Dr. Drew appointed Fellow of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics
October 3, 2023
Congratulations to Dr. John Drew, Assistant Professor and Writing Across the Curriculum Specialist, Department of English, French, and Writing, for recently being appointed a Fellow of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics.
Fellows are appointed for their outstanding contribution to the field of animal ethics worldwide, after a rigorous and often lengthy process for selecting candidates. The Centre currently comprises approximately a hundred and twenty-five fellows from countries all over the world.
“It's a wonderful honour and recognition of my work and of the ongoing importance of high-quality scholarship on the diversity of our relationships with animals and nature,” says Dr. Drew.
Dr. Drew believes that animal ethics represents a compelling expansion of empathy, and this issue is of particular urgency within the context of the climate emergency. “We share our homes, communities, and this fragile planet with other species, and the well-being of us all is interconnected,” he explains.
He adds that literature, writing, and education are especially important spaces for exploring these connections and helping to cultivate a more ethical and sustainable future. To that end, Dr. Drew has designed a special topic course: Writing 3700: Climate Justice for Humans and Animals. The course links all areas of Dr. Drew’s areas of emphasis, including a focus on animals and nature in literature and film; multispecies empathy and justice; children, youth, and environmental education; decolonizing and crafting anti-oppressive pedagogies; and writing and social change within the climate emergency.
Dr. Drew says, “It’s been a pleasure to help students deepen and refine their understandings of these vital issues. Their passion is incredible and inspiring.” Teaching the course has also helped shape Dr. Drew’s upcoming book, Animals in Education: Toward Multispecies Empathy. “It's such a pleasure to engage with students, as well as other human-animal scholars locally, nationally, and globally,” he adds.