Postgraduate Module Descriptor

ANTM109: Animal Criminology

This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.

The module aims:

To provide students with a theoretically and empirically grounded understanding of the historical development and contemporary significance of legislation pertaining to animals
To facilitate critical engagement with diverse scholarly and legal approaches to the treatment of animal abuse
To develop students’ understanding of the interactions between animal ethics, law and crime

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
This module's assessment will evaluate your achievement of the ILOs listed here - you will see reference to these ILO numbers in the details of the assessment for this module.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to:
Module-Specific Skills	1. Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of diverse theoretical and legal approaches to the study of animal abuse and crime 2. Demonstrate reflexive awareness of how animals have been conceptualised by the legal system in various historical periods and contemporary jurisdictions 3. Critically evaluate the effects and dimensions of legal and extra-legal solutions to animal abuse in a variety of contexts
Discipline-Specific Skills	4. Demonstrate a capacity to apply a critical and theoretically-informed anthrozoological perspective to case study examples 5. Demonstrate an understanding of the intersections between animal ethics, law and criminology
Personal and Key Skills	6. Effectively communicate complex ideas in a clear, accessible and academic manner in both oral and written form 7. Synthesise and analyse material from a full range of sources 8. Work independently and manage time efficiently in preparing for scheduled learning activities, exercises and assessments

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:

The history of anti-cruelty and animal welfare legislation
Theoretical approaches to the study of animal cruelty, abuse and suffering
Forms and measures of animal harm
The changing status of animals before the law: animals as criminals, deviants, hazards, property, rights-bearers/legal persons
Animal abuse and inter-human violence: the graduation thesis, domestic violence and child abuse
Green criminology, critical criminology and non-speciesist criminology
International wildlife crime – wildlife trafficking, elephant ivory poaching, the trade in rhino horn and commercial whaling
Wildlife crime in the UK: forms of persecution and the enactment and enforcement of legislation
Prevention, regulation, prosecution and extra-legal solutions to animal abuse
‘Ecoterrorism’ and the criminalisation of animal advocacy

This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
20	130	0

...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities	10	10 x 60-minute podcast audio lectures with accompanying powerpoint presentations
Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities	7.5	5 x 90-minute discussion/seminar participations (fortnightly)
Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities	2.5	5 x 30-minute oral presentation slots within seminar groups in weeks 5 and 7
Guided Independent Study	35	Preparation and reading for weekly lectures, seminars & ELE forum discussions
Guided Independent Study	15	Preparation for oral presentations
Guided Independent Study	80	Research and writing of summative assessment

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).