Learning to Exploit: The Socialization of Animal Science Undergraduates

Abstract

Animal scientists work closely with the animal agriculture industry and often perform research, influence policy, and create information that is eventually disseminated to the public. While the public generally seems concerned about animal welfare, animal scientists also have internal motivations to care about animal welfare. Welfare measures may impact the tradition and profits of animal agriculture, creating contradictory pressures on animal scientists. This article, based on observations of an introductory Animal Science course on-site at a land-grant university’s farming facilities, examines how animal welfare is constructed in order to socialize students into a discipline and eventual occupation. Attention is paid as to how animal scientists construct animal welfare through various forms of pedagogy that juxtapose welfare with captivity, confinement, research interests, profit, and social acceptability. Observations suggest that animal welfare is constructed as control over animals and the assurance that this control is humane. The dual mechanisms of control and comfort socialize students to raise animals for slaughter and not see this process as violent.