Does the new animal law movement need grassroots activists to proceed and prosper?
Without doubt. Law is but a time-delayed reflection of social values. Law reformers can do nothing without grassroots activism that educates and implores those who lead lives based on ignorance and indifference. What Animal Law Courses do you teach at ULCA? Thank goodness, an easy question for a change! In addition to the introduction to animal law course, I have taught a class on animal shelter law and two seminars in which I have asked students to write about legal projects they would engage in as lawyers to move our society in the direction of respecting animals. I have also begun teaching undergraduate courses in animal law. Last year I taught a course for the Women’s Studies Department about ecofeminism and animal law. This year I will be teaching an undergraduate course in the Law School, called “Introduction to Animal Law.” If the new animal law movement embraces a direction that reinforces the property status of animals, how will animal rights play itself out in the law courts?
