Animal Studies

Education

• B.A., Communication from The University of Texas at San Antonio, 2012
• M.S., Sociology from The University of Texas at San Antonio, 2015
• Ph.D., Sociology from the University of Central Florida, 2021

Courses taught

• Introduction to Animal Studies
• Animals and Health

Research interests

• Commodification and consumption of other animals, especially in sports
  and entertainment
• The constructed norms that influence the human-nonhuman animal
  interaction and relationship
• Incorporating the teaching of other animals into college course curriculum

Biography

I am thrilled to join Eckerd College as newest faculty member in Animal Studies Program! I absolutely love teaching and helping students to be as successful as possible. I am eager to work with students on research projects. I am a qualitative researcher. Most of my research thus far has focused on how we commodify, consume, and care for and about animals in stock shows and rodeos. I explore the interactions between the humans and the animals, including how we construct social norms that impact those interactions. In off time, I enjoy early morning runs with my spouse, spending time with our awesome companion animals, and spending time at the beach soaking up the sun and doing a little paddleboarding.

Selected publications

• Grauerholz, Liz, Julianne Weinzimmer, Erin N. Kidder, Nicole Owens Duffy. 2020. “Teaching about Animals: Incorporating Nonhuman Animals into Sociology Classrooms.” Teaching Sociology 48(2): 120-139.
• Grauerholz, Liz, Cameron T. Whitley, Erin N. Kidder, Kelley Ortiz, Kathy Shepherd Stolley. “Teaching Human Animal Studies Course: Exploring Student Characteristics Across Three Universities.” Society & Animals. Accepted and under process for publication.