Postgraduate Course: Introduction to Applied Animal Behaviour and Animal Welfare (AWAB11048)
Course Outline
| School | Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies |
College | College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course will provide a brief history of animal welfare science before introducing current issues in animal welfare. It will demonstrate how the study of behaviour can be applied to animal welfare and how this application can be used to solve practical animal welfare problems. The development of UK/EU animal welfare policy and guidance will be put in a global context and the application of ethics to animal welfare, as well as the trade-offs between sustainability and animal welfare, will be discussed. Finally, there will be a focus on emergent issues in animal welfare and on the future for animal welfare science. |
| Course description |
This course will introduce students to the evolution of animal behaviour and welfare science and how this discipline is applied scientifically to the animals around us. It will explore the relationships between humans, animals and environment. It will teach students how to measure and assess behaviour and welfare in a variety of situations. The use of animals, their welfare and associated policy and legislation will be examined at a global level. The ethics of human uses of animals, as well as the trade-offs between socio-economic, environmental and animal welfare factors will be discussed. Students will develop their critical research skills, sourcing and interpreting reputable sources of evidence. They will learn how to summarise and communicate this information lwith a wide range of audiences.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
Students MUST have passed:
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2026/27, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 50,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 5,
External Visit Hours 8,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
133 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Feedback |
Opportunities for feedback arise during timetabled courses, for example during live session tutorials, discussion boards, emails, telephone communication and in person/on campus. Feedback can be provided on coursework assignments but also activities which are not formally assessed, for example class discussion on the discussion board, group exercise, problem-solving and developing project plans and proposals. A formative task is provided in each course which provides formative feedback prior to the student submitting their first piece of assessed course work.
All assignments, including the formative assessment, will be marked and feedback is provided within a period of fifteen working days (where possible) following the submission date (excluding holidays periods whereby the University of closed, e.g. over the Christmas period)
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| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate a critical understanding of animal behaviour and animal welfare science which includes recognition that animal welfare is multi-dimensional and involves a number of societal and scientific aspects that need to be integrated when addressing a welfare problem (C1)
- Apply critical analysis, evaluation and synthesis of the scientific research in animal behaviour and animal welfare in order to develop ideas about potential solutions (C3).
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Reading List
An introduction to animal behaviour by Manning, Aubrey, Dawkins, Marian Stamp
The economics of farm animal welfare : theory, evidence and policy edited by Bouda Vosough Ahmadi, Dominic Moran and Rick D'Eath
The New Anthropomorphism/John S. Kennedy.
Fish welfare/edited by Edward J. Branson.
Understanding animal welfare: the science in its cultural context by Fraser, David
Animal Welfare edited by Michael C. Appleby, I. Anna Olsson, Francisco Galindo
Applied animal behaviour science: Past, present and future prospects/Lawrence, Alistair B.
The future of the global food system/Godfray, H. C. J., Crute, I. R., Haddad, L., Lawrence, D., Muir, J. F.
Livestock production: recent trends, future prospects/Thornton, P. K.
Animal Protection Index Interactive Map/World Animal Protection
A Scientific Conception of Animal Welfare that Reflects Ethical Concerns/Milligan, B. N.
International perceptions of animals and the importance of their welfare/Sinclair, Michelle et al
How and why animal welfare concerns evolve in developing countries/Parlasca, Martin ; Knößlsdorfer, Isabel ; Alemayehu, Gezahegn ; Doyle, Rebecca
Animal welfare law in Britain : regulation and responsibility/Mike Radford
Assessment of the unnecessary suffering offence/Radford, Mike
Can irresponsible breeders be made criminally liable?/Radford, Mike
A new animal welfare concept based on allostasis/Korte, S. Mechiel, Olivier, Berend, Koolhaas, Jaap M.
Assessment of positive emotions in animals to improve their welfare/Boissy, Alain, et al.
https://www.positiveanimalwelfare.net/ SRUC
Genetic improvement of cattle and sheep / Geoff Simm.
Undesirable side effects of selection for high production efficiency in farm animals: a review/Rauw, W.M et al
Breeding for behavioural change in farm animals: practical, economic and ethical considerations/D'Eath, RB et al.
Welfare by Design: The Natural Selection of Welfare Criteria/Hurst, J. L.
Domestication, selection, behaviour and welfare of animals -- genetic mechanisms for rapid responses/Jensen, P.
Why animals matter : animal consciousness, animal welfare, and human well-being/Dawkins, Marian Stamp.
Animal machines/Harrison, Ruth
Stereotypic animal behaviour : fundamentals and applications to welfare/edited by Georgia Mason and Jeffrey Rushen.
Animal suffering: the science of animal welfare/Dawkins, Marian Stamp
Social behaviour in farm animals/Keeling, L. J., Gonyou, H. W.
Early Canid Domestication: The Farm-Fox Experiment: Foxes bred for tamability in a 40-year experiment exhibit remarkable transformations that suggest an interplay between behavioral genetics and development/Lyudmila N. Trut
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | animal behaviour,animal welfare science,One Health,One Welfare,ethics,policy,legislation |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Ms Michelle Reeves
Tel:
Email: mreeves4@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Linda Pollock
Tel: (0131) 650 6149
Email: Linda.Pollock@ed.ac.uk |
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