Academic Diversity at Leicester

While reading for my dissertation I came across the book “A Theory of Justice for Animals” by Robert Garner, which I have found incredibly inspiring and has become a staple piece in my writing. A couple of months ago, I found out that Robert Garner is a lecturer in the politics department at Leicester! So, after speaking with my dissertation supervisor about this, she suggested I ask to meet with him!

I’ve always thought of the academics whose papers I read as fairly distant, unreachable intelligent people, so it was strange to think that I, as a simple undergraduate student, could have an intellectual meeting with one of them. But even so, I set up a meeting with him and he was more than happy to talk to me! Being able to speak one-to-one with an expert, especially in such an under-researched area, was so valuable to both my dissertation as well as to my sense of confidence in the academic world.

Since green criminology has only emerged relatively recently as a discipline which considers the position of animals in criminal justice, it can be challenging to find the right people to talk to. I am therefore so grateful to have been able to build a contact at Leicester who has provided me with such support! And it’s also really nice to know that different departments are happy to welcome and support students from any department. Sometimes the merging of departments can be so helpful for research!