Environmental education, ethics and animal rights: connections for a pedagogy on behalf of all forms of life

• Grant number: 11/19338-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: March 01, 2012
• End date: September 30, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Education - Specific topics in Education
• Principal Investigator: Marcos Sorrentino
• Grantee: Maria Castellano
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 12/15993-2 - Environmental education, ethics and animal rights: connections for a pedagogy in favor of all forms of life, BE.EP.PD

Abstract

This research project aims to analyze the conceptual convergences that underlie and justify the relevance of an approximation between the fields of environmental and humane education, the last being the one that faces issues dealing with animal welfare, ethics and rights. Given the different views concerning this last topic, the project also aims to review the concept of humane education, showing in which points it converges with critical environmental education, and weaving considerations that include the possibility of reformulating the concept. From the conceptual cores common to both areas of critical environmental education and education focused on ethics and animal rights, the research aims to outline guiding principles for the construction of pedagogical practices that can be presented to academics and other professionals connected with both areas. The main activities to be developed during the project include a literature review of the theoretical and conceptual basis that underpin these areas, as well as a survey of existing scholarship in Brazil that bring these two fields together. A short-term internship with the Faculty of Education at Lakehead University in Canada is also proposed, with the objective of exchanging experiences on methodological and conceptual framework, as well as preparing a proposal for a specialization course to be taught in both universities / countries. It is expected that the production of literature and teaching practices that result from the research can be appropriated by academics and other professionals from both areas (environmental and humane education) in order to expand the dissemination of these themes and their mutual reinforcement. For this purpose, beyond the specialization course and the publications to be produced during the research, this debate is intended to be disseminated among society through the university extension.