Last modified: 18 Sep 2025 12:16
This course explores a diverse range of questions concerning the political and legal status of animals. Questions we might engage with include: What kind of normative framework is most appropriate for understanding issues of justice for animals? Should animals have citizenship rights? Is painless killing of animals wrongful? What are our obligations to companion animals? Should humans try to mitigate the harm wild animals do to one another? When there is a genuine tension between human and animal interests, how should we proceed?
| Study Type | Undergraduate | Level | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term | First Term | Credit Points | 30 credits (15 ECTS credits) |
| Campus | Aberdeen | Sustained Study | No |
| Co-ordinators |
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Animals across the world are subject to countless harms. Factory farming induces pain, suffering, and premature death. Zoos restrict animals’ freedom and their ability to engage in meaningful species-specific forms of life. Many wild animals are currently undergoing loss of habitat, and prey animals often experience extreme suffering when they are hunted by other wild animals. Companion animals are not immune from harm either. Many experience neglect – including unintentional neglect from loving owners – or health problems caused by the ways in which they have been bred.
Philosophers have long been interested in questions concerning the nature of our moral duties to non-human animals. However, it is only recently that a literature focused on the political status of animals has emerged. In this course, we will survey a diverse range of questions in this newer literature concerning animal rights and human obligations. Topics discussed may vary from year to year, but examples of the kinds of questions we might engage with include: What kind of normative framework is most appropriate for understanding questions of justice for animals? Should animals have citizenship rights? If so, which animals should be entitled to such rights? Is painless killing of animals wrongful? What are our obligations to companion animals? Should humans try to mitigate the harm wild animals do to one another? When there is a genuine tension between human and animal interests, how should we proceed?
We will explore these questions by way of engagement with contemporary work in justice for animals, from scholars such as Christine Korsgaard, Will Kymlicka, and Martha Nussbaum. Throughout the course, students will be encouraged to think deeply about their own personal, political, and legal relationships with the animals in their lives and the wider environment.
Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 50 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
2,500-word essay. Feedback will normally be provided within three working weeks of the submission deadline. |
Word Count | 2500 | |
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Understand | Acquire an understanding of the philosophical literature relevant to justice for animals. |
| Conceptual | Understand | Acquire and demonstrate knowledge of the legal and political status of animals. |
| Procedural | Create | Learn to frame and communicate arguments concerning justice and animals to a group of peers. |
| Procedural | Evaluate | Develop critical thinking skills through exploration of issues related to justice for animals. |
| Reflection | Create | Develop proficiency in written and oral communication skills by writing essays on issues of justice for animals. |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 50 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
2,500-word essay. Feedback will normally be provided within three working weeks of the submission deadline. |
Word Count | 2500 | |
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Understand | Acquire an understanding of the philosophical literature relevant to justice for animals. |
| Conceptual | Understand | Acquire and demonstrate knowledge of the legal and political status of animals. |
| Procedural | Create | Learn to frame and communicate arguments concerning justice and animals to a group of peers. |
| Procedural | Evaluate | Develop critical thinking skills through exploration of issues related to justice for animals. |
| Reflection | Create | Develop proficiency in written and oral communication skills by writing essays on issues of justice for animals. |
There are no assessments for this course.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
Feedback will normally be provided within three working weeks of the submission deadline. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
|
|
||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Understand | Acquire an understanding of the philosophical literature relevant to justice for animals. |
| Conceptual | Understand | Acquire and demonstrate knowledge of the legal and political status of animals. |
| Procedural | Create | Learn to frame and communicate arguments concerning justice and animals to a group of peers. |
| Reflection | Create | Develop proficiency in written and oral communication skills by writing essays on issues of justice for animals. |
| Procedural | Evaluate | Develop critical thinking skills through exploration of issues related to justice for animals. |
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