This course analyzes the legal treatment of non-human animals, interrogating the limits of
the prevailing property concept that treats them as objects when they are also sentient
subjects with some legal rights. Topics explored include emerging alternatives to the
persons vs property debate; federal anti-cruelty protections and provincial welfare
legislation in Canada; and Indigenous laws and perspectives on non-human animals.
Method of Evaluation:
20% of the grade: in groups of two or three (depending on the number of students
registered) students will prepare a 15 minute in class presentation on one of the themes of the class OR on one of the resources listed in the course bibliography. The available themes or resources to present on, and the schedule for those presentations will be listed on e-class and need to be selected by the teams by the second week of class.
80% of the grade: a 4-hour take-home examination.
Students also have the option of completing a 5000 word research paper for 60% of their grade. They need to confirm this choice, and discuss their topic with the Professor by the end of the first month of the term.