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Animal Criminology

Module description

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS MODULE IS ONLY AVAILABLE VIA DISTANCE-LEARNING.

From medieval animal trials to more recent debates about the legal recognition of animal sentience in law, animals have variously featured in the socio-legal sphere as criminals, hazards, property and victims of abuse. They are poached, rustled and damaged; abused, assaulted and neglected. In this module you will study the changing position of animals before the law and the ways in which cruelty and harm to animals are defined, measured, punished and prevented through legal and extra-legal means, across a series of case studies. We will ask what ethical obligations humans have towards other animals and to what extent the criminal justice system can secure their interests, as well as exploring  which human interests are served by existing legislation. Among other things, we will examine the purported links between animal cruelty and inter-human violence, debate ways in which wildlife persecution  can be addressed, examine the roles of charities and NGOs in the enactment and enforcement of animal welfare legislation, explore the criminalisation of certain kinds of environmental and animal advocacy, and discuss what it would mean for animals to be treated as legal persons. Criminology has traditionally focused on certain dimensions of animal abuse at the expense of others and prioritised the study of animal abuse as an indicator of inter-human violence. This module will instead cover many different types of animal harm and expand traditional criminological definitions of abuse by situating our discussions at the intersection between criminology, law and ethics.

There are no pre-requisites for this module.

Module aims - intentions of the module

The module aims:

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

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 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, across a range of case studies
• 3. Critically evaluate the effects and dimensions of legal and extra-legal solutions to animal abuse in a variety of contexts

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 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

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 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

Syllabus plan

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

This reading list is indicative - i.e. it provides an idea of texts that may be useful to you on this module, but it is not considered to be a confirmed or compulsory reading list for this module.

Beirne, P. (1999). For a nonspeciesist criminology: Animal abuse as an object of study. Criminology, 37(1).

Gröling, J. (ed.) (2024). Animal Criminology (EASE Working Paper Series, Volume 2). Exeter: Exeter Anthrozoology as Symbiotic Ethics (EASE) Working Group, University of Exeter. https://anthrozoologyassymbioticethics.wordpress.com/ease-working-paper-series-volume-2-animal-criminology

Lynch, M.J. and Stretesky, P.B. (2014). Exploring green criminology: Toward a green criminological revolution. London: Routledge.

Nurse, A. and Wyatt, T. (2020). Wildlife criminology. Bristol: Bristol University Press.

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

ELE - 

Key words search

Criminology, animal criminology, animal rights, green criminology, anthrozoology, zoozemiology