Alex R. Colucci

I am a doctoral student and Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Geography. My dissertation research has two focuses that center around political-economic geography and social theory. First, I study the geographies of capital punishment from a materialist perspective where I examine the spatial arrangements and political-economies of execution processes and how these relations have changed over time in the United States, and the West more broadly. The second focus of my dissertation work is directed at understanding the production of geographic knowledge based on epistemological developments and transformations in geographic thought. This internally related dual focus allows me to both assess produced knowledge on capital punishment in geography, and develop a conceptual framework for using, producing, and enhancing geographic knowledge about social issues. With this focus on the state of geographic thought, I take great pride in sharing and developing geographic approaches to the world in my teaching at Kent State University. I received an M.A. in Geography from Kent State University, working on a thesis that contextualized Uyghur/People's Republic of China geopolitical relations during the global war on terror, and before that a B.A. in Geography with a minor in Environmental Studies from the State University of New York at New Paltz.

I have taught a number of classes, including Geography of the United States and Canada, World Geography, Introduction to Geography, and Physical Geography Lab. In each class, I am not just focused on disseminating geographical information to students, but also developing an understanding and appreciation of how to think about and approach the world geographically. In so doing, I emphasize how such an approach can allow students to make new connections between themselves and the world around them and how geographic ways of thinking can be used to change the world. I particularly enjoy presenting the geography of the United States and Canada to students through an examination of the environmental history of North America focused on land-use and mobility changes from indigenous to colonial contexts. Several of my other research/teaching projects and interests include assessing the agricultural potential of urban areas in the context of political-ecologies, urban gardening, hunger, and community-engaged scholarship; literary geographies, post-structural theory, and science fiction; memory and landscape studies in the context of genocide and violence. Outside of my academic work, I spend time pursuing outdoor sport and recreation activities, and gardening and composting at my home.