Animal Law (449)

Frasch & Hessler
3 credit hours
Offered every fall semester
Fall 2010: Tuesday & Thursdays, 10:30 a.m. - 11:50 a.m. (Room 7)

This course in Animal Law will introduce students to those principles, rules, and regulations – as developed by common law and from statute – that affect animals.

Starting with a summary of historical origins, the course will examine such laws in their philosophical and practical underpinnings, and from a variety of differing perspectives.

We will explore how the law has treated animals in the past and may treat them in the future, locally, nationally and internationally. From the foundational (How are animals defined? Can animals have standing? Are animals property?) to the pragmatic (What procedural obstacles might confront claims made on behalf of animals? What substantive constraints might prosecuting an animal cruelty case entail?) the course will address diverse questions and answers in such areas as contract and tort; protections under criminal and civil statutes; cruelty and abuse laws; legal standing for animals; treatment of laboratory animals; ownership and valuation issues; custody areas; and ethical and legal dilemmas posed by the capture, confinement, and commercial use of animals.

Students will be graded by a combination of final examination, class participation, class debate and a field research project.