Tess Bird
medical anthropologist, writer, editor, consultant
Research and Teaching
Encouraging Providence: Uncertainty, Wellbeing, and the Making of New American Futures in the Home
This ethnographic research considered how households negotiate uncertainty and sustain wellbeing over time, particularly during periods of transition or change. Through extensive interviews, participant observation, and photography taken over the course of a year (2015-2016), I documented daily routines and unexpected changes that took place in a selection of middle class households in Providence Country, Rhode Island.
Uncertainty and Wellbeing in Households Experiencing Social Distancing
The Covid-19 pandemic is an uncertain time, leading to social distancing measures with potential implications for household wellbeing. I conducted an online survey with over 100 households in Southern New England and conducted follow-up interviews with a small subset of households in order to find out how people are coping in the first few months of the pandemic.
Photo by youssef naddam on Unsplash
Medical Legal Research
I have worked professionally for over a decade as a medical-legal researcher in occupational, consumer, and environmental health. I have conducted extensive reviews of industry and government documents to understand instances of scientific misconduct and the purposeful creation of uncertainty about product safety.
For more information, see my publications. Image from secret industry studies on asbestos and cancer, published here.
Writing Across the Disciplines
As a Mellon Fellow at Wesleyan University (2018-2020), I developed pedagogical tactics for teaching first year interdisciplinary writing and writing in the social sciences. Here are my guides for faculty and students:
- “A Brief Guide to Teaching Writing Online” (Response to Covid-19)
- “How to Think About Writing an Analytical Essay in Any Discipline”
- “Mindfulness for Long Writing Projects”
Photo by Florian Klauer on Unsplash
Teaching on Uncertainty, the Anthropocene, and Social and Environmental Justice
Uncertainty and the Future
Wesleyan University First Year Seminar
Cross-listed: Science in Society, Writing
See: course description
Extreme Landscapes of the Anthropocene
Wesleyan University upper-level course
Cross-listed: Science in Society, College of the Environment, Writing
Awarded Sustainability and Environmental Justice Pedagogy Initiative Grant
See: course description
Visit my students’ 2020 website LANDSCAPES OF THE ANTHROPOCENE (pictured right) and read some of their incredible essays and blog posts on themes in social and environmental justice.
For earlier courses, see my CV.
