Biography - Stephen R Butcher

I am a broadly trained Geographer with a research focus on topics involving a confluence of cognitive, religious, political, and environmental issues. My Geography training includes a BA, MA, and PhD. I also have a BS in Geology and an LSM with the graduate cognates of Psychology, Anthropology, and Biology.

Since 2005, I have taught several courses from Human to Physical Geography and several Regional courses at different colleges. I have aided in student development of diverse populations having taught at Public, Private, and Community Colleges. I have firsthand knowledge of students’ diverse needs, often pertaining to socioeconomic disadvantages. I have experience working in Administrative Offices.

I am a member of the Geography Curriculum and Course Development Committee at APUS. Also, I am currently a member of a APUS Course Development Grant in which I am creating course materials for the South Asia section of the GEOG101 course. I continue to pursue Professional Development at APUS in pedagogic excellence.

I have recently published in Progress in Human Geography, which has one of the highest impact factors of any journal in Geography. I am co-authoring a paper on environmental justice in Vieques, Puerto Rico of which I conducted fieldwork with my colleague. I have also done field research in India to study ritualization of nature in Varanasi vis-à-vis environmental issues and Indian public policy on health.

My dissertation work focused on the root causes of conflict and genocide in Darfur, Sudan, including political disenfranchisement, the fluctuating moral geographies of desertification, population pressures, and regional agricultural shifts.

My pedagogic philosophy is founded on a “teach-learn perspective” which follows sociocultural theories of learning. Teaching and learning are reciprocal actions, not unidirectional, activities. Today’s students learn more effectively with openness and interaction in the classroom in addition to well laid out plans and responsibilities for both teacher and student. I continue to develop my pedagogy through introspection, reflection on student feedback, and professional development activities. I believe evaluation activities need to develop students’ intellectual inquiry, global citizenship, and written competence.

Geography is interdisciplinary and thus bridges academic lacunae and provides holistic explanations. It teaches skills for a variety of academic fields and career paths. It also transforms students’ lives by exposing them to other people, places, and perspectives. What I truly love about teaching Geography is that it develops the ability to think relationally and systematically so to see the links between the physical and social realms. I will bring a true geographic perspective to the student body so sorely needed in graduates today in our diverse and competitive global society. I hope to hear from you soon. Thank you for your time.