Gavan Watson, PhD

Teaching Support Services
Day Hall, Room 206
University of Guelph
Guelph, Ontario. N1G 2W1

Links

Academic Vitae (pdf)
Doctoral Dissertation
Teaching Philosophy
Academic Writing
In the media
Academia.edu Homepage

Contact Information

email: gavan.watson [add ampersand] uoguelph.ca
Phone: +1-519-824-4120 x.56856

Research Interests

environmental education; teaching & learning in higher education; biodiversity education; environmental philosophy & ethics; non-formal (or free-choice) learning; animal-human relationships; perceptions of animals; natural history & naturalists; nature interpretation; birdwatching, birders & birds; actor-network theory; qualitative research methods

Education

2004-2010, Doctor of Philosophy, Faculty of Environmental Studies, York University, Toronto.

Dissertation Title: Multiple acts of Birding: the Education, Ethics and Ontology of Bird Watching in Ontario

Advisory Committee:
Advisor: Dr. Leesa Fawcett
Committee Members: Dr. Ray Rogers, Dr. Jennifer Foster, Dr. Alice Hovorka

Comprehensive Areas:
1. Actor Network Theory, After-ANT & Enactment: Implications for method
2. Confluences in the streams of Birding, Technology and Animal Studies
3. Designing and Instructing an Experiential Course: The Natural History of the GTA & Southern Ontario

2002-2004, Master of Environmental Studies, Faculty of Environmental Studies, York University, Toronto.

Areas of Concentration: Environmental Education and Environmental Thought

Major paper title: Place as educator, concepts of nature: Children, summer camp and environmental education.

1996-2000, Bachelors of Applied Science in Family and Social Relations (Honours), University of Guelph, Guelph.

Publications

Refereed contributions
Watson, G. P. L. (In Press). Micro-blogging and the higher education classroom: approaches and considerations. In C. Wankel (Ed.), Teaching Arts and Science with the New Social Media: Emerald Group Publishing.

Oakley, J., Watson, G. P. L., Russell, C. L., Cutter-Mackenzie, A., Fawcett, L., Kuhl, G., et al. (In Press). Animal encounters in environmental education research: Responding to the “question of the animal”. Canadian Journal of Environmental Education, 15.

Watson, G. P. L. (2006). Wild Becomings: How the everyday experience of common wild animals at summer camp acts as an entrance to the more-than-human world. Canadian Journal of Environmental Education, 11, 127-142

Professional publications
Watson, G. P. L. (2010). Human Ends and Animal Beginnings. Review of Animal Subjects by Jodey Castricano. Canadian Literature (205), 145-146.

Watson, G. P. L. (Accepted for manuscript). Cultural blindspots and the disappearance of Ring-Billed Gulls in Toronto. In P. Johnson & K. Nagy (Eds.), Trash Animals: Natural and Cultural Perspectives on Maligned Species. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.

Watson, G. P. L. (2008). Hinterlands Who’s Who: Birding, Multiplicity, and Barn Owls. UnderCurrents (17), 6-10.

Warkentin, T., Corman, L., & Watson, G. P. L. (2007). Review of “Envisioning Animals Symposium”. H-Animal. Retrieved from http://www.h-net.org/~animal/markings_envisioning1_warkentin-corman-watson.html

Conference presentations
May, 2010, American Educational Research Association conference, Denver, CO.
Paper: Birds in place and shadows.

May, 2009, 5^th World Environmental Education Congress, Montréal, QC.
Poster: “Birding ≠ Bird Conservation.”

May, 2009, 10th Seminar in Health and Environmental Education Research: Making a Difference, Montebello, QC.
Paper presented with Fawcett, L., Hamel, S., Kuhl, G., Oakley, J., Russell, C., Warkentin, T.: “How can we move beyond the human?”

May, 2008, American Association of Geographers conference, Boston, MA.
Paper: The robot and the birder: Power and knowledge-making in Ornithology.

November, 2007, Nature Matters Conference, Toronto, ON.
Paper: See gull: Cultural blind spots and the disappearance of Ring-billed Gulls in Toronto.

October, 2006, Salt of the Earth, EECOM Conference, Halifax, NS.
Paper: Disrupting the Concept of Maligned Species

May, 2006, Environmental Studies Association of Canada, Toronto, ON.
Paper: Wild becomings

March, 2006, American Association of Geographers Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL.
Paper: The hybrid techno-nature of birding

October, 2005, Creating Ripples, EECOM Conference, Huntsville, ON.
Paper: Children, summer camp and environmental education

February, 2005, Two days of thinking about Animals in Canada, Brock University, St. Catherines, ON.
Paper: Children making a connection to the more than human world

Artistic works
Watson, G.P.L. (Artist). (2008). I walk the line [Photographs]. In McLean, H. (2009). Relational reflections from the big box ballet. Fuse, 32(3), 6-9.

Watson, G.P.L. (Artist). (2007). Yukon raven [Photograph]. In Avian alert. Fortean Times, (240), 18-19.

Watson, G.P.L. (Artist). (2007). Catch of the day [Photograph]. In Go Magazine, 84(2), cover.

Watson, G.P.L. (Artist). (2006). Intertidal snails [Photograph]. In Williams, P. (2009). Snail. London: Reaktion Books.

Interviews
Corman, L. (Producer). (April 24, 2007). Different Ways of Knowing: Birding, Aquariums, and the End of Suffering? Animal Voices. Toronto: CIUT FM.

Teaching

Course Director
York University
The Natural History of the Greater Toronto Area, 2006, 2008-2009
Natural History, 2007

Nova Southeastern University
Foundations of Environmental Education, Theory, 2003-2006
Foundations of Environmental Education, Practice, 2003-2006

Teaching Assistant
York University
Foundations of Environment and Culture: Philosophy, Technology, Arts and Education
Ecology and Conservation Science
Introduction to Science for Environmental Studies Students
Science, Technology & the Environment

University of Guelph
Nature Interpretation

Awards

York Scholarship, York University, 2004
Graduate Assistantship, York University, 2002
Dean’s Honour Roll, University of Guelph, 1999-2000
403 Scholarship, University of Guelph, 1996

Service

Canadian Journal of Environmental Education
2005-present, Book Review Editor
In collaboration with the editorial team, I am independently responsible for the collection of a slate of ten to twelve books for review, finding reviewers and the editing of reviews to meet the publication deadline.

2006, 2007, 2009, Reviewer

Environmental Education Research
2009, Reviewer

York University
2006-2007, Co-chair, PhD Environmental Studies Student Association
2006-2007, Member, FES Executive Committee
2005-2006, Member, Committee of Instruction
2005, Member, Hiring Committee, Environmental & Landscape Design
2004-2005, Member, Graduate Curriculum Committee

Ontario Camping Association
2000, 2003, Skills Conference Stream Leader
Facilitated the environmental education stream for the OCA, training up to ten new environmental education instructors to deliver engaging & effective programming.

Related Experience

2007-2008, 2009-2010, Teaching Development Graduate Assistant, Centre for Support of Teaching, York University
2007-Present, Tour Leader, Quest Nature Tours
2004, 2008, Director, Camp Arowhon Outdoor Centre
2001-2002, Outdoor Education Specialist, Toronto District School Board
2000-2001, Program Coordinator, Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre