Call for papers - teaching animal geographies
Call for Papers RGS-IBG conference — 26-29 Aug 2025, University of Birmingham
Title: Teaching Animal Geographies
Session Organisers: Jamie Arathoon (York St John University) and Ekaterina Gladkova (Northumbria University)
Abstract:
Animal geographies is now a well-establish subdiscipline in geography characterized by a series of edited books (e.g., Philo and Wilbert, 2000; Collard and Gillespie, 2015; Hovorka et al., 2022), journal special issues (e.g., Sottish Geographical Journal – Animal Geographies at the limits), interdisciplinary journals (e.g., Humanimalia, Society & Animals), and society research groups (e.g., Animal Geographies Research Group, RGS). Researching animal geographies is thus on the agenda, but what does it mean to teach animal geographies?
Teaching animal geographies is important given ongoing climate and extinction crises. The literature around teaching animal geographies is scant and there is potential to develop best practice and pedagogical approaches to teaching animal geographies. Hovorka (2019) outlines what an animal geographies course may look like when it takes on an interdisciplinary experiential learning style, combining different teachers from diverse subjects, and different field trips to animal(s’) spaces. Indeed, reflecting on teaching the animal, DeMello (2010: p. xvi) noted, when teaching human-animal interactions, it makes sense that “animals should at least put in an appearance” in the course. The Vegan Geographies Collective (2024) also reflects on what it means to teach multispecies justice but is less clear on what this looks like in practice. There is some guidance online of other animal teaching syllabi (Animals and Society Institute, n.d.) but these are outdated, and do not give detail into pedagogical approaches for teachers, but instead they are focused on content and examinations of courses for students. Exploring and reflecting upon how we teach and how students learn about animals in universities is a fruitful area to pursue.
We need to ask then; what does it mean to teach animal geographies? How do we teach animal geographies, what are the challenges to teaching animal geographies? How do we incorporate animals themselves, in ethical and caring ways, into teaching? How do we centre multispecies justice in our teaching? And how do we make animal geographies teaching relevant to graduate work outcomes?
We are hoping to have two sessions comprising of a series of papers as well as a mini teaching exercise and reflection. We are thus seeking paper abstracts for the session, where topics may include, but are not limited to:
· Pedagogical approaches to teaching about animals’ geographies: e.g., feminist, queer, crip, intersectional, and anti-speciesist approaches
· Teaching with animals in the classroom
· Digital animals in the classroom
· Animal geographies in field classes
· Incorporating multispecies justice into teaching
· Designing animal geographies modules
· Technologies in teaching animal geographies
· Assessing, developing, and setting learning objectives in animal geographies
· Creative approaches to teaching animal geographies
We are committed to an inclusive session that accommodates diverse contributors. We particularly welcome papers from PhD students, early careers academics, those from underrepresented backgrounds, and disabled scholars. We will do everything we can to accommodate papers from people unable to present in person. Please indicate in your submission whether you would attend in person or remotely. Please send abstracts (max 250 words) too: Jamie Arathoon (j.arathoon1@yorksj.ac.uk) and Ekaterina Gladkova (ekaterina.gladkova@northumbria.ac.uk) by Friday 21st February.
References:
Animals and Society Institute. No date. HAS Syllabi. Available: http://www.animalsandsociety.org/human-animal-studies/hasresource/has-syllabi/
DeMello, M., 2010. Teaching the Animal. Lantern Books.
Gillespie, K. and Collard, R.C., 2015. Critical Animal Geographies. Routledge.
Hovorka, A.J., 2019. Teaching the nonhuman animal in higher education: Interdisciplinary experiential learning. Society & Animals, 29(5-6), pp.559-576.
Hovorka, A., McCubbin, S. and Van Patter, L. 2021. A Research Agenda for Animal Geographies. Edward Elgar.
Philo, C., Srinivasan, K. Rubio-Ramon, G., et al. 2024. Animal Geographies at the limits. Scottish Geographical Journal, 140(3-4), pp.329-613.
Philo, C. and Wilbert, C. 2000. Animal Spaces, Beastly Places. Routledge.
Vegan Geographies Collective, White, R.J., Véron, O., Springer, S. and McGregor, A., 2024. Justice for All? Expanding Questions and Spaces of (In) Justice through Multispecies Research, Teaching and Activism. In, Herman, A. and Inwood, J. (eds.). Researching Justice (pp. 139-158). Bristol University Press.
