Sentient Being Rights Guided Independent Study Program
Mission:
The SBRGIS program mission is to provide structured and guided independent self-study educational opportunities for those interested in developing a strong understanding of animal rights from an abolitionist perspective. The course is not intended to prepare a student for any kind of profession or vocation and is not "instructed" per se; it is for person interest and independent study. What it does provide is a structured approach for achieving the learning objectives.
Theoretical Orientation:
This course is geared toward the position of an abolitionist theoretical orientation as consistent with the course notes throughout the SBRP web site and as presented by Gary Francione. Pass/not pass will be geared toward this orientation as well.
How it works:
The program is guided and structured to ensure your exposure to the most prominent arguments for animal rights. You will work through the listed required materials independently and complete the provided essay assignments. This will provide you the opportunity to ensure you develop a fluency with regards to your understanding of the approaches presented and that you develop and refine your own argument. When you are finished, you may email your assignments in and we will confirm that they meet a basic standard of comprehension with regards to the learning objectives and if they are, a certificate of completion will be awarded. The assignments will not necessarily be commented on and deficiencies will not necessarily be remediated. This is the student's opportunity to learn independently from a program of study structured to ensure a good comparative foundation on the topic.
Learning Objectives:
Upon successful completion of the course, the graduate will be able to:
- Summarize the argument for animal rights as posited by Tom Regan
- Summarize the argument for animal welfare as posited by Peter Singer
- Summarize the argument for animal rights as posited by Gary Francione
- Identify the similarities and distinctions between the arguments presented by Regan, Singer and Francione
- Contrast and compare the welfare position with the rights position
- Present an argument for their own animal rights position
Schedule: 1 year
Fee: $60 cdn if you do not require a certificate sent to you and $80 if you would like a certificate sent to you (Make the payment first and I will contact you for the document with your assignments in them. This is simply to remunerate for the time determining sufficiency and preparing and mailing the certificate.) This fee is not refundable under any circumstances, particularly if you fail to achieve a passing grade.
Program Materials:
- Introduction to Animal Rights by Gary Francione
- Animals As Persons by Gary Francione
- Empty Cages by Tom Regan
- Animal Rights Human Wrongs by Tom Regan
- Animal Liberation by Peter Singer
- http://www.abolitionistapproach.com including the podcasts and blog entries
- http://www.sbrproject.com/veganism.html
Assignments:
Send in .dox, .docx or .rtf format. Include your full name, your email address and your full mailing address. Use single spaced 12 pt. Times font and 1" margins. Cite your sources.
- Write an essay summarizing, contrasting and comparing the approaches of Regan, Singer and Francione (10 pages)
- Write an essay contrasting and comparing the welfare position with the rights position (2pages)
- Write an essay outlining your own argument for an abolitionist animal rights statement (6 pages)
Certificate:
If your assignments meet a basic comprehension standard and you chose the 'with certificate' option, you will be awarded a certificate of completion.
Getting Started: Although not required, it would be useful to give us a head's up that you intend to take the course. Just email us and let us know. If you have not joined the SBRP facebook group yet, that might be useful. Then just gather the materials, start studying and working on your assignments. When they are ready to hand in (all together) just take care of the fee above and then email us the assignments. If you will want a certificate, include your full name and full mailing address.