Biography
Dr. Aaron Routhe teaches courses in general sociology and the sociology of sustainability. He also teaches on culture in the Pioneer CORE general education program, leading cross-cultural trips about Native American culture and climate change in northern Wisconsin and on Maori culture and society in New Zealand. Dr. Routhe previously taught sociology, development, and environmental studies at Pomona College in Southern California and Houghton College in western New York. Before teaching in traditional classroom settings, Aaron directed a New Zealand and Samoa-based interdisciplinary environmental study abroad program, and experiential outdoor education programs in Texas, Oklahoma, and Maine. A New Hampshire native, he holds a Ph.D. and Master’s in environmental sociology, and an undergraduate degree in biology and ecology. His interests include environmental concern and religion, public understandings of science, human dimensions of global environmental change, food systems, and race and gender.
Areas of Specialization
Environmental concern, religion, climate change communication, public understanding of science, human dimensions of natural resources, environmental policy.
Scholarly and Professional Achievements
Publications
Routhe, Aaron. (2016). "Reading the Signs of Sustainability in Christian Higher Education: Symbolic Value Claims or Substantive Organizational Change?" In J.P. Davim and Walter Leal Filho (Eds.), Challenges in Higher Education for Sustainability. Switzerland: Springer International Publishing.
Routhe, Aaron, Robert Emmet Jones and David Feldman. (2005). “Using Theory to Understand Public Support for Collective Actions that Impact the Environment: Alleviating Water Supply Problems in a Non-arid Biome.” Social Science Quarterly 86(4).
Shover, Neal and Aaron Routhe. (2004). “Environmental Crime.” In Crime and Justice: A Review of Research, edited by Michael Tonry. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 32: 321-371.
What should students know about you?
I am an accidental sociologist who discovered sociology in my last semester of undergraduate study as a biology major. By then I was discovering I was most interested in the human dimensions of environmental issues. After working professionally in outdoor education I discovered environmental sociology, which explores how human societies and natural environments interact. I teach because I like learning with other people, incorporating more experiential forms of education into classrooms, and integrating technology with my teaching. At Carroll University, I can share with others my appreciation of science as we explore together sociology, environmental studies, and culture. My goal is to ignite other’s sociological imagination and equip them to be agents of social change for greater social and environmental justice in local, national, and global contexts. When I am not on campus, I enjoy getting outside, roasting (and drinking) coffee, and eating dark chocolate.