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Unit of Study LAWS2028 - Animal Law (2023)

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Unit Snapshot

Unit description

Considers the legal and philosophical assumptions relating to human-animal interactions, the history and present status of animals as property, and the legal regulatory frameworks governing a variety of human-animal interactions in Australia. Acceptance that the protection of animals from cruelty and other forms of exploitation is important, an understanding of the application of legal frameworks relating to animals is crucial. Predicated on the view that current protections relating to animals are inadequate, there is a strong emphasis on law reform and activism and upon practical ways in which concerned animal advocates may advance the interests of, and legal protections provided to, animals.

Unit content

Topic 1 Legal and philosophical frameworks of animal law

Topic 2 Criminal and cruelty offences

Topic 3 Companion animals

Topic 4 Animals in entertainment and sport

Topic 5 Animals in agriculture and live animal export

Topic 6 Animal experimentation and research

Topic 7 Wild animals and animals in the wild

Topic 8 Animal advocacy and law reform

Availabilities

Not currently available in 2023

Learning outcomes

Unit Learning Outcomes express learning achievement in terms of what a student should know, understand and be able to do on completion of a unit. These outcomes are aligned with the graduate attributes. The unit learning outcomes and graduate attributes are also the basis of evaluating prior learning.

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

identify and critically analyse the major theoretical approaches to the protection of non-human animals

explain the legal status of animals, including the historical antecedents of this status, and how State laws govern different types of human/ animal interactions

apply relevant legal principles to a range of issues and contexts involving human/animal interactions

critically evaluate the role law in both the protection and exploitation of animals, identifying areas in which the law needs reform and strategies to achieve such reform.