About the author

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