A degree in ... preserving Japanese breeds?

PoetikDragon

I've decided to go back to college full time. I'm going to finish up my computer science bachelors and graphic communications associates because I was very close to finishing them before I quit to get married. But I'm just doing that for completeness - what I really want to do is find something I can apply towards preserving and promoting healthy and diverse populations in the native Japanese breeds. I want to go back to school to learn and apply what I learn to something I am passionate about so I can really make a difference and a change for good.

Right now I have a short list of topics I am interested in, including animal husbandry, first aid / emergency care for dogs and newborn puppies, genetics, population genetics, auto-immune disorders, food and skin allergies, canine nutrition, canine behavior, operant conditioning, dog training - and who knows what else! On the side I would like to get CPDT-KA and CPDT-KSA certified.

I am open to your ideas for courses I should take or what kind of degree(s) I can shape this into. It would be absolutely fantastic if some day I could be a part of some research grant to go to Japan and study something about the breeds there.

sunyata

I have an undergraduate degree (and Master's degree) in Biology. BioTech for undergrad and general bio for my first MS degree. I learned a TON in my genetics classes and really enjoyed the discussions regarding bioethics and genetic engineering.

So, perhaps look into genetics and concentrate on canine genetics? Is there a vet school in your area? You can also look at a master's (or bachelor's) in veterinary science and concentrate on canine behaviour.

There are tons of possibilities, so I am looking forward to see what everyone comes up with and what you decide to do!

Crispy

I'm doing Anthropology and Psychology to kind of accomplish a similar thing.

I'd recommend standard psychology for behavior, since the same theories can be applied. I've taken stuff from developmental and social psychology that has helped me a lot in dog training and it has certainly expanded my knowledge. A general psychology course should go into a good amount of detail on classical and operant conditioning along with learning and behaviorism.

I took a practical biology course ("Biology in the Mordern World") that was pretty fundamental, but was geared toward nursing students. That was a great stepping stone into genetic diversity and going into other genetics courses. We went over mitosis and meiosis (naturally), but also the auto-immune disorders, cancers, and other heritable health issues along with why genetic diversity is important and all the ways "nature" tries to maintain it in reproduction. I'd like to take another genetics course once I get a couple more of my core classes out of the way.

I like the anthropology and sociology courses because they look at culture, patterns, and give you the ability to look at what is important to groups and peoples. A little abstract thinking and it isn't hard to apply that to the breeds or types of dogs that are valued in that culture, so I think it's given me a better understanding of how important it is to value and preserve certain traits.

As far as nutrition, we don't have any canine-specific things, but I know the nursing students (my school is a big police and nursing campus) have to take nutrition and health classes. I think the only way to get something canine-specific would be to go to a agricultural or veterinary school? Not sure!

With a little bit of outside research and abstract thinking, I'm sure there will be classes you can take at the college or university available to you.

I'm still learning, though, so I'll be interested to see what more people have to add!

zandrame

UC Davis is a good option. And recently in the news.
http://www.caes.ucdavis.edu/news/articles/2014/03/purebred-dogs-may-face-health-challenges-1

There are also other name-dropped institutions in the Scientific American article
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/although-purebred-dogs-can-be-best-in-show-are-they-worst-in-health/

Contacting experts in the field would be a good start to find out what steps you need to accomplish your goal.

I would love it if there was a university project devoted to helping the struggling NK breeds, first the Shikoku, like the Dalmatian/Pointer project!

PoetikDragon

I actually started my degree at Davis, but I'm not moving back up there. I just can't sell the house, move all the dogs, and expect my husband to find a new job too.

Cal Poly Pomona has a lot of animal sciences / pre-vet courses though. I don't want to drive to Pomona every day, but if I can do online courses for some of it and only do the drive two or three times a week, that could be worth it.

sjp051993

I have an Animal Sciences degree. My emphasis was nutrition and genetics.

PoetikDragon

@sjp051993 I literally just discovered Animal Sciences a few minutes ago. Sounds perfect!

http://www.csupomona.edu/~avs/

"Study genetics, breeding principles, reproductive physiology and produce embryos and clones. Learn immunology and invent new vaccines. Go into animal industry and business management [...] From nutrition, immunology and genetics to using animals for people-therapy, we take a holistic approach so you can find your calling."

souggy

I would be careful with genetics.

There are geneticists who flew too close the world of dog-breeding and ruined their career over "academic frauds". Google "Claire Wade".

She's not the only one either.

The ones who are successful in dog-world usually don't own dogs or don't want to do anything with dogs.

lindsayt

Some universities/colleges allow you to design your own independent major and degree program.

BradA1878

I have nothing to add other than to say, I like this.

NavyDog

I started on my Animal Science degree. Only got a few credits before I got sent to boot camp early. I really hope to one day finish it. I'd like to go to Purdue but while I'm still in the Navy, I'll just have to settle for online courses.

sjp051993

I wish I could have done more with my degree when I got out of school.

*JackBurton*

What ever you do, I think it would be very beneficial to include courses in public policy. Whaaat why on earth would I say that? Well having that under your belt makes it easier for you to approach cities, counties, etc when their local ords impact your goal of preserving the breed. Plus it would give you much needed experience with public speaking.

You might also want to consider a minor in asian studies or Japanese history. A lot of our breed's history is based on oral tradition. In my mind to be successful with your new degree you would need to balance science with understanding the culture behind the breeds.

PoetikDragon

I am definitely going to try and squeeze learning Japanese into my curriculum, either at the bachelors or masters level. Not sure about Asian Studies... can you have more than one minor? I'm considering Quantitative Research at the moment. I am good at math and statistics, and it will really help with studying populations, survey and data analysis techniques.

Ultimately I do want to be a part of some research project; I am tired of my vet asking me "is this common in the breed?" and the answer always being "We just have no way of knowing, because there are no tests or studies done in Japan."

WrylyBrindle

sure, there's such a thing as double-minors. I'd say-- since there's a lot to cover in this major-- that you need not strive to be the Be-All, End-All at it, but to be the "Claire-est" at it. Others will (hopefully) come along and have significant overlap, but they will have focused somewhere slightly outside the circle as suits their abilities and interests as well. Follow your best strengths- if you have to choose, its easier to find a translator than to find someone as good at Quantitative Research as you are and will be. Also if you don't know of Edward Tufte - very much up your alley http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/

shibamistress

Not much to add except it sounds great, and I agree with Chrys--follow the path that works best for you, and you have the most interest in. You can't do everything, so choose what you love. Often, btw, a minor develops as you take classes, because you find yourself following a certain path or interest, then discover you've taken enough classes in it to have a minor. You can also try double-majors. But some of this will develop as you take courses. You may find you're not so interested in one element after all, and than another is more compelling, etc.

PoetikDragon

Yeah - I will be back in school *forever* if I take every class that interests me. I had so much fun in my classes at Sac City for stereolithography and silk screening. And if there was a class that included rapid prototyping or 3d printing, man, I'd be all over that too. But I'm going to stick to stuff relevant for my ultimate goal - unless I need filler units and/or general ed requirements.

(Except for Japanese. I really want to learn it. And if I'm in school anyway, it makes more sense than buying Rosetta Stone or whatever.)

ayk

Kudos to you for wanting to finish your original degrees and adding additional degrees.


I can't suggest any other degrees in addition to the ones already mentioned. With the number of years that has passed since I graduated, I wouldn't trust myself to know the best major that now exists that would fit your goals.


I will mention that if you go into the pre-vet track even for the purpose of going into research and not practice, it's going to be very intensive with lots of competition. When I was an undergrad, the courses were also shared with pre-meds. Who would cause the grading curve to be pushed higher.

My experience based on my school might be different than at CSU-Pomona, but getting into research as an undergrad was also competitive. (Pre-vets want the research experience so they can put it in their vet school applications. ) The research opportunities might only come as a grad student or, if you're a straight A student, as an 'upperclassman'.

Trzcina

Some schools also do allow you to design your own BA/BS, based on your interests and a specific set of core courses that everyone has to take. Most Bachelors programs also do require at least a year or two of a foreign language, so Japanese can likely fit in very well there. Usually upper-division language courses start moving into history, literature, etc. for topics, so you may find that you're picking up a lot of that in that way.

I'd definitely talk to whatever the academic advising centers at the schools you're interested in are, and see if they'll let you design your own major with the things that interest you. Different schools handle that differently, but I'd start out heavy on biology classes and animal science/pre-vet stuff regardless, with Japanese as your language option.

*JackBurton*

University of Redlands has a build your own degree.