University of New England

Nexus
The incredible journey - English Professor Susan McHugh explores the cultural history of humans and animals

by Amanda Johnson '07

We typically read stories and watch movies without ever realizing the importance animal characters play in books and films. Many of us can recall the human-like simians in the science fiction novel Planet of the Apes by Pierre Boulle or the shy little pig in the movie "Babe," but how many of us think about these animals' profound significance to their stories?

Susan McHugh, assistant professor of English and animal studies scholar and author, noticed a change in the portrayal of animals in stories and realized that animals could be seen as human actors within their own narratives.

Visual Media
McHugh, who recently published a cultural history of canines, entitled Dog, observes visual media as part of her research. She noticed that in films animals are given human-like qualities and characteristics. People and animals are seen with more frequency interacting with one another and sharing physical and mental characteristics. This contrasts with real life where most people perceive animals as not having the capability to think or act like human beings, and many don't accept the two openly sharing these abilities. Through her research and teaching, McHugh strives to put human beings and animals on more equal footing. 

McHugh works hard to insert her animal studies research into several of the courses she teaches. Not everyone would see a direct relationship between animal studies and English, but McHugh proves otherwise. She notices that animals are in many literary works and close reading of the literature adds layers of complexity, focus, interpretation and direction to a text. She publishes books and articles on this subject, and gives presentations and travels around the world.

Background
McHugh's love for books and animals was sparked at a young age through her parents' encouragement. This interest continued to grow, with McHugh earning B.A. and M.A. degrees in English and a Japanese literature and language minor at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. A Ph.D. in English at Purdue University capped her education.

A native of central Massachusetts, McHugh taught at a variety of different colleges, but always wanted to move back to New England. The University of New England's appreciative environment drew her back to the northeast. "We are one of the few schools that value both our faculty's teaching and research," said McHugh and "I feel like I can be pretty real with the people I work with."
 
Department of English
As a member of a young department and growing program in a University with a wide range of majors, McHugh and the other English Department faculty members have the opportunity to discuss diverse issues in the classroom. The English Department was created with diversity in mind. Anouar Majid, chair of the Department, hired each faculty member with a different specialty, McHugh's expertise being animal studies.

Through her involvement in the search committee to hire another English professor last year, McHugh is well aware of Majid's broad vision for the department and believes the faculty reflects his strategies and objectives. The University is proud of its non-traditional English program, developed from the strengths now current in the field.

From McHugh's viewpoint, "That takes a lot of guts. It is easy to pitch something that has already been tried and true, [trying something different is] a risk, but in my opinion something that will prove worthwhile." McHugh laughed, adding that the English faculty would like to "persuade some science majors to come over to the dark side."

Since the English program at UNE is based on literary theory, it allows the program to be more fluid and permits the staff to change and update courses based on new faculty members' backgrounds. Because of this approach they teach to the student, not to a test.

Teaching Style
McHugh educates students not only through her knowledge of English and animal studies, but through her teaching style as a facilitator. She strongly believes in classroom participation and wants students to "run" the class instead of her standing in front lecturing. What she loves most about being a teacher is that teachers can be full of surprises and have the ability to mix things up. McHugh admitted, "I am not always full of [surprises], but I try."
 
The majority of students and faculty are generally open-minded about McHugh's unique research interests; however, not everyone necessarily understands it. The general public has complex assumptions and feelings about the topic of animal studies. Some automatically assume McHugh is an animal rights activist or has a political agenda, while others express no interest in animal-related topics such as where fast food comes from or how our relationship with animals, such as pets, might relate to human relationships. 

Foreign Influences
Through her travels, McHugh has discovered diverse viewpoints on the subject of animal studies in different parts of the world. She spent a summer in Japan and can read and speak Japanese. In general, she finds Europe and Asian countries are more receptive to animal studies compared to the United States. These countries take interest in animal topics that are usually kept hidden from the public or are not generally discussed, like the conditions and inner workings of slaughterhouses.

This deeper understanding of animals affects public awareness in countries like England and Japan.  The English are more accepting of animal studies, one reason being their concern with mad cow disease, while Japan's acceptance of the field can be traced back to the country's philosophical history of reincarnation, sympathy to all life and the participation of animals in Japanese traditions.

Citizens of these countries are commonly trained to see similarities in humans and animals, where Americans are taught to see humans and animals as different creatures entirely. We tend to focus on familiar animal issues like animal cruelty laws, crime and pets' rights and avoid looking deeper into unfamiliar or complicated animal-related topics.    

Entertainment Industry
Because people spend large amounts of money and time attending movies, McHugh uses this entertainment industry as a path to connect with a broader audience. Films engage more people in conversation about animals and create more universal appeal to international knowledge. Animal films and digital media appeal to the viewer visually while books require the reader to use imagination to view the animal.

McHugh has found that there is a shift in narratives, because movies can change an individual's perceptions and viewpoints through a sugarcoated storyline. Animated films like the popular Walt Disney productions create humorous and superficial storylines with a variety of animal characters. These popular movies hinder the realities and more serious topics of animal life. Live-action films contain more visual imagination for viewers and some require animal training, allowing different animals to interact and adding liveliness to a production. Digital media reaches a wider audience compared to books, which are categorized by genre and only reach certain audiences.

Dog
McHugh published the nonfiction book Dog in 2004 and is currently working on a new book titled Animal Theory. McHugh's greatest challenge composing Dog was to "figure out what to say about an animal that people have already heard so much about."

Dog explores the canine species' origin, breed and future and discusses its ties with humans. The book illuminates the similarities between dogs and humans, as well as some societies' prejudices about dogs. Animal theory will focus on how animal literature is changing, while recognizing the importance of visual media to animal studies.

McHugh is passionate about English, animal studies and the writing, researching and teaching that comes with the field. She concludes, "When else do you have the chance in life to read books and talk about them?"

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