Faculty Member, Geography and Meteorology
Associate Professor of Geography
Arts and Sciences
Thesis Title: Community and Place in Cyberspace: The Community Networking Movement in the United States
Lynn Staeheli
About
Broadly my research seeks connections among landscape, community, the Internet, and cities. My primary research interest is in the geography of the Internet with a focus on the intersection of place, community, and Internet communication. My early research explored how community networking organizations incorporated different ideals of place and community in constructing their community networks. I have since examined how people, city governments, and organizations are using the Internet to represent places in Northwest Indiana. Along the way I have also written about the geography of landscape in video games as well as the use of technology in geography education. I also have research interests in urban geography and cultural geography and have done research on neighborhood gentrification. I am currently working on new research on the geography of social networking and have found my way to rural geography as a result of my effort to better understand Northwest Indiana, the fascinating region where I live and work.
Because I teach in a small department I teach a wide variety of classes including World Human Geography, Urban Geography, Urban Planning, Rural Geography, Economic Geography, the Geography of Cyberspace, Geography of Asia and Cultural Geography.
While my regional specialization is in the United States, I also have developed interests in China, Japan, and Australia.
I am the chair of the Urban Studies Minor Committee at VU and also serve on the committees for Environmental Studies and Chinese and Japanese Studies.
Contact Information
http://faculty.valpo.edu/mlongan/
Department of Geography and Meteorology
Valparaiso University
1809 Chapel Dr.
Kallay-Christopher Hall
Valparaiso, IN 46383-6493
