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LAWS11067 - Animal Law

General Information

Unit Synopsis

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

Level Undergraduate
Unit Level 1
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 4
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
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).

Class Timetable View Unit Timetable
Residential School No Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 2 - 2020

Term 3 - 2021 Profile
Online
Term 3 - 2023 Profile
Online

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).

Assessment Overview

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.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task Weighting
1. Online discussion forum 10%
2. Research Assignment 40%
3. Take Home Exam 50%

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

Past Exams

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Previous Feedback

Term 3 - 2023 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 88.24% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 26.98% response rate.

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.

Source: Student Evaluations
Feedback
5 of 20 student respondents identified 'real-world problems' as an area for improvement.
Recommendation
Unit materials will be reviewed to more clearly engage students in real world problems.
Action Taken
The unit underwent a substantial review in 2023, which supported the students in researching a 'real world' problem within the scope of the animal law topics examined in the unit.
Source: Student Evaluations
Feedback
3 of 20 student respondents identified 'clarity of expectations' as an area for improvement.
Recommendation
Unit materials and assessments will be reviewed to ensure expectations are more clearly expressed.
Action Taken
The unit underwent a substantial review in 2023. All assessments guidelines were reviewed and updated.
Source: SUTE
Feedback
I really loved having some guest speakers in our tutorials towards the end of the unit, as I found a real passion in studying Animal Law and it gave me ideas for future career pathways in this area. I was very passionate about this unit's content and I found Alexandra was very receptive and helpful to assisting me navigate some tricky emotional issues I haven't experienced in my study before. I think overall it has been my favourite unit to date in my Law degree. I wish there was Animal Law 2!
Recommendation
This is great feedback, however, it highlights that some of the content of Animal Law is confronting for students (e.g. having to read animal cruelty or breach of duty of care case decisions). I provided students with support on this point by facilitating discussions in Zoom sessions, including how to reframe challenging experiences into a source of motivation to drive our efforts. I also invited a guest speaker from the Centre for Optimism to our last Zoom session. I will continue to take this approach.
Action Taken
Nil.
Source: SUTE
Feedback
Fantastic! Feedback provided was exceptional! And useful! I was able to build on my feedback for my final assessment. This class was excellent.
Recommendation
This is very pleasing feedback. I will continue my current approach, which is to provide students with high quality feedback that supports skills development and confidence.
Action Taken
Nil.
Source: SUTE
Feedback
Issues with the connectivity of Zoom.
Recommendation
This was not a regular occurence. However, I will investigate these issues to optimise connectivity.
Action Taken
Nil.
Unit learning Outcomes

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

  1. Identify and discuss the various ethical perspectives, scientific and international developments, and politics shaping contemporary animal law and policy in Australia
  2. Identify and explain federal and state responsibilities for law and policy relating to animal protection
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. 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 •
2 - Research Assignment • • • •
3 - Take Home Exam • • • •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5
1 - Communication • • • • •
2 - Problem Solving •
3 - Critical Thinking • • •
4 - Information Literacy • • • •
7 - Cross Cultural Competence •
8 - Ethical practice • • •
9 - Social Innovation •
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 - Online discussion forum • • • • •
2 - Research Assignment • • • • •
3 - Take Home Exam • • • •