module
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
ANT3092: Animal Minds and Animal Ethics
This module descriptor refers to the 2022/3 academic year.
Module Aims
In this module, we will engage in the most important debates around the mental and cognitive capacities of non-human animals and their ethical consequences. We will examine how traditional philosophical questions about the nature of consciousness, rationality, and moral norms apply to non-human animals. To conduct this examination, we will also rely on empirical studies from different sciences, in particular primatology. Hence, this module is highly interdisciplinary and enables students to gain comprehensive knowledge about the empirical and conceptual problems around animal minds. Students will learn to assess positions and arguments in this debate, connecting this debate with ethical issues on animal rights. Moreover, students will develop the ability to apply their knowledge to current affairs (e.g., policies on animal rights), to conduct responsible research, among other valuable skills for future employment.
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. Identify and discuss key issues in the contemporary debate around the nature of animal minds 2. Distinguish and critically evaluate the central positions and arguments concerning the nature of animal minds 3. Articulate the connection between positions in animal minds and animal ethics |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 4. Demonstrate an excellent understanding of anthropological distinctions, concepts, and how they apply to real-world cases 5. Demonstrate competency in critically evaluating anthropological positions, arguments, and methods |
| Personal and Key Skills | 6. Demonstrate clear and concise writing 7. Demonstrate very good competency in integrating, synthesising, and applying new knowledge 8. Engage in independent research, within a limited time frame, to develop original positions and arguments |