Getting Animal Law On Law School Curricula
Animal law is a burgeoning field of legal practice and study, but it’s still has a long way to go. Some states in the U.S. have strong laws protecting animals and others don’t, and many legal educators have experienced some institutional obstacles when trying to secure regular animal law courses at their schools. On an educational level, challenges include: poor student demand due to undesirable class scheduling by course administrators; the resources of employed academics being demanded in other subjects; and a range of general institutional resistances. The latter ranged from comments or jokes from colleagues trying to undermine the legitimacy of the subject, to firmer collective opposition to the subject being taught at all.
The aim of this review on animal law courses and initiatives was to spark creativity regarding curriculum options for upcoming animal law courses. The review, based in Australia, includes a short overview of institutional resistance to the animal law topic, a call for strategic acting to get such courses up and running, and suggestions of what content and relevant reading materials should be included, as well as what skills could be developed as a result of taking such a course. According to the researcher, such units need to align the subject with the school’s existing teaching and research styles in order to be appealing for the institution.
The author notes that although animal law studies are slowly becoming normal across the U.S., the challenge to gain a foothold in legal education is likely to be greater in law schools outside of the U.S., where animal law has yet to find the same level of acceptance. For example, while 15 law schools in Australia identify animal law as an elective offering, only a portion of those are offered on a regular basis. A similar challenge existed in the U.S. in the early years of animal law in education, and was not unlike challenges faced by environmental lawyers in the early days. In one paper reviewed, the author found significant differences in the content and delivery of animal law across universities. Three broad kinds of courses emerged:
- Litigation courses – focus on how to use the courts to help animals, with a strong emphasis on practical skills related to legal actions
- Legal courses – attempting to survey and teach the major laws that affect animals
- Jurisprudential courses – focus on the theoretical dimensions of the law related to animals
With the above in mind, the author provides suggestions relating to how legal philosophy, commercial and regulatory studies, social justice and human rights aspects, transnational law, and more, can help to involve animal law in more law schools. In the U.S., Lewis & Clark Law School has managed to develop an advanced Master’s program in animal law which includes a diverse variety of animal law subjects. The potential of including such a thorough course, though, is likely to be some way off for most Australian law schools, where even singular animal law subjects are difficult to introduce. The study suggests trying to package animal law subjects in such a way that they promote an institution’s existing research and teaching strengths, can be strategically valuable.
Animal advocates may find it surprising that many educators find it difficult to ensure that animal law is a regularly offered topic in their institutions. This review serves as good documentation of recorded institutional obstacles and offers strategic action recommendations that educators, as well as students, could take up.
http://epublications.bond.edu.au/ler/vol27/iss1/5/