Development of contemporary issues courses: pitfalls and opportunities

The development and teaching of contemporary issues courses provide unique opportunities for expanding influence, service to the university, and professional development. During the last decade, there has been a proliferation of such courses centered on the issue of human exploitation of animals. The Ohio State University's general education curriculum, initiated in 1990, includes a requirement that senior students complete a 5-credit course in the category Issues of the contemporary world. Currently, 28 courses are offered in this category, and 5 are from the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. Our course, entitled Issues concerning the use of animals by humans, was the first from the college included in this category. The course has been offered continuously since 1990-4 quarters per year since 1992. Challenges included gaining approval of the course through a special oversight committee, enhancing visibility of the course outside the college, instructor education, and control of personal biases. The development of this type of course is, necessarily, a continuous process. Instruction of this course has been challenging, enlightening, and exceedingly rewarding. Instructors of similar courses at 11 other universities reported experiences similar to ours.