DR. Beth Schlemper - Research
Research Interests
Cultural and Historical Geography
Dr. Schlemper’s research falls into two broad areas: cultural/historical geography and geography education. Her Ph.D. (UW-Madison, Geography, 2003) work focused on developing a conceptual model related to the construction and maintenance of regional identity and borders. Using a region known as Wisconsin’s Holyland as a case study, she identified the patterns of chain migration that contributed to the emergence of this cultural region in the mid-nineteenth century by engaging in extensive archival research and fieldwork in both the United States and Germany. Schlemper’s research in Germany was partially funded by the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (German Academic Exchange Service). More recent research, supported by a grant from UToledo, revealed that Wisconsin’s Holyland has maintained its identity as a region into the twenty-first century (Schlemper and Panozzo, 2020). Publications connected to this research include the following:
Schlemper, M. B. (2004). The regional construction of identity and scale in Wisconsin’s Holyland. Journal of Cultural Geography, 22(1), 51-81. doi:10.1080/08873630409478247
Wisconsin’s Holyland (Photo by Dr. Schlemper)
Schlemper, M. B. (2006). The borders of the Holyland of East-Central Wisconsin. In H. Bungert, C. L. Kluge, & R. C. Ostergren (eds.), Wisconsin Germans Land and Life, 189-205. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press.
Schlemper, M. B. (2007). From the Rhenish Prussian Eifel to the Wisconsin Holyland: Immigration, identity and acculturation at the regional scale. Journal of Historical Geography, 33 (2), 377-402. doi:10.1016/j.jhg.2006.05.001
Schlemper, M. B., & Panozzo, K. A. (2020). Identity, social interaction, and networks in the region of Wisconsin’s Holyland. Journal of Cultural Geography, 37(2), 184-215. doi: 10.1080/08873631.2020.1731226.
Geography Education
Another major area of research for Dr. Schlemper is geography education, including higher education and grades 7-12. These efforts have been collaborative and funded by the National Science Foundation. Two of these projects are described here, but she is also working in the area of the scholarship of teaching and learning for undergraduate level Human Geography.
Enhancing Departments and Graduate Education in Geography
Supported by two grants from the National Science Foundation, Dr. Schlemper worked with a team of researchers, particularly the American Association of Geographers, on a project entitled Enhancing Departments and Graduate Education (EDGE) in Geography between 2005 and 2013. One of our goals was to understand how different department environments shape the experiences and career paths of graduate students at both the master’s and doctoral levels. We explored how graduate students perceive their academic departmental cultures and the extent to which these cultures shape their professional goals and opportunities. We were also interested in determining how departments and employers might improve the climate and expand employment opportunities for women, minorities and other underrepresented groups in geography.
Many useful resources were developed through this mixed-methods research, involving graduate students, recent alumni, faculty, staff, administrators, and employers representing business, government, and nonprofit organizations all over the country. More information can be found on the EDGE Project’s website (aag.org/edge).
Solem, M., Cheung, I., & Schlemper, M. B. (2008). Skills in professional geography: An assessment of workforce needs and expectations. The Professional Geographer, 60 (3), 356-373. doi:10.1080/00330120802013620 (NSF REC-0439914)
Solem, M., Lee, J., & Schlemper, M. B. (2009). Departmental climate and student experiences in graduate geography programs. Research in Higher Education, 50 (3), 268-292. doi:10.1080/03098265.2010.548463
Schlemper, M. B., & WinklerPrins, A. M. G. (2009). Balancing professional and personal lives. In M. Solem, J. Monk, & K. Foote (eds.), Aspiring Academics: A Resource Guide for Graduate Students and Early Career Faculty, Chapter 4, 42-51. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Schlemper, M. B., & Monk, J. (2011). Discourses on “diversity”: Perspectives from graduate programs in geography in the United States. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 35, 23-46. doi: 10.1080/03098265.2010.499564 (NSF REC-0439914).
Schlemper, M. B. 2011. Challenges and coping in graduate school. The Geographical Bulletin, 52 (2), 67-72.
Solem, M., Hopwood, N., & Schlemper, M. B. (2011). Experiencing graduate school: A comparative analysis of students in geography programs. The Professional Geographer, 63 (1), 1-17. doi:10.1080/00330124.2010.533547
Solem, M. N., Lee, J., & Schlemper, M. B. (2011). ‘Departmental Climate and Student Experiences in Geography Graduate Programs’: Research for Enhancing Departments and Graduate Education. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 35 (1), 5-9.
Monk, J., Foote, K., & Schlemper, M. B. (2012). Graduate education in US geography: Students’ career aspirations and faculty perspectives. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 102, 1432-1449. doi:10.1080/00045608.2011.601199. (NSF REC-0439914).
Schlemper, M. B. (2012). Geography as a profession. In J. P. Stoltman (ed.), 21st Century Geography: A Reference Handbook, Chapter 70, Volume 2, 783-791. Los Angeles: Sage Publications, Inc. doi:10.4135/9781412995986.n70, Part of ISBN: 9781412974646.
Schlemper, M. B., Adams, J. K., & Solem, M. (2014). Geographers in business, government, and nonprofit organizations: Skills, challenges, and professional identities. The Professional Geographer, 66, 480-492. doi:10.1080/00330124.2013.802580. (NSF DRL-091004).
Advancing Geospatial Technologies and Thinking in Grades 9-12
Supported by an Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) grant from the National Science Foundation, we focused on advancing geospatial thinking and technologies in grades 9-12 through citizen mapping, community engagement, and career preparation (NSF DRL-1433574). The project aimed to raise awareness of key 21st century themes in the geographical sciences and the emerging, dynamic technologies that are used in a range of STEM, social science, and natural science disciplines as well as by citizens in their everyday lives.
We created a curricular model that provides an effective and accessible way of introducing geospatial technologies to students through local issues, while providing them with the skills and motivation for pursuing STEM careers that utilize geospatial technology (See below). Learning modules include historical geography, parks and gardens, green space, crime, housing, and youth employment. Critical thinking, technological tools & skills, civic engagement, and career paths are integrated into each module that can be adapted to any school setting and community, which can be found on the project’s website (www.utoledo.edu/research/advancing-geospatial-thinking/).
Schlemper, M. B., Stewart, V. C., Shetty, S., & Czajkowski, K. (2018). Including students’ geographies in geography education: Spatial narratives, citizen mapping, and social justice. Theory & Research in Social Education, 46, 603-641. doi:10.1080/00933104.2018.1427164 (NSF DRL-1433574).
Schlemper, M. B., & Stewart, V. C. (2019). Cultivating student citizens: Using critical pedagogy of place curriculum to enhance spatial thinking, civic engagement, and inquiry through student-generated topics. In S. W. Bednarz & E. Shin (Eds.), Spatial Citizenship Education: Citizenship Through Geography, Chapter 7, (pp. 88-116). New York and London: Routledge. doi:10.4324/9781315165356-7, Part of ISBN: 9781315165356 (NSF DRL-1433574).
Schlemper, M. B., Athreya, B., Czajkowski, K., Stewart, V. C., & Shetty S. (2019). Teaching spatial thinking and geospatial technologies through citizen mapping and problem-based inquiry in grades 7-12. Journal of Geography, 118(1), 21-34. doi:10.1080/00221341.2018.1501083 (NSF DRL-1433574).
Schlemper, M. B., Shetty, S., Yamoah, O., Czajkowski, K., & Stewart, V. C. (2023). Culturally responsive teaching through spatial justice in urban neighborhoods. Urban Education. (Online first version Feb 14, 2023). https://doi.org/10.1177/00420859231153411