Sloth: A Journal of Emerging Voices in Human-Animal Studies

NOTE: Sloth is under revision and will return in the near future.

As part of our efforts to reach out to students with an interest in human-animal studies,  ASI created a journal for undergraduate students to publish their papers, book and film reviews, and other academic and artistic work.

Sloth is an online bi-annual journal that publishes international, multi-disciplinary writing by undergraduate students and recent (within three years) graduates that deals with human/non-human animal relationships from the perspectives of the social sciences, the humanities, and the natural sciences. Sloth showcases the important and innovative contributions of undergraduates, giving those who are interested in human/non-human animal relationships a way to contribute to and engage with the field, as well as an opportunity to build their skills, knowledge, and resumes in anticipation of their graduate school careers.

Sloth is a refereed and selective journal. All articles submitted to Sloth pass through a four-stage peer review and revision process: (1) the article is initially reviewed by either the humanities or social science editor of Sloth; (2) if it is judged to be potentially publishable, then the article is sent to two reviewers; (3) if the outside reviews are positive, the student author will be asked to revise the article for publication; (4) the article will go through a final copy editing stage, if needed.

Sloth takes its name from arboreal animals native to Central and South America known for their relatively slow, careful movements. Because of their unhurried nature, sloths are often stereotyped as dull-witted, sluggish, and lazy; the animal was named, in fact, after one of the seven deadly sins. Yet the deliberate movements of sloths are a beneficial adaptation, making them very successful animals in the rainforest environment. By conserving energy, sloths have survived while other animals have gone extinct. A salute to these and other misunderstood creatures, Sloth encourages our contributors to think and write purposefully about the animals–individuals and species–with whom we share this planet and to engage critically and creatively with more-than-human ways of being in the world.

“Sloths have no right to be living on this earth, but they would be fitting inhabitants of Mars, whose year is over six hundred days long.” William Beebe (1926)

Associate Editors

• Elizabeth “Liz” Clancy, Research Administrator, NYU Langone Medical Center, Public Policy (Veterinary Ethics, Animal Welfare, Companion Animal Issues)
• Kris Hiuser, Independent Scholar (Religion and Theology)
• Alastair Hunt, Associate Professor of English, Portland State University (English and Literature)
• Kara Kendall-Morwick, Assistant Professor of English, Washburn University (English and Literature)
• Maria Lux, Assistant Professor of Art, Whitman College (Art)
• Seven Mattes, Recent PhD in Anthropology, Michigan State University (Anthropology)
• Mariana Olsen, PhD Student, Psychology, Montana State University (Psychology)
• Jonathan Sparks-Franklin,  PhD Candidate in Religious Studies, Indiana University (Philosophy and Religion)
• Elizabeth Tavella, PhD Candidate, Italian Studies, University of Chicago (Romance Languages and Literature)

Copy Editor

• Katheryn Lawson, PhD Student, History, University of Delaware

Submission and formatting instructions can be found here.

Issues

• Volume 1, No. 1, March 2015
• Volume 2, No. 1, Winter 2016
• Volume 3, No. 1, Winter 2017
• Volume 3, No. 2, Summer 2017
• Volume 4, No. 1, Winter 2018
• Volume 5, No. 1, Winter 2019
• Volume 6, No. 1, Winter 2020