Students

LAWS5048 – Animal Law

2022 – Session 3, Online-scheduled-weekday

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit Convenor
Dr Jed Goodfellow
jed.goodfellow@mq.edu.au
Contact via Email
Tutor
Dr Meg Good
meg.good@mq.edu.au
Contact via Email
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
160cp in LAWS or LAW units
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
This unit is concerned with the role of the law in regulating our interactions with animals. It considers important philosophical, ethical, legal and regulatory questions regarding the treatment of animals. How should animals be treated in modern-day society? Why are some animals afforded greater protections than others? How does one determine what is necessary and unnecessary harm in the treatment of animals? Should animals be conceptualised as personal property or afforded some or all of the protections available to legal persons? Students will be exposed to a range of ideas that will inform their analysis of the contemporary animal welfare legislative framework. Regulatory arrangements will be examined and contrasted in relation to: companion animals; farm animals; animals used in commercial food (or other) production; wildlife, including protected species; and animals used in scientific experimentation, zoos and circuses. Significant international developments in animal law will be considered, and avenues for public interest litigation explored. Students will be presented with practical case studies, a rich diversity of perspectives from a range of expert speakers and the opportunity to research particular areas of interest. This unit is designed to be thought-provoking and to challenge previous conceptions and assumptions regarding non-human animals.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: Critically research, analyse and critique the key law, theories and literature on regulation of the use of animals.
  • ULO2: Identify legal issues and apply relevant legal principles to hypothetical problems involving the use of animals.
  • ULO3: Carry out and present independent research on animal law issues, including the ways in which values and ethical issues affect animal law and policy.

General Assessment Information

Penalty for late submission

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – 5 marks out of 100 credit will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted seven days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Online multiple choice quiz 20% No Quiz 1 - 21/12/2022; Quiz 2 - 11/01/2023
Participatory tasks at the intensive seminar sessions 20% No Second day of online tutorial
Research essay 60% No 23/01/2023

Online multiple choice quiz

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 1 hours
Due: Quiz 1 - 21/12/2022; Quiz 2 - 11/01/2023
Weighting: 20%

 

Two one hour multiple choice quizzes to assess understanding of the unit materials

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Critically research, analyse and critique the key law, theories and literature on regulation of the use of animals.
  • Identify legal issues and apply relevant legal principles to hypothetical problems involving the use of animals.
  • Carry out and present independent research on animal law issues, including the ways in which values and ethical issues affect animal law and policy.

Participatory tasks at the intensive seminar sessions

Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 18 hours
Due: Second day of online tutorial
Weighting: 20%

 

In class presentations, discussion and problem solving

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Critically research, analyse and critique the key law, theories and literature on regulation of the use of animals.
  • Identify legal issues and apply relevant legal principles to hypothetical problems involving the use of animals.
  • Carry out and present independent research on animal law issues, including the ways in which values and ethical issues affect animal law and policy.

Research essay

Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 70 hours
Due: 23/01/2023
Weighting: 60%

 

Students will prepare a written response to one of several set questions demonstrating advanced legal research skills with appropriate analysis and argument supported by relevant authoritative cases and commentary.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Critically research, analyse and critique the key law, theories and literature on regulation of the use of animals.
  • Identify legal issues and apply relevant legal principles to hypothetical problems involving the use of animals.
  • Carry out and present independent research on animal law issues, including the ways in which values and ethical issues affect animal law and policy.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

REQUIRED AND RECOMMENDED TEXTS AND/OR MATERIALS

PRESCRIBED MATERIALS

1. Macquarie Library Leganto readings

REFERENCE MATERIALS

1. C Cao & S White, Animal Law and Welfare - International Perspectives, Springer, 2015  

2. Halsbury's Laws of Australia, Animals, 2016

3. A Bruce, Animal law in Australia, An Integrated Approach, 2nd ed, LexisNexis, 2018

4. J R Garrett (ed), The Ethics of Animal Research, Exploring the Controversy, The MIT Press, 2012 

5. P Sankoff & S White (eds), Animal Law in Australasia, 1st ed, Federation Press, 2009

6. P Sankoff & S White (eds), Animal Law in Australasia, 2nd ed, Federation Press, 2013

7. D Cao, Animal law in Australia & New Zealand, 2nd ed, Thomson Reuters, 2015

8. Y Otomo & E Mussawir (eds) Law and the Question of the Animal: A Critical Jurisprudence, Routledge, 2013

9. M Radford, Animal Welfare Law in Britain: Regulation and Responsibility, Oxford University Press, 2001

10. C Sunstein & M Nussbaum, Animal Rights: Current Debates and New Directions, Oxford University Press, 2004

11. B A Wagman & M Liebman, A Worldview of Animal Law, Carolina Academic Press, 2011

12. Animal Law Review (available at HeinOnline)

13. Journal of Animal Law (available at HeinOnline)

14. Stanford Journal of Animal Law & Policy (available at https://law.stanford.edu/stanford-journal-of-animal-law-and-policy-sjalp/)

15. Journal of Animal Law & Ethics (available at HeinOnline)

16. Journal of Animal & Environmental Law (available at http://www.jael-online.org/)

17. Journal of Animal and Natural Resource Law (available at http://www.animallaw.info/)

18. Australian Animal Protection Law Journal (In library, & HeinOnline)

19. Animal Legal and Historical Center (http://www.animallaw.info/)

 

DELIVERY OF UNIT

This unit will be delivered via 10 online lectures covering each topic of the Unit followed by 12 hours of online tutorial and group related activities over a two-day period.

Unit Schedule

TOPICS STUDIED IN THIS UNIT

This unit will be delivered via 10 online lectures covering each topic of the Unit, followed by 12 hours of online tutorials and group related activities:

 Date

 Topics

 12 Dec

 Introduction to Animal Law

 14 Dec

 History: Philosophical Development, Origins of Property Status & First Animal Protection Laws

 16 Dec

 Contemporary Philosophical Thought and Animal Law Strategy

 19 Dec

 Principles of Animal Welfare Law and Regulation

 21 Dec

 Standard-setting and Enforcement of Animal Welfare Legislation

 23 Dec

 Regulation of the Treatment of Companion Animals

 2 Jan

 Regulation of the Treatment of Farm Animals

 4 Jan

 International Issues in Animal Law

 6 Jan

 Strategic Litigation – Animal Law in Practice

 9 Jan

 Animal Politics and Law Reform

 16-17 Jan

 Group 1 – online tutorial sessions

 17-18 Jan

 Group 2 – online tutorial sessions

 18-19 Jan 

 Group 3 – online tutorial sessions
 19-20 Jan

Group 4 – online tutorial sessions

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Penalty for late submission

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – 10 marks out of 100 credit will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted seven days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline.

 

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

The Writing Centre

The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via AskMQ, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Unit information based on version 2022.02 of the Handbook