapidly growing interdisciplinary field that examines the complex and multidimensional relationships between humans and other animals. HAS comprises work in such areas of study as psychology, sociology, anthropology, political science, history, literary criticism and other disciplines in the humanities.
The ASI provides leadership in the HAS field by working with scholars and other interested parties to develop programs, events and publications and other resources that expand the availability of courses and resources in institutions of higher learning. ASI established a committee of leading HAS academics and other interested parties to focus on the institutional development of the field, as distinguished from direct support for research.
The ASI has a number of programs which help promote human-animal studies around the world. The organization provides information and materials to professors who are interested in establishing such programs; hosts the HAS listserv for academics, students and others who wish to learn more about this emerging academic endeavor; hosts an annual fellowship program for HAS scholars, now in conjunction with Wesleyan Animal Studies; partners with the Humane Society of the United States in offering the Animals and Society course awards; offers a bi-monthly e-newsletter devoted to HAS news around the world; and offers scholars a Scholar Page where scholars can post their research interests, load their CV and publications, and network with other scholars.
Public Policy
The ASI focuses on interdisciplinary research designed to increase the prominence of animal issues in public policy. The group publishes a series of policy papers that provide professional and scientific analyses of such issues as dog bites, the use of elephants in circuses, dolphin-human interaction programs, disaster relief for animals, and (currently in development) the effect of animal agriculture on global warming. The group developed The Animals’ Platform, a blueprint for legislative and policy reform to promote greater respect for and protection of both wild and domestic animals within the fields of agriculture, scientific research, wildlife management, education and entertainment. It maintains an online database of animal experts from a wide variety of professional fields who support and/or advocate the improved treatment of animals.Publications
The ASI publishes the Human-Animal Studies Book Series, published by Brill, which includes topics that allow exploration of the relationship between humans and nonhumans in any setting, contemporary or historical, from the perspective of various disciplines within the social sciences and humanities.The ASI's two academic journals, Society and Animals (S&A) and the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, (JAAWS), offer in-depth and wide-ranging articles and reports that examine society's complex relationship with animals. S&A publishes articles in the humanities and social sciences, while JAAWS (a joint project with the ASPCA) publishes articles and reports from the natural sciences.
The ASI offers the AniCare Model of Treatment for Animal Abuse. The manual includes 10 concrete interventions and homeworks, a pre-post evaluation instrument, and list of resources. The organization also offers the AniCare Child manual, which is the first published treatment approach to focus exclusively on juvenile cruelty to animals. The practitioner's handbook provides comprehensive strategies and practical suggestions for assessing and treating childhood animal abuse.
The ASI has published six Policy Papers since Fall 2006, covering Dog Bites, Animals in Disasters, Elephants in Circuses, Human-Animal Studies, Dolphin-Human Interaction, and Confined Animal Feeding Operations.
Lantern Books published Teaching the Animal: Human-Animal Studies Across the Disciplines, a guidebook for scholars interested in teaching Human-Animal Studies, in 2010. This is an ASI project.