Award highlights innovative course developed by Dr. Taylor Rezvani and Corey J. Butler
Husson University educators Dr. Taylor Rezvani and Corey J. Butler are being recognized by the American Sociological Association for creating a distinctive learning experience that asks students to look closely at how people, animals and cultures influence one another. Their course, Anthrozoology: Animals, People, and Society, has received the Clifton Bryant Animals & Society Course Award.
The award, presented by the Animals and Society Section of the American Sociological Association, celebrates exceptional course design in the field of human-animal relationships. Husson’s submission was recognized for bringing together multiple disciplines, incorporating global perspectives and making reflexivity a central part of the learning experience. Through reflexivity, students consider how their own identities and assumptions can shape their understanding of knowledge and research.
Anthrozoology: Animals, People, and Society serves as the starting point for Husson’s Applied Animal Behavior and Welfare master’s degree program. The course follows the Understanding by Design framework and encourages students to become active participants in academic inquiry. Students select an audience, interaction, culture and species for their work, then investigate global cultural perspectives through a structured literature review. Their research culminates in an Anthrozoological Visiting Scholar Welcome Talk. By examining their assumptions and research decisions throughout the process, students gain skills that can support careers in animal care, policy, advocacy and research.
Rezvani has 20 years of professional experience in veterinary practices and animal behavior education. She earned an interdisciplinary Ph.D. from Washington State University that integrated biology, education and psychology. She also co-founded a nonprofit focused on canine-human interaction outreach and serves as education committee chair for the Human Animal Bond Association. Her work at Husson has included helping establish the undergraduate Animal Care and Behavior program and the graduate Applied Animal Behavior and Welfare program.
Butler brings more than a decade of experience in asynchronous online curriculum development and has been instrumental in building Husson’s animal studies programs.
Rezvani and Butler will be recognized at the Animals and Society Section’s Human-Animal Futures in a Changing World mini-conference, following the American Sociological Association Annual Meeting on August 12 at New York University.
Prospective students interested in the field can learn more about the Applied Animal Behavior and Welfare program at Husson Online.
For more than 128 years, Husson University has prepared future leaders through innovative undergraduate and graduate degree programs. With a commitment to delivering affordable classroom, online and experiential learning opportunities, Husson offers quality educational programs in areas including emerging technologies; business; finance; education; animal care; legal studies; healthcare; science and humanities; and communication. For more information about educational opportunities, visit Husson.edu.
