1. ‘Age-appropriate’: In search of a scholar – preferably a child psychologist – who can break down what it means for learning materials to be “age-appropriate.” We’d also like to take a critical look at whether kids can actually handle material that is more graphic, disturbing or complex than they are sometimes deemed capable of handling.
Contact: Jamaal Abdul-Alim, jamaal@theconversation.com
Timeline: Close of business on Friday, Feb. 4
2. Banned books: Looking for a scholar to write on book bannings. This is in response to ‘MAUS’ and ‘The Bluest Eye’ being banned in schools recently.
Contact: Alvin Buyinza, alvin.buyinza@theconversation.
Timeline: Friday, Feb. 4
3. Mardi Gras: Looking for religion-related pitches about Mardi Gras and/or Carnival – anything from the festival’s original roots, to how it’s celebrated in different cultures, to how religion, race, and colonialism shape parades today.
Contact: Molly Jackson, molly.jackson@theconversation.
Timeline: Email by Feb. 15
4. How animals build trust: For a series of stories we are doing around trust, we are looking for a scholar who can write about how animals come to trust humans.
Contact: Kalpana Jain, kalpana.jain@theconversation.
TImeline: Flexible
5. Santeria and brujeria: Looking for scholars researching santeria or brujeria, whether historic or contemporary. Interested in commissioning an explainer-type piece to clarify terms and traditions for readers, but welcoming more specific pitches as well.
Contact: Molly Jackson, molly.jackson@theconversation.
Timeline: Flexible
