SSSP Division of Environment & Technology Fall/Winter Newsletter 2014 Newsletter Contents Message from the Chair 1 Publication Spotlight 3 Graduate Student Corner 5 On the Market 6 SSSP Awards & Scholarship Opportunities 7 SSSP Call for Papers 8 E&T Annual Meeting Sessions 9 Calls for Submissions 11 SSSP Deadlines 14 Co-Editors’ Notes 14 Message from the Chair Greetings! I hope that everyone’s semester (or just Fall) is finishing up nicely. In this newsletter you will find descriptions of the Division’s sessions for Chicago in August. There are our three allocated sessions and five sessions that we are co-sponsoring. The theme of the 2015 Annual Meeting is “Removing the Mask, Lifting the Veil: Race, Class, and Gender in the 21st Century,” which seems especially applicable for a lot of the work that our members do. Please upload your abstracts by January 31st. I hope to see you in Chicago! I would also like to take this space to reiterate a message I emailed to members earlier in the year. Our membership is drastically down. When SSSP reduced the number of “free” Division memberships to one from three (or four), many Divisions lost members. Environment and Technology was one of the Divisions to lose the most. While SSSP is not sure what it will do with Divisions that fail to meet the minimum number of members (which we currently do not), we would be wise to work to increase our membership. Section memberships are only ten dollars, so try and encourage your colleagues to rejoin or try us out. Likewise, please consider sponsoring a graduate student who is a member of SSSP for a section membership. I have a few faculty members who have already pledged to do so. So if you have a graduate student at your institution or a colleague who is a graduate student, please put them in contact with me. And speaking of graduate students…please consider submitting a paper for the Divison’s 2015 Brent K. Marshall Graduate Student Paper Award. To be eligible, the paper must meet the following criteria: 1) the paper must have been written in 2014; 2) the paper must be authored by one or more students and not co-authored by faculty or a colleague who is not a student; and, 3) manuscripts should be limited to fewer than 10,000 words (inclusive of notes, references, and tables). Students should send their submissions to each member of the award committee (Daina Cheyenne Harvey (dharvey@holycross.edu), Erin Robinson (robinso5@canisius.edu), and Shawn Trivette (trivette@latech.edu). Please note that students may submit to only one Division for a student paper award. Authors should ensure that they receive a confirmation of receipt for their submission. In order to be considered for the Brent K. Marshall Graduate Student Paper Award, applicants are required to submit their papers through the Annual Meeting Call for Papers, http://www.sssp1.org/index.cfm/m/611/. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Daina Cheyenne Harvey (dharvey@holycross.edu). In this edition of our newsletter (in addition to the call for papers for our annual meeting) you will find an interview with Dr. Angus Nurse on cat and animal welfare, some helpful advice from Dr. Sherry Cable, and many calls for papers and announcements. You can also meet fellow member Tobin Walton who is currently on the market. Many thanks to Lisa East (University of Tennessee, Knoxville) for her hard work on this newsletter. If you have ideas for the Spring newsletter, please send them to Clare Cannon (Tulane University) at etsssp@gmail.com. Please visit us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ssspet As always, feel free to email us with ideas, questions, or comments at: etsssp@gmail.com. Publication Spotlight The Cat Group, the collaborative group of animal charities and organisations working on cat health and welfare, has published a new booklet entitled ‘Cats and the Law - a plain English guide’. The authors, Dr. Angus Nurse, Senior Lecturer in Criminology at Middlesex University School of Law, and Diane Ryland, Senior Lecturer at the Law School at the University of Lincoln, worked with the Cat Group to produce a research paper and also the plain English guide to Cats and the Law. The guide was launched at the Cat Group Conference in Windsor on September 28. The guide is a summary of current law relating to cats, primarily the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and its introduction of a positive obligation to promote and observe animal welfare in companion animals. The guide also summarises the law on the keeping and care of a cat, issues relating to the sale or theft of cats and damage either caused by or caused to a cat. There is also a section answering some of the most frequent questions people ask about cats and their legal status so that most of what cats owners, breeders and rehoming institutes would want to know is contained within this guide. Dr. Angus Nurse, one of the authors of the guide, provides the following insight into the inception of the publication as well as the broader contributions of the guide for both scholarly and activist work: How did this edited volume come about? Strictly speaking it’s a co-authored short monograph rather than edited volume. It came about because one of our cat protection and animal welfare charities identified that they were continually receiving queries about aspects of the law for which there didn’t seem to be an obvious answer. I was asked whether anybody had ever fully analysed the law relating to cats and realised that in fact nobody had. The more we looked into it, the more questions we found to answer. What kind of contribution do you believe the monograph makes for the study of Animals and Society and socio-legal understandings of human-animal relationships? While the plain English Guide is obviously about cats, our research took a broader look at the changing relationship between humans and companion animals. In particular, the 21st Century conception of human-animal relationships outlined by the UK law we examined is one that moves away from considering companion animals as things or commodities and instead looks at them as individuals with needs and a limited conception of rights. This is what the UK’s Animal Welfare Act 2006 does in both theory and practice: it requires those choosing to share their homes with companion animals to consider the needs of the individual animal and the suitability of their home for each individual animal. In that context it’s a useful study of how law can provide for effective animal protection. While not providing legal personhood it goes some way to enshrining a form of rights for companion animals in UK criminal law. How does this work contribute to the work of animal rights and justice activists? The UK has always had quite strong animal welfare legislation but this is still a significant step forward in providing legal protection that takes us closer to rights for individual animals. What UK law now does is to provide protection for individual animals and their needs as part of the criminal law. It’s important to also consider that it moves away from historical notions of unnecessary suffering as being only about actual cruelty, to include psychological distress and action that prevents a companion animal from exhibiting normal behaviour patterns. The plain English Guide and associated research report are part of ongoing efforts to ensure that animal protection laws develop and that effective justice is provided for a wide range of animals. In the future we hope to look in detail at how the courts deal with any cases brought before them and to contribute to developing better laws if not actual rights in a UK context. Cats and the Law – a plain English Guide can be found on the Cat Group website – http://www.thecatgroup.org.uk Notes from the 2014 Annual Meeting SSSP Celebrated the Environmental and Technology Section with a 40th Anniversary Session – notes from Erin E. Robinson The 2014 SSSP meeting in San Francisco welcomed the 40th Anniversary session of the Environmental and Technology Section with a panel of sociologists who spoke on the challenges and trends over time. Organized by: Tamara L. Mix and Riley E. Dunlap, of Oklahoma State University, the panel discussed sections organized under their leadership and the progression of issues and research in the division. Trends follow that early research focused on the presence of environmental issues in society to noting how these issues are directed within politics and legislation. The 1980s and 1990s focus on environmental justice and issues of climate change. Trends of the 2000s and 2010s look towards understanding the role of class, race and gender even moreso from a critical perspective of social movement engagement. Sessions on engaging in teaching environmental sociology and strategies for engaging this generation of students were also discussed. Panelists included Riley E. Dunlap, Oklahoma State University, discussing the 1970s; Kurt Finsterbusch, University of Maryland, discussing the 1980s; Stephen R. Couch, Penn State Schuylkill, discussing the 1990s; Tamara L. Mix, Oklahoma State University, discussing 2000s; and Erin E. Robinson, Canisius College, discussing 2010s. Graduate Student Corner Dr. Sherry Cable is a Professor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Her research interests center on environmental conflict, environmental inequalities, environmental policy, and the linkages between economic imperatives and environmental degradation. Her recent book Sustainable Failures: Environmental Policy and Democracy in a Petro-dependent World (Temple University Press, 2012) is a critical, interdisciplinary analysis of unsustainable petro-dependent environmental policy. As a graduate teacher and advisor, Dr. Cable pushes her students to develop writing skills in and out of her classrooms. We sat down with Dr. Cable to provide guidance on the writing process. What advice would you give to graduate students who might have problems gaining confidence as writers? Think. Write. Think about your writing process, observe and analyze how you go about it: How do you plan your writing? Do you do a lot of thinking before you write? If so, what do you do while you think? Do you make a plan or an outline before you write? What kind? What is your writing environment? What time of day do you write? Where do you write? What kind of environment do you need for writing? Do you eat or drink while you write? What? Do you take frequent breaks while you write? What prompts you to take breaks? What do you do during breaks? Do you change places during your writing process? What do you write? Do you always write your introduction first? Do you write a complete draft at one sitting? How many drafts do you write? What kinds of revisions do you make in subsequent drafts? Do you make different kinds of revisions in your second draft than you do in your last draft? How do you know that a draft is the “final” draft? What do you do with your drafts? How much time usually elapses between drafts? Do you ask someone to read your drafts? Who? At what point in your drafting process do you have someone read your draft? Do you read your drafts aloud? Write as much as you can – journal writing is a good idea. Write multiple drafts of your papers and don’t be afraid about not getting it right in the first draft. Anne Lamott, noted novelist and freelance writer, says in her book about writing: “the only way I can get anything written at all is to write really, really shitty first drafts.” Nobody is going to read it but you. And offer to read a paper for a colleague – your ego isn’t so involved in reviewing someone else’s work. You learn to examine a piece of writing critically and to offer constructive, motivating comments. You’ll find yourself applying that knowledge to your own writing. What strategies have you used in regards to writing and publishing, especially early on in your career? Always keep something in the pipeline. A paper that sits in your desk drawer will never be published – send it somewhere. By your third probationary year, start a new research project and publish an article on it before your tenure review – it shows that you can conduct research without your graduate school mentor. Inevitably in the writing and publishing process academics encounter varying levels of criticism of their work, what advice would you give for dealing with this criticism? Do not take it personally, because it’s seldom intended in that way. When you receive a rejection letter, read it quickly then put it away for 2-3 days. Take it out and read it again and learn from it – even the bad advice. On the Market Tobin Walton PhD Dissertation Title: “Self, Society and Environment in the 21st Century: The Construction and Assessment of an Ecological Identity Scale” Successfully defended: 08/2014 Diss. Chair: Dr. Robert E. Jones Current Position: Lecturer, Department of Sociology, University of Tennessee Contact Information: twalton1@vols.utk.edu My research agenda is focused on the intersection of social psychological, cultural, and structural facets of human-environment interactions. The over-arching goal of my research is to construct theories and research designs that can operate across these levels of analysis to provide a comprehensive understanding of the social dynamics that drive environmental degradation. By combining the tools of social psychology with cultural and structural analyses I investigate how information about the environment is processed, and what factors facilitate and or inhibit a transition to more sustainable lifestyles and organizational practices. My dissertation research involved the construction of a multiple-item quantitative scale measure of ecological identity (EIS). Using a mixed-methods approach, including focus groups and a questionnaire, I developed a framework of identity that synthesizes symbolic interactionist theories of identity with the work of social identity and consumer culture theorists. Validity and reliability testing of the EIS was highly successful and it explained large amounts of the variance in a range of pro-environmental behaviors: In fact, it outperformed several of the more established measures and constructs used in this area of research. The results suggest that the research design and framework I employed could be used in an applied setting to facilitate the creation, promotion and implementation of pro-environmental educational, policy, and market initiatives. There is also clear potential for applying this framework and instrument to investigations of environmental/resource conflicts, pro and anti-environmental movements/organizations, and human responses to environmental disasters. Lastly, I am also very interested in expanding my research to be interdisciplinary, particularly in regard to the behavioral component (pro-environmental behavior). In this regard, I am currently working to connect social science with physical science by drawing upon Life Cycle Assessment research to assess the actual estimated material impact of the pro-environmental behaviors I measure. SSSP Awards & Scholarship Opportunities Student Paper Competitions The Environment and Technology Division is pleased to announce its 2015 Brent K. Marshall Graduate Student Paper Award. This award honors the late Brent Marshall’s (1965-2008) personal and professional commitment to the Division and encouragement of student engagement in academic scholarship and research. Papers will be considered in the areas of environmental sociology, including, but not limited to political economy of the environment, global environmental issues, social movements and the environment, technology and society, natural disasters and society, and risk perception. The winner of the Brent K. Marshall Graduate Student Paper Award will receive a plaque, complimentary student membership ($30), conference registration ($60), and a cash award ($100). To be eligible, the paper must meet the following criteria: 1) the paper must have been written in 2014; 2) the paper must be authored by one or more students and not co-authored by faculty or a colleague who is not a student; and, 3) manuscripts should be limited to fewer than 10,000 words (inclusive of notes, references, and tables). Students should send their submissions to each member of the award committee (Daina Cheyenne Harvey (dharvey@holycross.edu), Erin Robinson (robinso5@canisius.edu), and Shawn Trivette (trivette@latech.edu). Please note that students may submit to only one Division for a student paper award. Authors should ensure that they receive a confirmation of receipt for their submission. In order to be considered for the Brent K. Marshall Graduate Student Paper Award, applicants are required to submit their papers through the Annual Meeting Call for Papers, http://www.sssp1.org/index.cfm/m/611/. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Daina Cheyenne Harvey (dharvey@holycross.edu). SSSP Graduate Student Scholarships Beth B. Hess Memorial Scholarship The SSSP is committed to supporting young scholars and awards several scholarships as a part of that commitment. The Beth B. Hess Memorial Scholarship is awarded to an advanced sociology Ph.D. student who began his or her study in a community college or technical school. Deadline for applications: April 1, 2015. For more information, visit: http://www.sssp1.org/index.cfm/m/336 Racial/Ethnic Minority Graduate Scholarship Since 1995 the SSSP has given an annual Minority Graduate Scholarship to a recipient who demonstrates significant achievements through active engagement with social problems and the advancement of knowledge through study, service, and critical analysis. Deadline for applications: February 1, 2015. For more information, visit: http://www.sssp1.org/index.cfm/m/261 SSSP Call for Papers The Call for Papers for the 2015 SSSP Annual Meeting is open until January 31, 2015! To submit an extended abstract or paper or to view your submitted abstracts and papers, visit the SSSP Annual Meeting portal here: http://www.sssp1.org/index.cfm/m/611/fuseaction/ssspsession2.publicView 2014-2015 SSSP President Marlese Durr and the Annual Meeting Program Committee invite submissions under the Program Theme for this year’s Annual Meeting: “Removing the Mask, Lifting the Veil: Race, Class and Gender in the 21st Century.”: “In preparing to convene our 2015 meeting in Chicago, we invite scholars, scholar-activists and practitioners to examine the issues of race, gender, and class in the first decade and a half of 21stcentury to locate avenues to continue the progressive work they have begun, by investigating fractures in building a culture free of “isms.” As scholars in pursuit of a just society, what we offer at this time of historical change may alter the most pressing problems carried across centuries.” E&T Annual Meeting Sessions Division Sponsored Sessions 1. Race, Class, Gender and Environmental Justice (Critical Dialogue) (Thematic) Shawn Trivette, trivette@latech.edu Building on the 2015 conference theme of Race, Class, and Gender in the 21st Century, this critical dialogue will explore the intersections of race, class, and gender in environmental issues. We know that environmental problems do not impact all groups equally. What are some of the current contours and cleavages of these differential impacts (and perhaps differential involvement)? What does environmental (in)justice look like in the 21st century? For this session we welcome papers that interrogate these questions from a variety of angles. As the purpose of a critical dialogue is to have presenters and the audience engage in a constructive conversation, presenters will have 5-10 minutes to present their papers. 2. Climate Change and Natural Resources Erin Robinson, robinso5@canisius.edu This session will focus on research where authors are connecting the determinants of natural resources and the socio-physical environment to the impacts of climate change. Papers that connect these issues and discuss the role of environmental sociology in mitigating, questioning, engaging these relationships will be welcomed. 3. Place, Space, and Environmental Justice Andrew Prelog, ajp024@shsu.edu and Clare Cannon, ccannon3@tulane.edu This panel seeks submissions utilizing interdisciplinary perspectives on the study of environmental justice. Submissions may conceive of place, space, and environmental justice in diverse ways including, but not limited to, the social construction of social place and space in environmental justice movements and research, spatial analyses of environmental injustice, and the role of space and place in the study of environmental inequality. Co-Sponsored Sessions 4. Globalization and Environment Julie Andrzejewski, jrandrzejewski@stcloudstate.edu Co-Sponsored with the Global Division Globalization has had an obvious impact on the environment, but also in the way we think about the environment. Environmental problems no longer remain over there nor are they simply local; pressing environmental issues are now a matter of international concern; the tragedy of the commons affects us all. This session seeks papers that analyze the effects of globalization on the environment, that focus on comparative environmental issues or environmental disputes between states, that promote changes in the ways we think about globalization and/or the environment, or that present global solutions to environmental issues. 5. Environmental Racism Daina Cheyenne Harvey, dharvey@holycross.edu Co-sponsored with the Racial and Ethnic Minorities Division Racial and ethnic minority status still map closely to environmental pollution, place vulnerability, and jobs with high degrees of environmental risk. Furthermore, being white is highly correlated with access to environmental goods. This session explores the connection between the environment and racial and ethnic status. We welcome papers that focus on chronic instances of environmental racism, such as the sitting of toxic waste sites or the legacy of living or working or attending school in places with degraded environments. We also welcome papers that deal with events that reveal the ongoing legacies of environmental racism, such as disasters like Hurricane Katrina or climate change. 6. Matters of Concern: Environmental Problems & Debates Monique Ouimette, ouimette@bc.edu Co-Sponsored with the Social Problems Theory Division Humans are surrounded by and dependent upon the environment, which means that environmental problems are some of the most important social problems that we must address. This session welcomes papers that make theoretical and/or empirical contributions to knowledge on identifying, defining, challenging, and resolving environmental issues. Potential topical areas include, but are not limited to: toxics, pollution, climate change, energy, environmental health, environmental justice, and social-environmental systems. 7. Communities and Environmental Justice Mark Salvaggio, salvagg5@unlv.nevada.edu Co-Sponsored with the Conflict, Social Action, and Change Division This session explores topics on environmental justice, which pertains to understanding and changing the inequitable distribution of environmental consequences in disadvantaged communities based on race, ethnicity, gender, and class. I invite papers from students, scholars, practitioners, and activists that focus on the social and community impacts of environmental changes and the ongoing efforts to recognize diversity among individuals and groups and their socio-environmental experiences within their respective communities. Paper topics may include broad areas of interests in environmental justice, such as understanding and addressing sustainable development, environmental degradation and environmental activism, human rights and environmental democracy, urbanization and community problems, climate change impacts upon communities, environmental racism, sexism, and classism, access to food, clean water, and shelter, and environmental hazards and health effects. 8. Teaching With Technology (Critical Dialogue) Daina Cheyenne Harvey, dharvey@holycross.edu Co-Sponsored with the Teaching Social Problem Division Teaching with technology has long been a controversial subject within the literature on pedagogy and in informal discussions of best practices in the classroom. While not coming down on one side or the other, this session, in part, seeks to address the ongoing theoretical and empirical gap on teaching with technology by identifying the conditions under which outcomes would be more likely to facilitate learning; in other words, when/where is the right/wrong way to use technology in the classroom. This is a critical dialogues session which means each presenter has 5-10 minutes to present their paper and that we expect the majority of the session to consist of interaction with other panelists and the audience. Calls for Submissions KNOWING RURAL: SITUATING THE LIVED EXPERIENCE OF RURALITY IN DEFINITIONS OF RURAL THE 78TH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE RURAL SOCIOLOGICAL SOCIETY August 6-9, 2015 Madison, WI Madison Concourse Hotel & Governor’s Club Online Registration Begins: January 15, 2015 Extended Abstracts Deadline: February 6, 2015 Annual Meeting Website: www.ruralsociology.us Our annual meeting will take place August 6-9 in Madison, Wisconsin, at the Madison Concourse Hotel. We invite submissions of extended abstracts to our online submission portal beginning January 15, 2015. The deadline for abstract submission is February 6, 2015. If you have any questions or ideas for special panels and events at the Annual Meeting, please feel free to contact us via email at lauramc@tulane.edu or jessica.crowe@siu.edu. Call for Papers – RSS 2015 - continued Around the globe, official definitions of “rural” vary, and each definition has implications for how we understand and give meaning to rural spaces and places. In the U.S. and Canada, official definitions of rural places are based on population size: the U.S. defines rural as locations with 2,500 or fewer residents, while Canada classifies rural based on population size but also on density of 400 or fewer residents per square kilometer. In other countries, rurality includes both population size and more qualitative concepts. In England, for instance, rural classification is based on distance from services, while in India, rural is defined as sites where a majority of male workers are employed in agriculture or related occupations. These definitions identify rural spaces by population, occupation and gender and each designation implies much about rural life. Density of population is closely tied to density of acquaintanceship; distance to services may imply inequities in terms of access to valued services such as health care. In other words, defining the rural also specifies some features of the lived experience of those who inhabit rural spaces. Making sense of rural experiences requires understanding the diverse geographies, economies, and communities that make up rural places. After all, rural landscapes include sites of high-amenity recreation, industrialized agriculture production, chemical processing plants, prisons and pocket-size organic farms. And these sites are undergoing significant change. As rural populations age and rural communities confront the emergent complexities of contemporary life, the lived experience of rurality is undergoing rapid transformation. What social, economic and political factors are shaping and re-shaping the lived experience of rural populations? How are rural populations responding to and adapting to these changes? How are these changes transforming rural landscapes? And, finally, how might these changes challenge the ways we all understand and define rurality? At our next annual meeting we will explore these and many related questions. We look forward to seeing you in Madison! If you have any questions or for more information, please contact us: 2015 RSS Program Co-Chairs: Laura McKinney lauramc@tulane.edu (504) 862-3013 Jessica Crowe jessica.crowe@siu.edu (618) 453-7626 ISSRM 2015 Call for Abstracts The 21st International Symposium on Society and Resource Management (ISSRM) will be held in Charleston, South Carolina – selected this year for the fourth consecutive time by Condé Nast Traveler readers as the #1 destination city in the U.S. Celebrated for its history and culture, Charleston is also widely known for its outstanding public spaces, outdoor recreation, award-winning cuisine, and centuries of live theater, music, and fine arts. As the official host institution, the College of Charleston is located in the heart of downtown, nestled between spectacular historic buildings and grand oaks and the inner workings of a cosmopolitan coastal city. The 2015 ISSRM will be the first held in the southeastern U.S. and will offer excellent opportunities to engage a diverse community of scholars, practitioners, and decision-makers and experience “lowcountry” heritage firsthand. The theme for the 2015 ISSRM is “Understanding and Adapting to Change,” with four focus areas representing a broad range of topics and issues relative to... • Tradition at the Edge: Changing Cultural and Historic Conditions • Society at the Edge: Changing Ecological Conditions • Cities at the Edge: Changing Urban Conditions • Governance at the Edge: Changing Managerial Conditions We expect a diverse and stimulating program with traditional and novel topics from around the globe. Along with the typical complement of activities – e.g., student forum, quiz bowl, poster and organized sessions – the 2015 ISSRM will foster creativity and disciplinary integration through a number of thought-provoking plenaries, media presentations, social events, field excursions, and innovative information exchange formats. The call for organized sessions and individual abstracts is now open, with a deadline for submissions of 16 January 2015. Please use the online submission system to submit your abstracts. Conference registration will open around the 1st of February 2015. Visit the 2015 ISSRM website for additional information. We look forward to your participation. Contact the conference organizers for assistance or questions, as necessary. Best regards, Dr. Thomas E. Fish Chair, 2015 ISSRM Executive Committee National Coordinator, CESU Network & College of Charleston, Master of Environmental Studies Program ISSRM2015@gmail.com SSSP Deadlines Don’t let these SSSP opportunities pass you by! SSSP Call for Papers Deadline: January 31, 2015 Brent K. Marshall Student Paper Competition Deadline: January 31, 2015 All SSSP Student Paper Competitions Deadlines: January 31, 2015 Racial/Ethnic Minority Graduate Scholarship Deadline: February 1, 2015 Beth B. Hess Memorial Scholarship Deadline: April 1, 2015 Co-Editors’ Notes We hope everyone enjoyed their fall semesters and are welcoming the winter months! A few notes on submission to the E&T newsletter: • If you are a graduate student or recent graduate on the market and would like to be featured in the E&T newsletter, please contact us! • If you have any content that you would like to share with members (new publications, a short article/interview, a teaching note on E&T topics), send along! We can be reached at: etsssp@gmail.com. We look forward to working with E&T division members throughout the year. Lisa, Clare, and Kayla 2014-2015 E&T Newsletter Co-Editors