Animal Legal Philosophy
Animal Legal Philosophy - Professor Raj Reddy
- Course Number: LAW-303
- Course Type: Foundational
- Credits: 2
- Enrollment Limit: Determined by the Registrar
- Description: Questions regarding our relationship with and the moral status of nonhuman animals date back to the roots of early civilization and have increasingly raised both ethical and pragmatic inquiries into our legal duties, if any, toward them. In light of this growing attention being paid to the legal status of animals, the objectives of this course are two-fold: first, to trace the development of Western animal legal philosophy from its roots in ancient Greek and Judaic paradigms to modern jurists; second, to interrogate if and how the law should go beyond classifying animals as merely objects of protections by recognizing them as subjects of rights, or “legal persons,” a status that would further blur the line between human and nonhuman animal kind. Notably, this course will put these questions into larger conversations concerning race, religion, gender, and personhood arguments for other entities, such as nature, corporations, fetuses, deities, and otherwise. As such, students in this course should be prepared to engage both critically and thoughtfully with potentially sensitive issues.
- Prerequisite: none
- Evaluation Method: Participation, presentation, final paper
- Capstone: Yes
- WIE: Yes
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The American Bar Association accreditation standards require students to regularly attend the courses in which they are registered. Lewis & Clark expects students to attend classes regularly and to prepare for classes conscientiously. Specific attendance requirements may vary from course to course. Any attendance guidelines for a given class must be provided to students in a syllabus or other written document at the start of the semester. Sanctions (e.g., required withdrawal from the course, grade adjustment, and/or a failing grade) will be imposed for poor attendance.
Law Registrar is located in Legal Research Center on the Law Campus.
MSC: 51
email lawreg@lclark.edu
voice 503-768-6614
fax 503-768-6850
Registrar Tiffany Henning
Law Registrar
Lewis & Clark Law School
10101 S. Terwilliger Boulevard MSC 51
Portland OR 97219