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LAW AND CRIMINOLOGY

Institution: California Western School of Law, 225 Cedar Street, San Diego, CA 92101
Course Title: Animals and the Law
Instructor: Sonia S. Waisman, Esq., Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps LLP, 619-699-2596
Summary: The course focuses on the evolution, interpretation and enforcement of laws protecting animals; evaluates whether, how and why such laws should be modified; and considers the ramifications of such change. The objectives are to increase awareness of animal law issues; to evaluate the development of existing laws regarding the use and treatment of animals in human society, the rationale behind them, and their effectiveness; and to stimulate critical thinking regarding ways to improve those laws.

Institution: Duquesne University, School for Leadership and Professional Advancement, Pittsburgh, PA
Course Title: First Strike: Cruelty to Animals and Interpersonal Violence
Instructor: Diana Clement, [email protected]
Summary: During the past two decades, the relationship between cruelty to animals and interpersonal violence--once a subject of common anecdotal knowledge--has been substantiated by a significant body of work in social science. Participants in this course will gain a fundamental knowledge of this connection (as explained by sociologists, psychologists, law enforcement professionals, and others); examine both qualitative and quantitative studies and case histories of the correlation between cruelty to animals, child abuse, domestic violence, elder abuse, and teen violence; and explore the broad terrain of community level partnerships involving humane societies, social service providers, and law enforcement agencies. Participants will learn how to recognize the connection between cruelty to animals and human violence and will review a variety of intervention programs for victims and at-risk or offending populations. The course is designed for educators, investigators, animal care and control personnel, law enforcement officials, protective service professionals, and other anti-violence workers. [This course is part of the Humane Leadership Bachelor's Degree Program offered in partnership between Duquesne University and Humane Society University; see http://www.humanesocietyu.org/degrees_and_certificates/du/undergrad/index.html for more information on the program and additional courses.]

Institution: Georgetown University Law Center, 600 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20001
Course Title: Animal Law Seminar
Instructor: Valerie Stanley, 301-594-3126, [email protected]
Summary: Examines the realities of life and death for animals used for experimentation, food, entertainment and sport, and introduces the federal and state laws governing, and purporting to protect, animals used for these purposes. Examines whether these laws accomplish their purposes through a review of relevant case law and other materials. Addresses the societal, legislative, and judicial mechanisms that maintain animals as property by reviewing and comparing the personal accounts of advocates who have battled government and corporate institutions to effect societal change in other areas. Standing, and legal rights for animals are also addressed.
Course offering information: Offered for the first time in January 2000.

Institution: Hastings College of the Law, 200 McAllister, San Francisco, CA 94102
Course Title: Animal Law
Instructor: Bruce Wagman, 415-896-0666
Summary: A survey of the law's understanding and treatment of animals by looking at the development of federal and state policies towards wild, domestic, and companion animals. Specific topics may include the history of animal law, the concept of animals as property, the application of tort and remedies law to injuries by and to pets, protection of animals by anti-cruelty and other laws, and constitutional issues raised in cases involving animals. The course incorporates legal concepts from other fields, encourages critical thought and new approaches to doctrines developed in other areas, and addresses a broadened integration of the realities of animals and society with the particularities of the law.

Institution: Hudson Valley Community College (State University of New York)
Course Title: Animal Law I (CRJS 230)
Instructor: Valerie A. Lang, J.D., M.L.S., [email protected], 518-629-7319
Summary: This is an introductory course designed to acquaint the student with the fundamental principles of Animal Law and the Criminal Justice system. Specific topics include the history of animal law, state anti-cruelty laws, the nature of animal cruelty, the link between animal cruelty and violence against humans, the media's influence, investigative techniques, animal fighting, hoarding, control of wildlife, the Animal Welfare Act, the animal rights debate, and overpopulation. Visit to a local animal shelter is included. Textbook: Animals: Welfare, Interests and Rights by David Favre.

Institution: Lewis & Clark College, Northwestern School of Law, 615 S.W. Palatine Hill Road
Portland, OR 97219
Course Title: Animal Law Clinical Internship Seminar (CIS)
Instructors: Laura Ireland Moore, Executive Director of the National Center for Animal Law, 503-768-6849, [email protected]
Summary: The Animal Law CIS helps law students learn the tools of the trade, exposing them to different work place environments, and to people working in the field both in nonprofit and law firm settings. The course is certainly educational for students, but also provides attorneys and organizations with much needed legal assistance. The Animal Law CIS is the only animal law course in the nation that allows students to earn credit for interning with animal law attorneys and organizations, and the only one that teaches practical skills, rather than simply the history and theory, of animal law.

Institution: Lewis & Clark College, Northwestern School of Law, 615 SW Palatine Hill Road, Portland, OR 97219
Course Title: Animal Law Overview Course
Instructor: Pamela Frasch , Animal Legal Defense Fund, 919 SW Taylor St., Fourth Floor, Portland, OR 97202, 503-231-1602, [email protected], and Georgie Duckler, Animal Law Practice
Summary: A 15-week course covering a broad array of animal legal issues; readings draw from many relevant examples of case law.

Institution: Lewis & Clark College, Northwestern School of Law, 615 SW Palatine Hill Road, Portland, OR 97219
Course Title: Animal Law Seminar
Instructor: Pamela Frasch, Animal Legal Defense Fund, 919 SW Taylor St., Fourth Floor, Portland, OR 97202, 503-231-1602, x302, [email protected] and Georgie Duckler, Animal Law Practice
Summary: This course is offered every other spring (the next course will be spring 2006). This class is limited to twelve students and is more focused on cutting-edge areas in the field of animal law.

Institution: St. Thomas University, School of Law, Miami, FL 33076
Course Title: Animal Rights Law
Instructors: Steven Wise, [email protected] , 954-648-9864
Summary: Unlike many animal protection or animal law courses taught at American law schools, this course will focus on whether, and to what extent, nonhuman animals ought be entitled to basic legal rights. What the students learn will assist them tomorrow in maneuvering through the world of animal slave law in which they will be forced to practice. But the real value of the course is that it will arm them with the information and skills needed to press for basic legal rights of nonhuman animals when the time to make those arguments arrives.

Institution: University of Arkansas at Little Rock, AR 72204
Course Title: Animal Law
Instructor: Philip D. Oliver, School of Law, 1201 McAlmont, Little Rock, AR 72202-5142, 501-324-9943, [email protected]
Summary: Includes such topics as state and federal animal protection laws, factory farming, vivisection, and statutes covering hunting (including interference with hunting). Students, who present their seminar papers in class, have chosen to write on topics ranging from standing to an examination of the link between sadistic treatment of animals and sadistic treatment of people.
Course offering information: Offered for the first time in the Spring of 1999 and third time in 2006..

Institution: University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611
Course Title: Animal Rights and the Law (6936)
Instructors: David Hoch, Levin College of Law, 352-375-7156, [email protected]
Summary: Considers the philosophical and jurisprudential arguments in support of the acknowledgment of moral standing for, and more importantly, the granting of legal rights to non-human animals. The writings of animal rights attorney/advocate/philosopher Steven Wise are crucial to this discussion and will be examined in detail, along with the work of other important animal rights attorney/advocates such as Gary Francione. The difference between animal rights and animal welfare, the latter being the philosophical premise upon which most of today's animal law is founded, will also be examined and discussed. First offered in Spring, 2000.
Syllabus: http://bear.cba.ufl.edu/hoch/animallaw/Syllabus.htm

Institution: University of Tennessee, 1505 W. Cumberland Ave. Knoxville, TN 37996
Course Title: Animals and the Law
Instructor: Joan M. Heminway, [email protected] , 865-974-3813 at University of Tennessee or [email protected] , 617-552-1238 at Boston College (Fall 2005)
Summary: The course is an interdisciplinary seminar covering various intersections among nonhuman animals, humans, and law (statutory, decisional, and natural). The culmination of the semester for each student involves the presentation of a progress report on a public service project that the student has been working on during the semester.
Course offering information: This course was taught during Spring 2005.

Institution: University of Victoria, Faculty of Law, PO Box 2400, STN CSC, Victoria, BC V8W 3H7 Canada
Course Title: Animals, Culture and the Law
Instructor: Maneesha Deckha, Assistant Professor of Law, 250-721-8175, [email protected]
Summary: This seminar will explore the relationship between nonhuman and human animals, focusing on the legal and ethical issues raised by the status of animals as property. Specific topics include the examination of: 1) the current law characterizing animals as property; 2) the various western philosophical positions on animals that have animated the law; 3) the idea of animal rights and other interests and different theories that argue for greater legal protection of animals; 4) the types of legal alternatives proposed to animals' current status as property; and 5) the impact that greater legal protection for animals will have on marginalized human communities and the commitment to cultural pluralism, the politics of animal advocacy movements in this regard, and the possibility of human and animal rights coexisting. The course adopts a novel theoretical framework through which to learn about animals, culture and justice. And the course uses innovative active learning techniques such as drama, visual arts, reflective writing, small group work, concept mapping, etc. This type of engaged pedagogy stimulates student learning and promotes critical thinking.
Course offering information: This new seminar will be taught in the Spring of 2007.
View Course Syllabus

Institution: Vermont Law School, Chelsea Street, P.O. Box 96 South Royalton, VT 05068-0096
Course Title: Animal Rights Law
Instructor: Steven M. Wise, 896 Beacon Street, Suite 303, Boston, MA 02215, 781-453-0802, [email protected]
Summary: Examines fundamental moral and legal rights and whether nonhuman animals should have them; the nature and adequacy of current legal protections for animals; the relationship between animal rights and environmental rights.

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