LAW4230 - Animal law - 2018

6 points, SCA Band 3, 0.125 EFTSL

Undergraduate - Unit

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered.

Faculty

Law

Chief examiner(s)

Karina Heikkila

Unit guides

Offered

Clayton

  • Second semester 2018 (On-campus)

Prerequisites

For students in the LLB Course:

LAW1104 Research and Writing and LAW1101 Introduction to Legal Reasoning

For students in the LLB(Hons) course:

Foundations of law

Criminal law 1

Public law & statutory interpretation

Torts

Contract A

Contract B

Property A

Constitutional law

Co-requisites

For students in the LLB(Hons) course:

Equity

Corporations law

Synopsis

This unit examines the ways in which Australian law defines and regulates the relationship between human and non-human animals. It introduces students to the key legal and ethical principles and regulatory regimes that relate to our treatment of animals. The unit examines the historical status of animals in law and considers competing philosophical theories and stakeholder interests that motivate the evolution of law in respect of animals. Students will analyse a selection of regulatory regimes under Australian state and federal law that apply to our interactions with animals, which may include: animals in scientific experimentation, in sport and entertainment, and in agriculture; the live export industry; companion animals; and wild animals. Although the primary focus of the unit will be upon the law in Australia, where relevant this will be compared to overseas jurisdictions.

Outcomes

A candidate who has successfully completed this subject should be able to:

  1. explain the policies and objectives underlying the regulatory schemes that apply to our treatment of animals;
  2. critically analyse those policies and objectives in light of ethical considerations and jurisprudence and relate them to proposals for law reform;
  3. provide relevant stakeholders with basic legal advice as to their rights and obligations relating to the treatment of animals;
  4. communicate effectively, appropriately and persuasively on issues pertaining to Animal Law;
  5. apply skills in legal research, reasoning and argumentation to animal law issues.

Assessment

In Term Take-Home Class Test (Letter of Advice) (2,000 words): 40%

Deep Dive Research Assignment (Expertise on a Selected Topic) (3,000 words): 60%

Workload requirements

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. The unit requires on average three/four hours of scheduled activities per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

See also Unit timetable information