Content description

​Third-year bachelor and master's students in Law. Participants should have at least completed 2 full years of higher education in a relevant field of study. Professionals with relevant experience in the field are also welcome to apply.

This summer school takes place at Stadscampus (Prinsstraat 13, 2000 Antwerp) of the University of Antwerp. This campus is located in the city centre.

Successful completion of the summer school can be awarded with 3 credits according to the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). Credits will be awarded by the University of Antwerp based on successful completion of the programme, including a written assignment to be submitted 2 weeks after the end of the summer school. The assignment is only obligatory for those who like to obtain ECTS.

To include the credits in the curriculum at the home institution, participants need an agreement with the responsible person at their university. University of Antwerp students eligible to include the ECTS credits as part of their study programme must register via Mobility Online and SisA.

All certificates of completion are issued as a micro-credential. Participants who attend the scheduled course contact hours, but don't complete the tasks will receive a certificate of attendance.

Upon completion of the course, participants will:

• be able to understand the theoretical basis of animal (rights) law
• have insight in aspects of legal problem solving in legal cases involving animals, such as identification and legal qualification of relevant facts, selection and interpretation of the applicable law and identification of interests involved;
• have insight in the difficulties of representing animals in court
• have insight in the development of animal law across the traditional national boundaries of legal systems;
• be able to understand societal challenges posed by contemporary animal problems in a global world.
• develop a critical perspective on the existing law addressing animals

In preparation for the summer school, students will receive a list of literature to read (required/optional reading).

Preliminary programme (changes still possible until 1/6/2026)

DAY 1 - Monday 17 August: Introduction to Animal Rights Law

The first day introduces the discipline of animal rights law. What is animal rights law, how does it relate to the overarching field of 'animal law,' and what are the main questions and topics covered? We will discuss the evolution of animal ethics, from the Cartesian denial of animal sentience to the recognition that animals are beings with feelings and emotions. We will explore the main differences and similarities between the utilitarian approach, the deontological approach, and the capabilities approach to animal rights, and highlight the divide between conservationism and animal welfare protection. These lenses will be applied to case studies to discover how they lead to different outcomes. Furthermore, a critical view of animal rights will be provided by a sceptic of animal rights and animal personhood (Dr Johan Van de Voorde). By the end of the day, participants will be able to identify the main theories influencing our thinking about animal rights, apply these theories to real-life scenarios, understand the critiques on animal rights, and link specific arguments for animal rights to specific schools of thought.

Time Schedule:

• 9:00 Registration and welcome
• 9:30–10:30 Session 1: Introduction to Animal Rights Law (Dr Eva Bernet Kempers)
• 10:45–12:00 Session 2: Ethical and Theoretical Perspectives on Animal Rights  (Dr Eva Bernet Kempers)
• 12:00–13:30 Lunch
• 13:30–15:00 Session 3: A Critical View on Animal Rights (Dr Johan Van de Voorde, University of Antwerp)
• 15:15–16:30 Workshop: The Great Debate
• 16:30–16:45 End-of-Day Quiz
• 17:00 Welcome Drink

DAY 2 - Tuesday 18 August: The Current Legal Paradigm and Its Shortcomings

The second day examines existing laws addressing animals at the national, European, and international levels. Attention will be given to different legal regimes for animals in the wild, animals kept for production, and animals kept as companions. We will analyze the ratio legis of these laws: their underlying intentions and effectiveness in protecting animals. A look at the history of animal protection instruments will reveal how their rationale has evolved to become less anthropocentric. This comparative approach will show how differences in legal systems lead to varying forms of animal protection. Guest lecturers will provide insights into animals' legal status in private law, EU law, and international regimes. By the end of the day, participants will have an extensive overview of current laws addressing animals and their shortcomings.

Guest lecturers include Dr Paulien Christiaenssen (KULeuven), Prof Hendrik Schoukens, and Dr Elien Verniers (Ghent University).

Time Schedule

• 9:30–10:30 Session 4: Animals Under a Welfarist Regime (Dr Eva Bernet Kempers)
• 10:45–12:00 Session 5: The Protection of Farmed Animals (Dr Paulien Christiaenssen, KULeuven)
• 12:00–13:30 Lunch
• 13:30–15:00 Session 6: [To be confirmed]
• 15:15–16:45 Session 7: Wild animal law v. Welfare law: a dichotomy? (Dr Veerle Platvoet, Max Planck Institute for Public International Law).
• 16:45–17:00 End-of-Day Quiz

DAY 3 - Wednesday 27 August: Animal Rights – Theory and Practice

The focus of Day 3 is legal theory and case law, with a central focus on the legal status of animals. Should animals be property, persons, or something else? In the morning, we will discuss the main theories of animal rights and examine feminist critiques of traditional binary thinking about animals' legal status. We will also explore the relationship between human rights and animal rights, particularly when rights come into conflict. In the afternoon, we will conduct an in-depth analysis of an animal rights case (Happy the elephant), contrasting it with other cases worldwide.

By the end of the day, participants will understand what is meant by 'animal personhood' and 'fundamental animal rights,' how animal rights relate to human rights, and how conflicts between these rights can be managed.

Guest lecturers include Dr Raffael Fasel (University of Cambridge) and Katharina Braun (Freie Universität Berlin).

Time Schedule

• 9:30–10:30 Session 8: Legal Theory of Animal Rights (Dr Bernet Kempers)
• 10:45–12:00 Session 9: Human Rights and Animal Rights (Dr Raffael Fasel, University of Cambridge)
• 12:00–13:30 Lunch
• 13:30–15.00 Session 10: Animal Rights in Litigation and Legislation (Dr Bernet Kempers)
• 15:30–17:00 Session 11: The Law and Ethics of Animal Rights Activism (Dr Katharina Braun)
• 17:00 End-of-Day Quiz

DAY 4 - Thursday 28 August: Animal Law in Action – Moot Court

Day 4 centers on the Moot Court. We begin with a discussion on animal representation in court, defining models of animal representation and analyzing the Moot Court case. One session will explore the political theory of representing animals in democratic societies. In the afternoon, participants will become animal lawyers in a Moot Court exercise, presenting arguments in two fictional cases.

By the end of the day, participants will understand how animals can be represented or become plaintiffs in legal cases, and will have practiced speaking as animal lawyers.

Time Schedule

• 9:30–10:30 Representing Animals in Court 
• 10.30-11.00 Explanation Moot Court
• 11:00–15:00 Preparation for Moot Court
• 15:00–18:00 Moot Court (Jury Panel: Dr Eva Bernet Kempers, Dr Katharina Braun, tbc)

DAY 5 - The Future of Animal Rights

The final day discusses the future of animal rights law. Should the focus be on incremental change or a legal revolution? We will explore progressive examples such as proposals for fundamental animal rights in the Finnish Constitution and international conventions for animal rights. A Workshop will engage participants in designing their own animal rights laws, taught by Dr Sean Butler, director of the Cambridge Centre for Animal Rights Law. The main animal rights organization of Belgium (GAIA) will share their strategies for furthering animal rights, and the main Swiss animal protection organization Tier im Recht will speak about their strategies, campains, and animal law-library. 

Guest lectures include Dr Sean Butler (University of Cambridge) and Michel Vandenbosch (GAIA), and Moena Zeller (Tier im Recht, Switzerland). 

Time Schedule

• 9:30–11:00 Workshop: Drafting Animal Rights Law 
• 11:15–12:30 Session 13: Animal Rights Action in Belgium (Michel Vandenbosch, President of GAIA)
• 12:30–14:00 Lunch
• 14:00-15.00 Session 14:  Animal Rights Action in Switzerland (Moena Zeller, Tier im Recht). 
• 15:15–16:15 Session 15: Access to Justice for Animals in Europe (Soren Stig Anderson, University of Copenhagen)
• 16.15-16.30: Summary and Final Quiz
• 16:30 Closing Drink and Ceremony (Agora)