© While foxes are not popular animals to keep as companions, there are many cases of keeping foxes as pets. From these cases, we can understand the responsibilities involved with owning a fox as a pet and the consequences one must be prepared to handle. Unfortunately, several pet fox cases have tragic endings for the animal due to human fear, misunderstanding, negligence, or restriction. Only a few cases of pet-fox ownership are documented here.
Since 1959, the Institute of Cytology and Genetics of the Russian Academy of Science in Novisibirsk, Russia has been attempting to domesticate the red fox, Vulpes vulpes, on their experimental fox farm, a project now known as the “Farm-Fox Experiment” (Kukekova et al. 2011; Spady and Ostrander 2007; Trut 1999). Currently led by head of the research group, Dr. Lyudmila N. Trut, the experiment was initiated by the late evolutionary geneticist and Director of the Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Dr. Dimitry K. Belyaev. In 1948, a time when Soviet genetics was beginning to recover from the anti-Darwinian ideology of Trofim Lysenko, Belyaev lost his position as Head of the Department of Fur Animal Breeding at the Central Research Laboratory of Fur Breeding in Moscow. His commitment to genetics led him to conduct genetic research under the guise of studying animal physiology. Under his leadership, the Institute of Cytology and Genetics was founded and became a center of basic and applied research in both classical and modern molecular genetics (Trut 1999). Belyaev mainly worked in genetics and animal breeding and was heavily influenced by the work of Charles Darwin (Belyaev 1979). “Animal domestication was his lifelong project, and fur bearers were his favorite subjects” recalls Dr. Trut (1999, p.162).
© The dog, Canis familiaris, has become one of the most popular companion animals since it was domesticated from the gray wolf, Canis lupus, its sole progenitor (Wayne et al. 1997). Because of its incredible versatility and variety, the dog can adjust and accommodate to fit the lifestyle of his owner. Young and Bannasch (2006) report that the dog has the greatest diversity recognized within any single species. Dogs vary in body size and type, ear and tail length and carriage, coat patterns and colors, craniofacial features, and even limb formation. Virtually any and all combinations of traits can be manipulated in dogs through selective breeding, creating a variation in morphology, anatomy, physiology, and behavior.
Read more
© Thesis Supervisor: Harvey Ginsburg, Ph.D. | Department of Psychology
Second Reader: Bob Fischer, Ph.D. | Department of Philosophy
Approved: Heather C. Galloway Ph.D. | Dean, Honors College
Abstract
This study investigated existing participant attitudes toward pets and pet ownership and analyzed how the manipulation of canine physical attributes by domestication can affect participant perceptions. Anonymous surveys were administered to 97 undergraduate students enrolled in psychology classes at Texas State University. Each participant’s attitudes toward dogs and pet-dog ownership were measured alongside their attitudes toward domesticated foxes and pet-domesticated-fox ownership. Additional questions were created to assess participants’ legal and ethical attitudes, knowledge of fox domestication, and opinions and experiences in regard to pet ownership. Images were created to isolate physical attributes in canines in order to assess their impact on human perception of undomesticated and domesticated features.
The results of this study showed a preference for pet dogs over pet foxes and provided evidence that a majority of people have participated in the practice of owning pet dogs. A connection was found between attitudes toward pet dogs and foxes. Attitudes toward dog and fox breeding and laws regarding pet-dog ownership and pet-fox ownership showed a preference for the legal possession of dogs as pets over foxes, but a moderate agreement to both dog and fox breeding. A low percentage of participants were found to have knowledge of the Farm-Fox Experiment and a moderately-high percentage showed interest in owning a domesticated fox as a pet. This study’s illustrations found that participants instantly reacted to physical attributes manipulated by domestication, but often preferred the standard wild red-colored fox. Different physical traits were also found to have different perceptions of participants.
This study has shown that while our communities are not yet ready to accept these animals into the home, there is potential. Not only do these animals have the genetic potential to become more domesticated and suited for life with humans, participants were shown to have moderately high favorability scores toward pet domesticated foxes.
Read more
When structuring one’s classroom, one should strive to create a community. A community is a place for students to feel cared for, supported, and encouraged. It’s a place where each student is valued and respected as an important individual and a place where each person learns to appreciate the differences of others. Students who learn within positive classroom communities think as a collective group and constantly work together to achieve common goals. In this effective environment, students come together as a group, a team, and even a family. Community means understanding and creates an atmosphere in which students can work, live, and learn together.
Text: Wolfe, G. (2006). Look!: body language in art. London, England: Frances Lincoln Limited.
Text type: Informational Children’s Book
Synopsis: This book focuses on 18 different artworks from artists such as Vincent Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, and Andy Warhol, examining how artists use body language to communicate within their artworks. The author focuses on examining how faces, hands, and bodies, overall, deliver messages and tell stories to show how a person or character is feeling or what they may be thinking. This text illustrates how classical art can relate to contemporary times by recognizing universal ways to communicate nonverbally.
Analysis: This book will challenge its readers to evaluate how communication can be delivered through art and through body language by asking thought-provoking questions such as “What do you think will happen next?” and “How would their lives have been different?” Activities are offered to encourage readers to further their exploration of body language in art. For even further research, biographical information is given about each artist within the book as well as where to find the original paintings shown in the text. This book will allow students to improve their literacy and thinking skills while allowing them to explore a new perspective in communicating within art.
“Leonardo Da Vinci: The Renaissance Man” by Dan Danko
Text: Danko, D. (2012). Leonardo Da Vinci: The Renaissance man. New Delhi, India: Campfire Graphic Novels.
Text type: Graphic Novel
Synopsis: This graphic novel illustrates the life of Leonardo Da Vinci, a Renaissance man who was most famous for his paintings as he experimented with media, his inventions as he tried to revolutionize technology, and his writings as he documented his thoughts throughout his life within many journals and sketchbooks. Focusing on the mystery of the stolen masterpiece, The Mona Lisa, this novel illustrates da Vinci’s life and his impact on the art world today. The reader is given the chance to view da Vinci’s complicated life without missing any details while also following the recovery of the missing painting.
Analysis: This graphic novel is an excellent resource to use in the art classroom, but may be better suited for high school students as it contains dense text and rigorous vocabulary. The storyline of da Vinci’s life is complex and detailed and does not contain any inappropriate or profane material. This text will help introduce or reinforce vocabulary while improving students’ literacy skills as they follow the complex story. It will help demonstrate how Leonardo da Vinci influenced many different subject areas including science, art, aviation, and design by illustrating his inventions, artworks, sketches, and ideas. He also influenced the way that humans view the human body through his incredibly detailed studies of muscles, bones, and skin. This text will allow students to understand more about one of the most influential artists of all time while enjoying a graphic novel that will also help them within their studies of art and design.
https://unsplash.com/photos/DOWCRd8k6coFrans de Waal, a Dutch primatologist and ethologist has contributed to research on primate social behavior, including conflict resolution, cooperation, food-sharing, and inequity aversion. De Waal was the first to introduce the thinking of Machiavelli to primatology and has inspired the field of primate cognition from his writings of primate emotions and intentions. De Waal has proven “reconciliation” to be a part of animal behavior and has focused on cooperation, altruism, and fairness in order to reveal the origins of animal morality. When studying fairness and equality with capuchin monkeys, De Waal hypothesized that giving a capuchin a lesser reward for a task while his peer received a greater reward for the same task would create inequality and produce a negative reaction from the capuchin.
In Frans de Waal’s fairness study, capuchin monkeys were used to study the rejection of unequal pay. Two capuchin monkeys from the same social group were placed in separate cages side-by-side and were assigned a simple task to complete, to deliver a rock to the observer. When both were rewarded with cucumber for the task, the capuchins were satisfied, however when one capuchin was given a grape instead of the cucumber as a reward for the same task, inequity was created.
Beginning the experiment, a capuchin was rewarded with a cucumber for delivering a rock to the observer. After the capuchin saw her peer receive a grape, a better reward than a cucumber, for the same task, however, she completed the task once more. After still receiving a cucumber as a reward for the task, the capuchin rejected the vegetable by throwing it at the observer and began reaching her arms out of the holes in the enclosure and grabbing on to the cage and shaking about. Once the capuchin witnessed her peer receive another grape for the same task again, she then hesitated in completing the task and banged the rock on the metal wall of her cage. She then delivered the rock to the observer, and when given a cucumber as a reward again, reacted in a similar fashion by throwing the vegetable, reaching her arms out of the cage, and thrashing about.
It would appear at first that De Waal’s hypothesis was correct in that the capuchin sensed a feeling of inequality and was negatively affected. Because the capuchin only rejected the lesser reward after seeing his peer receive a greater reward, it would seem that the capuchin wanted equal pay for equal work. De Waal believed that the capuchin’s distressed behavior showed his understanding of equality and fairness. He believed that this experiment helped demonstrate that animals have a sense of morality and that they can understand social expectations. Alternatively, the capuchin could have simply desired the greater reward after discovering it, regardless of whether or not his peer received the greater reward. Instead of the capuchin wanting a grape because his peer received a grape, he may have simply preferred the grape over the cucumber.
In order to test these hypotheses and better understand the factors causing the monkey’s “tantrum” behaviors, a new study could be conducted. By removing the capuchin’s peer from the study, one can better understand if the monkey is reacting in a social context. In a similar study, the capuchin must deliver a rock to the observer in exchange for a food reward. At first the capuchin will be given cucumber slices as a reward, but after a few exchanges, a grape, a more-desired reward, could be granted. After delivering grapes as a reward for some amount of time, cucumber slices could be introduced again. Based upon the capuchin’s reaction to receiving cucumber slices for the same task that he received grapes, one can more accurately determine whether a peer monkey affects the capuchin’s behavior.
https://unsplash.com/photos/Bb5_UncnKbUOn June 6th, 1944, American paratroopers stormed Normandy, France to spearhead the D-Day invasion to ultimately drive the German forces out of France during World War II. After jumping, the paratroopers held their ground before beach-landing troops arrived with reinforcements. Several battles took place, including one within a field aside a French country road. After both sides had formed a skirmish line, prepared to fight, a jackrabbit became startled and began running between the two lines. Both sides began to fire at the rabbit, trying to strike him, yet after many attempts, the rabbit remained unharmed and darted safely into the bushes. Hearing the continuous gunshots from afar, the German defenders of Baupte assumed that they were outnumbered, allowing the pair of unsupported paratroop companies to easily overtake them.
After hearing Dr. Donald Olson, of Texas State University speak of his travels to Normandy, France to study the victories that took place during World War II, and speaking with my freshmen roommate who accompanied Dr. Olson on his study abroad, I became interested in the subject and have chosen to pursue it for my history painting. I have chosen to focus on a true story that involves a jackrabbit helping the American troops win a battle and ultimately, helping them drive the Germans out of France during World War II. I have found imagery of World War II soldiers along with references of running jackrabbits from the Internet that I can use to compile a dynamic composition.
This painting’s composition will be simple, yet powerful. By abstracting the rabbit’s form to a minimalistic, pale silhouette surrounded by a drastically different background, the rabbit will remain the focal point in a haunting way. The background will be composed of random, sporadic lines and marks in order to convey not only the random, quick movements of the animal himself, but also the frantic, rushed gunshots of the soldiers firing at him. This random barrage of marks will also convey the chaotic theme of war and the constant panic of being preyed upon. This composition will most importantly highlight the rabbit’s presence in the piece to focus on his major impact in the war through such a small, minor role.
While painting this painting, I will choose to paint with quick, energetic, and activated brushstrokes to highlight the fast energy of the jackrabbit and the boisterous clamor of the soldiers and their gunshots. As for colors, I will choose to use solemn, neutral tones in the background and pale tones within the jackrabbit. By using lighter colors on the hare, he will be highlighted as a heroic figure that brought hope to the war. All of these choices will help illustrate this historic event in a way that will highlight my positive thoughts.
On the morning of November 24, 1963, Lee Harvey Oswald, infamous for the assassination of John F. Kennedy, was to be transferred to an armored truck; yet, Oswald never made it to the vehicle. Surrounded by crowds of news reporters, cameramen, and photographers, Jack Ruby was virtually unseen as he stepped forward, drew a Colt Cobra .38 pistol, and murdered Oswald with a fatal shot. “The Shot Seen ‘Round the World” was instantaneously covered by the media, scarring the event into the public’s memory.
Everyone’s heard the phrase, “A picture is worth a thousand words,” but there are a few instances when this phrase is no longer true. Some pictures have been seen so many times that they no longer have a voice, no longer tell a story, and can no longer share a thousand words. When found in art, these images hold little value as they remain stagnant and unchanged. Read more
If you don’t know by now, my favorite video game of all time right now is The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim for the PC, Xbox360, and Playstation 3. I personally play Skyrim on the Xbox360 as I don’t own a Playstation3 and don’t care for playing video games on the computer. I am such a fan of the Elder Scrolls video games because of their attention to detail and attempts to create realistic, thriving, natural worlds.
Skyrim is an open-world role-playing fantasy game, which hits many of my favorite things about video games. I love role-playing video games, fantasy games, and games with lots of exploration and open worlds. Skyrim is a massive open world that allows its players to explore to their heart’s content and do whatever they please. While there are plots to delve into and goals to complete, the speed is left completely to the player and all barriers are down, allowing the player to go anywhere at any time and do anything. So many times I find myself simply exploring the countryside and scaling mountains just to enjoy the scenery and see what’s out there.
One of my favorite things about Skyrim is the vast amount of wildlife found roaming the open lands and the realism involved with them. The Elder Scrolls team tries to create believable worlds within their video games, so they spend the time to create a working ecosystem complete with prey and predators. When exploring the lands, you’ll come across deer grazing in the woods, elk venturing the tundra, and bears hunting them down. The animals live their own lives and make sense in the space around them. Not only can you see these animals and simply spend time with them or follow them around, you can also chase and hunt them down, ride them, fight alongside them, battle them, skin their fur, eat their meat, wear their hides, collect their claws, cook them in a stew, and mash their teeth into a powder to use in potions, and that’s only the beginning of what you can do!
The Elder Scrolls series always aims to create living, breathing, believable worlds filled with lore and history, so they allow the player to do almost anything they can imagine. This wide array of possibilities really helps bring the world of Skyrim to life and helps add believability to the animals and wildlife. The animals are not just computer models running about, but can actually help or hinder the player in his adventures. All of this realistic interaction really helps make Skyrim an enjoyable experience full of life and realism.