Dr. Catherine Nolin
Department of Geography
My teaching and research grow out of my fascination with the connection between place & identity, most especially when those connections are ruptured through violence. Back in 1956, Carl Sauer noted that excursions and field courses are the best apprenticeship: he said that “the mode of locomotion should be slow … often interrupted by leisurely halts to sit on vantage points and stop at question marks.” The questions marks for me are all around on a field school or delegation. They call us to stop, listen, open our eyes/minds/hearts & be witnesses in the communities in which we work. In our witnessing, we often have to be open to ‘unlearn’ ideas and concepts such as ‘development’ in order to truly be open to see and be transformed. I am guided by the notion that we must ‘learn geography through the soles of our feet’ and enrich student experiences through experiential learning.