In Progress
Please note that this Unit Profile is still in progress. The content below is subject to change.Overview
In this unit you will examine law and policy related to human obligations to non-human animals in Australia. The assessment structure and unit content emphasises the development of critical thinking skills through scholarly engagement with contemporary policy and law reform debates. You will develop research skills in an area of your choosing within the scope of the topics examined. You will also be supported to reflect on and articulate reasoned positions in relation to a range of legal, regulatory, and ethical questions raised by animal protection and the law. Module One considers the history of animal law and the role of ethics, science, ideology and politics in shaping animal law and policy in Australia. Module Two explores animal law as framed by two concepts: animal welfare and animal cruelty. It examines the integration of these concepts into legislative and regulatory regimes, and animal law and policy reform. Module Three involves a weekly focus on a specific area of animal law: farmed animals, companion animals, wildlife, animals as ‘pests’, animals used in scientific research, and animals used in sport and entertainment. The unit fosters a global perspective by reflecting on relevant international law and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Co-requsite: LAWS11057 Introduction to Law.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 3 - 2022
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback – Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Student Evaluations
5 of 20 student respondents identified 'real-world problems' as an area for improvement.
Unit materials will be reviewed to more clearly engage students in real world problems.
Feedback from Student Evaluations
3 of 20 student respondents identified 'clarity of expectations' as an area for improvement.
Unit materials and assessments will be reviewed to ensure expectations are more clearly expressed.
- Identify and discuss the various ethical perspectives, scientific and international developments, and politics shaping contemporary animal law and policy in Australia
- Identify and explain federal and state responsibilities for law and policy relating to animal protection
- Critically analyse the legal status of animals and their protection under anti-cruelty statutes and animal welfare regulations, drawing on case law, legislation, and relevant scholarly sources
- Develop a research question and undertake a suitable research project on one of the specific areas of animal law examined in this unit, drawing on reputable legal and inter-disciplinary sources and knowledge
- Demonstrate appropriate communication skills and present persuasive arguments on animal law issues.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Online discussion forum - 10% | |||||
| 2 - Research Assignment - 40% | |||||
| 3 - Take Home Exam - 50% | |||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Communication | |||||
| 2 - Problem Solving | |||||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | |||||
| 4 - Information Literacy | |||||
| 5 - Team Work | |||||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | |||||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | |||||
| 8 - Ethical practice | |||||
| 9 - Social Innovation | |||||
| 10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | |||||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |
| 1 - Online discussion forum - 10% | ||||||||||
| 2 - Research Assignment - 40% | ||||||||||
| 3 - Take Home Exam - 50% | ||||||||||
Textbooks
Information for Textbooks is not yet available.
The textbooks have not yet been finalised.IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)