PHIL 258: Animal Ethics and Policy
Course Syllabus
Philosophy 258.01
Dr. Kathie Jenni
Office Hours:
Spring 2016
HOL 309
Extension 8652
Kathie_Jenni@redlands.edu
Course Description:
Westerners have long been observed to hold contradictory attitudes toward
animals. We treat some nonhumans as full-fledged members of our families, yet
slaughter others to satisfy frivolous desires. We mourn the loss of some species, yet
try to exterminate others. We’re outraged by individual animal abuse, but turn a
blind eye to massive exploitation of animals. We are animals, literally and by any
biological measure; yet we go to great lengths in our language, customs, laws, and
philosophy to deny it. Many assume there to be a great gulf between human beings,
on the one hand, and all other animal species in their remarkable diversity and
complexity, on the other.
These attitudes are reflected in U.S. law and public policy. Non-human
animals are simply property in our legal system; and although some are offered
protection through federal and state laws, others receive no protections at all. While
someone who abuses a dog or cat may be charged with a crime and (more rarely)
punished, those who do far worse harm to many more animals are fully protected
by the law. The Animal Welfare Act of 1966, the first significant federal measure to
protect animals, and the Humane Slaughter Act of 1967 simply exclude huge
categories of animals from their coverage.
What explains our inconsistent attitudes, practices, and policies? Are the
lines we draw between humans and other animals, and between animals we care
about enough to protect and animals we don’t, morally justified? Is discrimination
on the basis of species morally equivalent to racism and sexism, or is it plain good
sense?
This course will examine these and related issues, focusing on empirical
questions about current practices, ethical question about how things ought to be,
and legal questions about public policy. We’ll examine a range of views about
selected ethical issues and public policies. Ultimately we will ask: in light of
empirical facts about animals and their current treatment, can our practices and
policies regarding other animals be justified?
This course counts as a foundational Humanities course for the HAST
(Human-Animal Studies) minor. It is open for contracting and evaluation.
Course Objectives:
1) To develop your abilities to do philosophy—that is, to ask fundamental
questions, examine personal and cultural assumptions, identify and
evaluate the arguments of others, and form well-reasoned arguments for
your own considered positions;
2) To introduce you to animal ethics: issues, methods, and prominent
positions in the field;
3) To introduce you to the evolution of U.S. public policy regarding animals
beginning with the Animal Welfare Act of 1966;
4) To develop your ability to identify and read evidence-based public policy
analysis; and
5) To develop your substantive expertise in an area of animal ethics and
policy of your own choosing.
Required Course Texts:
The Animal Ethics Reader, edited by Susan J. Armstrong & Richard G. Botzler,
2nd edition (NY: Routledge, 2008).
Animal Law: Welfare, Interests, and Rights, 2nd edition, David Favre (Aspen
Elective, 2011).
Animal Rights: Current Debates and New Directions, edited by Cass R.
Sunstein and Martha C. Nussbaum (Oxford University Press, 2004).
COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING

Basic Requirements for Passing the Course:
Coming to class is crucial in this course, given the difficulty of philosophy and
the importance of conversation to doing it well. Missing class without a good
reason—and coming late to class—will definitely harm your grade; chronic
absence is grounds for a failing grade, regardless of your grades on written
work. You are, of course, expected to be respectful to everyone in the
classroom. This means coming to class on time, turning off your cell-phone,
staying awake and attentive, listening actively to your peers and professor,
and (when possible) making contributions to discussions.
You must complete both midterm exams and the final writing project in
order to pass the course.

Daily Preparation and Participation (about 25% of course grade):
You are expected to read and give thought to all assignments before the
appropriate class meeting, and to be prepared to discuss them. To help you
gather your thoughts, you’ll be asked occasionally to write short reflections
of 1-2 pages outside of class in which you identify a central claim or
argument in a text and comment on it. You’ll also be asked occasionally to
write short reflections on films and guest presentations.
Participation in discussions, efforts on short reflections, overall attentiveness
and effort, and improvement over the term all count toward the participation
portion of your grade. Please fee free to consult with me at any time about
your progress.

Two Take-Home Exams (about 50% of course grade):
The exams will consist of short-answer questions (requiring 1-3 sentence
answers) and essay questions (requiring 2-3 page answers). For each exam,
you’ll be asked to explain and critique central ideas and arguments that we
have examined in class, and to defend your own position on selected topics.
The exams will be graded according to (a) the accuracy and clarity with
which you explain issues, arguments, policies, and critiques, (b) the clarity
with which you articulate your own positions and the efforts you make to
offer rational defenses of them, and (c) the general interest and
thoughtfulness of your discussions.

A 12-15 page individualized writing project (roughly 25% of course grade):
I’ll ask you to select a particular area of public policy and, in stages, complete
a 12-15 page research paper about it. This project will require that you do
research into public policy governing a practice, explain the policy clearly
and accurately, and critically examine the policy in terms of its practical and
ethical adequacy. Examples of topics can be found below, but the list is not
exhaustive. I urge you to consult with me about your topic selection.
You’ll be asked to select your topic no later than the 7th week of class, submit
an annotated bibliography of sources no later than the 10th week, submit a
rough draft of the essay by the 12th week of class, and submit the final
version (complete with proper citations) by Finals Week. The paper will
serve as a final, integrative project and will take the place of a final exam.
There is a list of on-line resources for animal policy below, to get you started.
(Several course readings have been selected from these sites.)

The final course grade is calculated by averaging together the grades on
these assignments according to the percentages listed. In line with the
University’s numeric grading system, letter grades will be assigned according
to the following values:
A = 4.0
A- = 3.7
B+ = 3.3
B = 3.0
B- = 2.7
C+ = 2.3
C = 2.0
C- = 1.7
D+ = 1.3
D = 1.0
D- = .7
F = .6 and below
COURSE TOPICS AND READINGS
Weeks One and two: Introduction to Animal Ethics and Policy
Favre: “Introduction,” Animal Law: Welfare, Interests, and Rights
Favre: “Overview of U.S. Animal Welfare Act”
Film: The Witness
Weeks Three and Four: Animal Companions
Rollin & Rollin: “Dogmaticisms and Catechisms: Ethics and Companion Animals”
Palmer: “Killing Animals in Animal Shelters”
Favre: “Anti-Cruelty Laws – History and Intentional Acts”
Weiss: “Breed-Specific Legislation in the U.S.”
Burstein: “Breed-Specific Legislation: Unfair Prejudice & Ineffective Policy”
Film: Redemption: the No-Kill Revolution in America
Weeks Five, Six, and Seven: Farmed Animals
Rachels: “The Basic Argument for Vegetarianism”
Gruzalski: “Why It’s Wrong to Eat Animals Raised and Slaughtered for Food”
Favre: “Agricultural Animals”
Hodges: “Detailed Discussion of the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act”
Fox: “The Inadequate Protection of Animals Against Cruel Animal Husbandry
Practices Under United States Law”
CA Proposition 2: Standards for Confining Farm Animals / Initiative Statute (2008)
Wolfson and Sullivan: “Foxes in the Hen House: Animals, Agribusiness, and the Law;
A Modern American Fable”
Animal Enterprise Terrorism (U.S. Code)
Hodges: Brief Summary of State Animal Enterprise Interference Laws
Film: Fowl Play
Weeks Eight, Nine, Ten, and Eleven: Animals Used in Research
Garrett: “The Ethics of Animal Research: An Overview of the Debate”
Regan: From The Case for Animal Rights
Brody: “Defending Animal Rights Research: An International Perspective”
Galanes, “Detailed Discussion of Animal Testing in Commercial Products”
Favre, “Some Thoughts on Animal Experimentation”
Leung, “Detailed Discussion of Medical Research & Animals”
Kahn: “What’s Ethics Got to do With It? The Roles of Government Regulation in
Research Animal Protection”
Film: Hole in the Paper Sky
Weeks Twelve and Thirteen: Theories of Animal Ethics and Policy
Kant: “Duties in Regard to Animals”
Singer: from Practical Ethics
Regan: from The Case for Animal Rights
Favre: “Animal Rights – The Jurisprudence”
Francione: “Animals—Property or Persons?”
Suggested Special Topics for Research Papers (not exhaustive!)
Police shootings of animal companions
Dog- and horse-racing
Domesticated birds (chickens, ducks, and turkeys)
Exotic (wild animal) pets
Primates and the Great Apes Project
Use of wild animals for clothing / fur
EU vs. U.S. farmed animal policies (comparative studies)
EU vs. U.S. animal research policies (comparative studies)
Hunting on public lands
USDA Wildlife Management
Regulation of zoos and aquariums
Marine mammal protections
International whaling regulations
On-Line Resources on Animal Policy:
https://www.animallaw.info
Michigan State University College of Law: Animal Legal and Historical Center
http://www.animallaw.com/index.cfm
Animal Law Resource Center / A Project of the International Institute for Animal
Law (National Anti-Vivisection Society)
https://awionline.org
Animal Welfare Institute
http://www.theguardian.com/world/animal-welfare
Animal Welfare / World News / The Guardian