Debbie Kasper is a sociologist and environmental studies professor at Hiram College in Northeast Ohio (USA). As a lifelong student of reality and an avowed synthesist, her mission is to spot, catch, integrate, and share knowledge in ways that support clearer seeing, better understanding, and wiser action.
Some CV highlights
Education
Ph.D. The Pennsylvania State University, 2003, Sociology. Doctoral Minor: Social Thought Program.
M.A. The Pennsylvania State University, 1999, Sociology.
B.A. St. Norbert College, De Pere, Wisconsin, 1996, Sociology.
Professional Experience
2019 – present Howard S. Bissell Chair of the Liberal Arts, Hiram College
2014 – present Associate Professor of Environmental Studies, Hiram College
2011 – 2014 Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies, Hiram College
2009 – 2011 Associate Professor of Sociology, Sweet Briar College
2003 – 2009 Assistant Professor of Sociology, Sweet Briar College
1999 – 2003 Instructor, The Pennsylvania State University
Select Books, Articles, and Chapters
2021 Beyond the Knowledge Crisis: A Synthesis Framework for Socio-Environmental Studies and Guide to Social Change. Palgrave Macmillan.
2016 “Re-Conceptualizing (Environmental) Sociology.” Environmental Sociology 2(4): 322-332.
2016 “Contextualizing Social Practices, Insights into Social Change.” Pp. 27-51 in Putting Sustainability into Practice: Applications and Advances in Research on Sustainable Consumption, edited by Emily Huddart Kennedy, Maurie Cohen, Naomi Krogman. Edward Elgar Publishing.
2014 “Codifying Figurational Theory and Mapping Common Ground in Sociology…and Beyond.” Human Figurations 3(1).
2013 “Advancing Sociology Through a Focus on Relational Processes.” Pp. 67-86 in Conceptualizing Relational Sociology: Ontological and Theoretical Issues, edited by Christopher Powell and Francois Dépelteau. Palgrave-Macmillan.
2011 “Finding Coherence in Sociology: (Finally!) A Foundational Theory.” Pp. 121-144 in New Directions in Sociology: Essays on Theory and Methodology in the 21st Century, edited by Ieva Zake and Michael DeCesare. Jefferson, NC: McFarland.
2009 “Ecological Habitus: Toward a Better Understanding of Socioecological Relations.” Organization & Environment 22(3): 311-326.
2008 “Redefining Community in the Ecovillage.” Human Ecology Review 15:12-24.
Select Courses Developed and Taught
Community
Creating Resilience
Lessons From Dystopia
What is a Life Well-Lived?
Systems Thinking and Social Change
Food: Eaters, Eating, and the Environment
Permaculture Basics: Beyond Sustainability
Introduction to Socio-Environmental Studies
Human Settlements: Urbanization, Sprawl, and Transitions