Year
2024Credit points
10Campus offering
No unit offerings are currently available for this unit.Prerequisites
LAWS104 Foundations of Law and Legal Research
Teaching organisation
4 hours per week for twelve weeks or equivalent.Unit rationale, description and aim
This level four unit contributes to the development of:
- advanced theoretical and technical knowledge in the field of Animal Law
- advanced, cognitive, technical and communication skills and the ability to apply these to complex Administrative law problems
- advanced research and writing skills.
Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
| Learning Outcome Number | Learning Outcome Description |
|---|---|
| LO1 | Demonstrate an appreciation of the objectives and policies underlying the regulatory schemes that pertain to human treatment of non-human animals |
| LO2 | Critically analyse those policies and objectives in light of ethical considerations and international jurisprudence and relate them to proposals for law reform |
| LO3 | Provide basic legal advice to individuals and other legal entities as to their rights and obligations under the regulatory regimes that relate to the treatment of animals that are studied |
| LO4 | Communicate effectively, appropriately and persuasively on issues pertaining to Animal Law |
| LO5 | Conduct legal research, reasoning and argumentation |
| LO6 | Learn and work autonomously and use feedback to improve their own capabilities and performance |
Content
Topics will include:
- History and theoretical context of animal law.
- International and domestic regulatory context pertaining to human treatment of non-human animals.
- Regulatory schemes; eg animal as companion, entertainer, as food, as pets, animals and science, animal cruelty, animal ownership and custody.
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
Mode: Lectures, tutorials, electronic consultation, library tasks and presentations or Online lectures and activities.
Duration: 3 hours per week over 12 weeks or equivalent. Students are expected to spend 150 hours in total for this unit.
This level four elective unit allows students to demonstrate knowledge, skills and understanding in a specialist area of law using advanced research skills.
Our strategy is to encourage students to creatively engage with unit content and to practice advanced research skills.
The unit is designed to be delivered in intensive, weekly mode or online mode. We have taken a multimodal learning approach to provide accessibility and flexibility to our students and a student-focused approach that increases depth of learning and engagement through actively utilising Canvas.
Assessment strategy and rationale
The assessment strategy is designed to assess knowledge, skills and understanding in a specialist area of law, and to develop research skills.
The assessment tasks for this unit are designed to demonstrate achievement of each of the learning outcomes listed.
Overview of assessments
| Brief Description of Kind and Purpose of Assessment Tasks | Weighting | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|
Assessment task 1 Factual quiz (1,000 words) | 25% | LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5, LO6 |
Assessment task 2 Reflective response to an animal welfare issue (1,500 words) | 25% | LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5, LO6 |
Assessment task 3 Animal rights problem (2,500 words) | 50% | LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5, LO6 |
Representative texts and references
Alex Bruce, Animal Law in Australia: An Integrated Approach, (LexisNexis Butterworths, Second Edition, 2018)