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Personal Profile For Dr Greg Garrard
ArtsWork Senior Teaching Fellow, Senior Lecturer English Lit. School of Humanities and Cultural Industries.
PhD [University of Liverpool], BA(Hons) [UW Swansea], MA [UW Swansea].
Personal Statement:
My primary commitment as an academic has always been to teaching, and to scholarship aimed at supporting and enriching teaching. I have designed and run numerous new modules at Bath Spa University, trialling new modes of assessment and patterns of delivery. In doing so, my aim has been to expand the range of abilities, activities and enthusiasms demonstrated by students and evaluated by formal assessment. For example, my 'Poetry' module includes oral presentations and personal anthologies, which help to emphasise the importance of students' own poetic loves, as well as shifting attention from the textual to the aural dimension of poetry. I've used journals, review essays, assessed discussion lists and creative projects to broaden the range of things students can do for credit. Of course, assessment only looks at outcomes, whereas in the classroom, it is the unassessable encounter of motivated students with a well-informed, flexible teacher that really counts...
My research addresses the relationship of nature and culture, predominantly in literature but also in philosophy, film and popular culture. I have written about Romanticism, Irish literature, rhododendrons, DH Lawrence and even the emergence of environmentalism in Nazi ideology. I have benefited immensely from the support and discussion fostered by the 'Writing and the Environment' research group at BSU, in particular my arguments with Richard Kerridge. My monograph survey of 'Ecocriticism' covers wilderness narratives, wildlife documentaries, biosphere theme parks and the image of the Earth from space, besides canonical novels and poetry. It has now been translated into Portuguese, Korean, Arabic and - in a pirate edition - Mandarin. A second edition is under consideration by Routledge. My current research focuses on the intersection of human biology, literature and ecocriticism. I hope to identify and develop approaches to literary study that are scientifically literate as well as environmentally sustainable.
My most recent developments in teaching include a module called 'Reading Animals', and a new one on 'Ian McEwan'. Both these developments arise from, and help to enrich, my developing research interests.
In January 2006, I was awarded a Bath Spa Teaching Fellowship in recognition of my work in curriculum development, pedagogical research and promoting excellence in teaching. From June 2006, I have been working as a Senior Teaching Fellow as part of the Artswork Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. This exciting opportunity involves working with students to enhance their employability in creative and cultural industries. Meanwhile I will be continuing to build international relationships in my capacity as Erasmus coordinator for the School.
In September 2006, I was awarded a National Teaching Fellowship by the Higher Education Academy for my work on innovative assessment and education for sustainable development, and my contributions to English pedagogy at the national level. Since then, I have published pedagogical research, and am now editing a book for Palgrave called 'Teaching Ecocriticism and Green Cultural Studies.'
Thanks to the popularity of 'Ecocriticism' I have been fortunate to have been invited to speak at numerous conferences, and have become involved more closely with national and international developments in the field. In my capacity as Chair of the Association for the Study of Literature and the Environment UK, I have designed a new website, pamphlet and poster for the organisation. I have been commissioned to edit the 'Oxford Handbook of Ecocriticism', and am working on a monograph on Ian McEwan and science.
Professional Qualifications:
Membership of Professional Bodies/Subject Associations:
Chair of the Association for the Study of Literature and the Environment
Member of National Teaching Fellows Network and Higher Education Academy
Member of British Association for Literature and Science
Teaching Specialism:
Ecocriticism
Poetry
Canadian Literature, Irish Literature
Ian McEwan, Margaret Atwood
Utopian Fiction
Literary Theory and Philosophy of Literature
Key Publications/Exhibitions/Performances:
For recent publications, including uncorrected draft versions and links, please see: http://bathspa.academia.edu/GregoryGarrard
A complete list of publications is on my CV at this site.
Current Scholarship:
Director of an English Subject Centre-funded project on 'Education for Sustainable Development', and co-author of a report on the same subject commissioned by the HEA.
My recent modules include ones on Margaret Atwood, Ian McEwan and representations of animals.
My academic research at the moment is focused on the intersection of ecocriticism and Darwinism. At the same time, I am working on an application for teaching and learning poetry called 'Poetiks': http://www.poetiks.net/
External Examiners:
I am external supervisor for Petra Hansson at the University of Upssala, who is writing a PhD on ecocriticism and ESD.
Other External Roles:
I am managing editor of the journal 'Green Letters: Studies in Ecocriticism': http://www.green-letters.org.uk/
In 2009, I was external reviewer for the English Literature programme at the University of Lincoln, and I have reviewed for numerous journals and university presses (see CV for details).
I am also co-investigator in an AHRC Network on Environmental and Cultural Change.
Recent Professional Updating:
Conference activity as above.
Regular attendee and contributor to English Subject Centre events such as 'Oral Assessment in a Discursive Discipline' (London, 2001); 'Teaching Theory' (London 2001); 'E-learning: Using VLEs and MLEs' (Bristol 2002); 'Making Assessment Work' (Exeter 2002); 'Studying Poetry' (Hertfordshire 2003); 'Pedagogies of the Text' (Gloucestershire 2006). I have also presented papers on the use of VLEs at the LTSN conference in London and again in Greenwich.
Last Updated: 29 July 2010.
This page is created by the above named individual. The views expressed are theirs and are not those of Bath Spa University. BSU is not responsible for the content of any external sites referenced.
