VET353 Animal Welfare
Credits (ECTS):9
Course responsible:Andrew Michael Janczak
Campus / Online:Taught campus Ås
About this course
Learning outcome
PRIMARY LEARNING OUTCOMES
Knowledge goals
After completing the studies the student should have knowledge about
- Ethics, animal protection, ethology and experimental animals
- How animal welfare is evaluated in specific cases
- Sentral perspectives in animal ethics and consequences for the interpretation of animal welfare
- Selected health-related, physiological, cognitive, emotional, and behavioural components of animal welfare
- Sentral welfare challenges, the impact of the environment including human-animal relationships, breeding, and the relationship between the environment, health, welfare, and quality assurance
Abilities
The students should be able to
- perform relevant examinations and use methods that are common when using experimental animals
General competence
The students should be able to
- understand and communicate existing perspectives, methods and interpretations from different sources and work independently and professionally in connection with discussions and finding practical and theoretical solutions
- Understand and communicate relevant academic, professional and research ethical dilemmas
- Reflect about the veterinarian’s roles and responsibilities
LEARNING GOALS THAT ARE DISTRIBUTED OVER THE DIFFERENT TEACHING PERIODS
Knowledge
After completing this course the student should have knowledge about
- Animal welfare theory
- Differences and similarities between animal ethics, animal rights, and animal welfare
- Consequences of different definitions of animal welfare and how animal welfare is evaluated in different situations
- Ethological concepts that are relevant for understanding animal welfare
- Selected health-related, physiological, cognitive, emotional, and behavioural perspectives on animal welfare
- Sentral welfare challenges in production animals, sports- and pet animals, and experimental animals
- Human-animal relationships
- General principles and techniques that are used for experimental animals
Skills
The students should be able to
- Read and understand material related to animal welfare
- Evaluate and interpret animal welfare at the individual and group level and be familiar with the limitations of the possible interpretations
- Participate in scientific and public discussions and debates about animal welfare
- Perform general examinations and use methods that are common when using experimental animals
General competence
The students should be able to
- Understand and communicate existing perspectives, methods and interpretations in the area of animal welfare and work independently with relevant problem solving
- Relate critically to different sources of information
- Be familiar with different scientific, professional, and ethical issues related to animal welfare
- Understand and communicate about relevant issues, analyze them, and draw conclusions
- Discuss the connections between ethics and animal welfare
- Present themselves as reflected and professional in regard to the veterinarian’s role and responsibilities in animal welfare issues
- Preparatory reading, independent and organised study groups and group discussions, as well as some lectures and tests.
- Se reading list. A teacher will be available for questions during parts of the organised teaching sessions.
- You must pass the test at the end of each module in order to participate in later activities.
For students starting in 2021 and 2022: Canvas test at the end of each modul. The test is scored as pass/fail. It can be repeated an unlimited number of times within a given time period. The student must have at least 80% of the answers correct in order to pass. Students that fail or cannot take the test due to illness must organize a new time to take the test.
For students starting in 2023: Oral exam run in groups. The exam may be digital or live. Details will be provided in Canvas. Pass/fail.
- The course coordinator and an external sensor will participate in the oral group-examination.
- Participation in organized learning activities may be obligatory. Obligatory activities will be advertised in the Canvas room. Timeedit shows the time frame for all organized activities (obligatory and non-obligatory activities). Participation in obligatory activities is recorded at an individual level. The obligatory canvas test at the end of each module is scored as pass/fail. The test will be time-limited and be available during a specific time period at the end of each module.
- VET