Kirsten Somerville
k.somerville.1@research.gla.ac.uk
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6927-518X
Research title: Earth Writing: Poetic Pedagogies in Geography, Geoscience, and Environmental Education
Research Summary
In an era of climate and ecological crisis, engaging people in learning about the Earth has never been more urgent. Increasing numbers of educators, whether in schools, universities, or settings outwith formal education, are turning to the arts to help them do this. One increasingly popular approach involves supporting learners to engage creatively with the Earth through poetry. This approach is not new – however, it has been deployed in different ways, and to different ends, in different disciplines concerned with Earth education. My research explores how “poetic pedagogies” have developed in geography, geoscience, and environmental education, from the early twentieth century to the present day. By examining how poetry has been discussed in a range of education journals, I seek to understand how and why these disciplines have diverged in their uptake of the approach, as well as asking what they can learn from each other. This historical-geographical analysis aims to situate contemporary work within broader disciplinary narratives and traditions, while contributing to the development of a coherent theoretical framework that can inform future educational initiatives.
Supervisors
Grants
- ESRC 3.25 Doctoral Studentship, 2021-2024
- University of Glasgow Three Minute Thesis Runner Up (£500), 2022
Teaching
Widening Participation
- Top-Up Programme
- Summer School (Geography and Earth Science)
Student Learning Development
- One-to-one writing advice (Arts, Social Sciences, International)
- Transition to Glasgow (Understanding the Human-Nature Relationship)
Additional Information
Qualifications
- MA French and Geography, University of Glasgow, 2014
- MRes Human Geography, University of Glasgow, 2017
- PG Cert Teaching Creative Writing, University of Cambridge, 2022
Professional Memberships
- Associate fellow of Royal Geographical Society
- Student member of Royal Scottish Geographical Society
- Associate member of Scottish Alliance for Geoscience, Environment and Society
- Student member of Scottish Association of Geography Teachers
- Student member of National Association for Environmental Education
- Member of Scottish Centre for Geopoetics
Engagement Activities
- Contributor to University of Glasgow PGR Blog, 2022-
- Runner Up of University of Glasgow Three Minute Thesis competition, 2022
- Speaker at Scottish Centre for Geopoetics Conversation on "Education and Geopoetics", 2022
- Presenter at University of Glasgow This PhD Life symposium, 2022-23
- Co-organiser of "Creative Methods in Education for Sustainability" reading group, 2023-
Peer Review
Exclamat!on: An Interdisciplinary Journal