Course Description

601:732.Animals: Law and Ethics (2 credits) WI

LE12

Francione

Our legal system recognizes explicitly that nonhuman animals have moral status. For example, we have criminal laws that require that we treat animals “humanely” and that we not impose “unnecessary” suffering on them. Despite this, we kill billions of animals for all sorts of unnecessary reasons and we treat these animals in ways that cannot be characterized as “humane.” What accounts for this disparity between what we say we believe and what we do? The answer is that animals are property as far as the law is concerned. Their interests in not suffering are discounted or ignored, and we do not recognize that they have any significant interest in their lives. In this seminar, we will discuss the property status of animals and we will show how it informs our moral and legal understanding, and how it plays out in various legal contexts, including criminal law, torts, and other areas. We will also explore the relationship between human rights and the rights of nonhuman animals and focus on the “otherization” that is integral to all forms of discrimination. There will be no examination. This will be a writing intensive course. Students will do a paper meeting the WI requirements on a topic that interests them. Enrollment is limited to 12 students. This seminar will be taught online and will be open to students at both locations. I expect that students will have their cameras on and participate in our discussions!