Off-Campus Learning Guide 2005
Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences

Graduate Certificate in Animal Welfare

Course code: 3430 + Off-campus (Department of Psychology, Caulfield) +
Full-fee-paying course: $TBC (Australian residents) (not available to international students)

On completion of the course, it is expected that graduates will:

• understand animal welfare and ethics within the disciplines of science, history, sociology and politics
• be able to assess animal welfare issues objectively
• be able to apply the knowledge gained in this course effectively in theory and practice in areas such as animal well-being, welfare inspection and assessment, research management, and the preparation and updating of welfare codes, legislation and regulations
• be able to communicate the knowledge gained articulately in written and spoken form
• be aware of the complexity of debate concerning animal issues and be able to distinguish between fact and value, examine factual claims for accuracy and address conflicts between different value systems
• be able to identify problems, areas of controversy and areas of agreement, in particular with regard to duty of care to animals, animal housing, animal husbandry, animal rights, conservation and biodiversity, and ethics and welfare
• be able to implement Standard Operating Procedures in their area of practice with a focus on the three Rs (replace, refine and reduce) and quality of life
• be able to design and conduct research contributing to knowledge and/or practice in the field of animal welfare and ethics
• have furthered their educational, personal and professional development and lifelong patterns of learning.

Entry requirements

Applicants must have a bachelors degree, or equivalent, or three years of relevant work experience at an appropriate level
(to be determined at the discretion of an academic selection panel). There are no formal unit prerequisites.

Special requirements

The contents of units GAW3010, GAW3020 and GAW3030 will have a major component of material presented to students in printed form that is teacher-designated. However, students will be responsible for directing the pace of their learning. In addition, students will be required to undertake projects, deliver oral and poster presentations and participate cooperatively in electronic group discussions and on-campus workshops. Successful participation in these discussions and workshops will rely on students general knowledge, which they will be encouraged to expand by reading and interpreting popular discussion, magazines and newspapers and listening to the radio and watching television.

Attendance

Attendance at a one-day weekend school is compulsory for all units.

Course structure

The course is offered on a part-time basis and can be completed in four semesters. It comprises four six-point units - GAW3010 and GAW3030 will be offered in first semester and GAW3020 and GAW3040/GAW3050 in second semester.

Core units

• GAW3010 Ethics and welfare
• GAW3020 Biology and ethology
• GAW3030 Domestication and management
• : urban management of domestic animals
• GAW3040 Research project
• : observing behaviour
• GAW3050 Animal welfare in a global community

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