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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2023/2024

Timetable information in the Course Catalogue may be subject to change.

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies : Veterinary Sciences

Postgraduate Course: Veterinary Ethics (VESC11160)

Course Outline
SchoolRoyal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies CollegeCollege of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) AvailabilityNot available to visiting students
SCQF Credits10 ECTS Credits5
SummaryOnline veterinary ethics course, covering welfare and ethical concerns that can be integrated into all aspects of practice.
Course description The aim of the course is to enable the student to extend and consolidate clinical knowledge and skills gained at undergraduate level, and to develop an in-depth understanding of the application of that knowledge in a practice environment in relation to animal welfare science, ethics and law. This area of study is intended to ensure that welfare and ethical concerns are integrated into all aspects of practice.

At the end of the course students will be able to apply existing ethical frameworks to animal welfare challenges, and be able to evaluate the relevant ethical and welfare issues that may arise in the management of veterinary clinical and research cases, to guide case-decision-making.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2023/24, Not available to visiting students (SS1) Quota:  None
Course Start Full Year
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 100 ( Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 98 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 50 %, Coursework 50 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Feedback Not entered
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. 1. Outline the primary animal ethical theories and discuss the application of these theories in the fields of veterinary and animal ethics.
  2. 2. Define ethics and animal welfare and analyse the relationship between ethics and animal welfare.
  3. 3. Recognise the role of societal and professional ethics in the development of animal protection legislation, guidance and policy.
  4. 4. Understand the global applications and challenges of animal welfare ethics, policy and law.
  5. 5. Recognise and evaluate the relevant ethical and welfare issues that may arise in the management of veterinary clinical and research cases, and how these factors may result in ¿ethical dilemmas¿.
Reading List
None
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Knowledge and skills will include:

A. Research and Enquiry
Graduates of the University will be able to create new knowledge and opportunities for learning through the process of research and enquiry. This may be understood in terms of the following:
¿ be able to identify, define and analyse problems and identify or create processes to solve them
¿ be able to exercise critical judgment in creating new understanding
¿ be ready to ask key questions and exercise rational enquiry
¿ be able to critically assess existing understanding and the limitations of their own knowledge and recognise the need to regularly challenge all knowledge
¿ search for, evaluate and use information to develop their knowledge and understanding
¿ have an informed respect for the principles, methods, standards, values and boundaries of their discipline(s) and the capacity to question these
¿ understand economic, legal, ethical, social, cultural and environmental issues in the use of information

B. Personal and Intellectual Autonomy
Graduates of the University will be able to work independently and sustainably, in a way that is informed by openness, curiosity and a desire to meet new challenges. This may be understood in terms of the following:
¿ be independent learners who take responsibility for their own learning, and are committed to continuous reflection, self-evaluation and self-improvement
¿ be able to make decisions on the basis of rigorous and independent thought, taking into account ethical and professional issues
¿ be able to use collaboration and debate effectively to test, modify and strengthen their own views
¿ be intellectually curious and able to sustain intellectual interest
¿ be able to respond effectively to unfamiliar problems in unfamiliar contexts

C. Communication
Graduates of the University will recognise and value communication as the tool for negotiating and creating new understanding, collaborating with others, and furthering their own learning. This may be understood in terms of the following:
¿ make effective use of oral, written and visual means to critique, negotiate, create and communicate understanding
¿ use communication as a tool for collaborating and relating to others
¿ further their own learning through effective use of the full range of communication approaches
¿ seek and value open feedback to inform genuine self-awareness
¿ recognise the benefits of communicating with those beyond their immediate environments
¿ use effective communication to articulate their skills as identified through self-reflection

D. Personal Effectiveness
Graduates of the University will be able to effect change and be responsive to the situations and environments in which they operate. This may be understood in terms of the following:
¿ appreciate and use talents constructively, demonstrating self-discipline, motivation, adaptability, persistence and professionalism
¿ be able to manage risk while initiating and managing change
¿ be able to flexibly transfer their knowledge, learning, skills and abilities from one context to another
¿ understand social, cultural, global and environmental responsibilities and issues
¿ be able to work effectively with others, capitalising on their different thinking, experience and skills

KeywordsVeterinary,Ethics,Welfare,Animal welfare,Science
Contacts
Course organiserDr Rebecca Doyle
Tel:
Email: Rebecca.Doyle@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMrs Emma Pineau
Tel: (0131 6)51 9198
Email: emma.pineau@ed.ac.uk
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