Warm congratulations to Tyler Bateman, a PhD student I supervise, for receiving a 2017 Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Doctoral Fellowship. Tyler joins seven other students in the Department of Sociology at UofT who were awarded SSHRC fellowships this year.
Here is Tyler’s description of his exciting project, entitled Who cares about nature? The environmental sociology of perception.
With increasing urbanization, urban parks may play an important role in the ability of urban dwellers to develop an affective appreciation of wild organisms and their natural habitats. This research investigates the social processes that support and derive from the awe-inspiring discovery of animals, plants, and other organisms in urban parks. The thrill of discovering wild nature may be an important root of public discussions about conserving nature.
Josée Johnston 