Content, progress and pedagogy of the module

Animal law is an important new area which is gaining more and more relevance as is recognized to be an eminent cross-area and cross-cutting field with elements of trans-disciplinarity. The interesting question is: what is Animal Law? This new area in continuous expansion addresses common law, statutory, constitutional and policy aspects but also global, regional, and national legal issues both in relation to the rights and interests of non-human animals. Animal Law is a new typology of interactive law that intersects administrative, contract, constitutional, environmental, ethical, family and torts law. The new generation of animal lawyers or scholars must be ready to face and solve new legal animal law challenges with new legal perspectives integrating both a traditional and non-traditional vision of the law because our world is changing, and we need new legal solutions to new legal problems. This course will put into perspective Animal Law and welfare by taking such a cross-area and cross-cutting approach in a multi-regulatory perspective buy approaching the topic at global, regional, and national level with elements of trans-disciplinarity when necessary.

The course proceeds in four parts: the first part is the General Part I on General Issues in Animal Law and Welfare Science; the second part is Part II on the Global Level and the Animal Lawand the international conventions and treaties applicable to animal welfare issues, the third part is Part III on the Regional Level of EU Law and animal Welfare, and the fourth part is Part IV on the Development of Animal Protection in different jurisdictions.

Learning objectives

Knowledge

GENERAL PART 1

General issues in Animal Law and Welfare, including:

• Waves of Animal Law
• What is Animal Law?
• The arrival of Animal Studies
• Science
• Animal Ethics and Law
• International Animal Welfare Perspectives including whaling and inhumane seal killing as a W.T.O, public morality issues and the need for an international treaty for animal welfare

Part II

Global level and Animal law that defines what is global and animal law in a nutshell, and what are the most important global instruments and conventions, the law of international organizations that can respond to global animal problems.

Part III

Regional level and Animal Law which focuses on the EU law on animal welfare and the recent advancements that EU law has achieved in becoming one of the highest animal welfare laws in terms of standards. This part highlight and explain how the EU legislation protects wildlife, pets, as well as farm, zoos, and laboratory animals.

Part IV

National level and the Animal Law which treats the Development of Animal Protection in different jurisdictions such as the Scandinavian one (with focus on Denmark as a pioneer in Animal Law), Australia, South Africa, Israel, Brazil, and China. This part will also include issues of wildlife crimes.

Skills

• The Animal Law legal terminology and concepts related to Animal law
• How to identify legal responses to solve Animal problems
• How to both get an overview and use the relevant sources of hard law and soft law applicable to cross-cutting topics and problems

Competences

• Contextualize Animal Law in a multilevel dimension (global, regional, and national) and compare the different sources of law and policy from the different levels to solve legal and policy problems related to Animal Law
• Develop the capacity of legal analysis in cross-sectorial and trans-disciplinary issues
• Analyze and use case law linking animal law and other areas of law
• Advise in a professional way on the legal response to animal problems using Animal Law sources applicable on international, regional, and national complex problems at governmental, business, private and public level
• Carrier in animal advocacy for lawyers, jurists, consultants who wants to become leader in a totally new field as well as work in new pioneers’ networks involved in animal protection (NGOs, associations, international organizations, multinationals, lawyers’ offices, or academic opportunities

Type of instruction

Lectures.

Extent and expected workload

270 hours.

Exam

Exams

Additional information

The module is open to students from Law and Business Law.