Conference:
The Minds of Animals: Conceptions from the Humanities, Sciences, and Popular Culture

August 12-13, 2008
University of Toronto
Toronto, Canada

For information about accommodations, food and tourism in Toronto, please see the ISAZ conference webpage.

The Minds in Animals conference will precede the ISAZ conference in Toronto

Location of conference

• The conference will be held at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, 252 Bloor St. W.
  • It is the building labelled OI on the campus map which can be found here
  • Picture of the building can be found here. 
  • The room number is 2-221 and we will set up a table outside the room for people to pick up name tags and other materials.

Presentation Schedule

Abstracts of Presentations

Registration Fee

           
The minds of animals fascinate us.  Scientific reports about animal minds receive extensive press coverage.  Literature abounds with stories about and from the point of view of animals.  And popular culture elaborates diverse interpretations of the psychological meanings of animal behavior.  Theories of animal consciousness inform all academic and public discourse about human ethical responsibility toward animals.

THE MINDS OF ANIMALS is an international symposium on conceptions of animal minds covering two days, with 12 speakers each day.  Speakers will cover diverse topics: scientific attempts to understand the minds of animals; historical, literary and artistic representations of the minds of animals; the ways in which the minds of animals are presented in the popular media and by special interest groups; and the working assumptions about animal minds of those who live in close interaction with animals.

Each day will consist of three periods of 2 ¼ hours.  During each of these periods, four speakers will present their topic, and this will be followed by discussion.  Each 2 ¼ hour period will be followed by either a coffee or lunch break.  The conference will occur prior to the Annual Meeting of the International Society for Anthrozoology, which will begin on August 13 at 5 p.m. and end on August 15.

Registration Fee

The registration fee for the conference is US $50. This fee can be paid in several ways.
For those with a US bank account, a check made out to Eastern Kentucky University for $50 can be sent to:

Robert W. Mitchell
Department of Psychology
127 Cammack Building
Eastern Kentucky University
Richmond, KY 40475 USA.

An alternative method is to pay by Visa or Mastercard. Send all appropriate information, including the name and number on the card, the expiration date, and the billing address. You will be charged US $50. Your card will probably charge an additional fee (usually 3%) if the charge requires a currency exchange.

Note that people who are not presenting a paper are welcome to attend and participate though they must pay a registration fee.