Ellen Hansen, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Geography

I’m Ellen Hansen. I have a Ph.D. in Geography from the University of Arizona in Tucson. I teach World Regional Geography as well as a variety of upper division courses, including Geography of Latin America, Geography of the Great Plains and of Kansas, Gender and Geography, Cultural Geography, Urban Geography, and Geography of International Development. I regularly offer upper division courses on the internet as well as in the classroom.

My current research concerns women working in the maquiladoras, foreign-owned factories in Mexican border cities. I lived at the U.S.-Mexico border for a year doing fieldwork for my doctorate, and return there regularly to visit and observe life in
that unique setting. I am also interested in gender issues in international development, especially in Latin America. I lived in Ecuador for over two years and worked as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Andes. If you are interested in the possibility of doing long-term volunteer work as a Peace Corps Volunteer, please talk to me. I have a variety of materials in my office and many stories I love to share about my work in animal husbandry with indigenous sheep farmers in the highlands of Ecuador.

You can also check out the Peace Corps website where you can see where Peace Corps sends volunteers, download the application form, find out about upcoming recruiting events in the areas, and lots more.

The Kansas Board of Regents recently approved the Latin American Studies Minor at Emporia State University. I coordinate the required core course for the Latin American Studies Minor, CW210, Introduction to Latin American Studies. You can contact me or Dr. Dwight Moore in Biology for more information about the program. You can reach me by telephone at 620-341-5576, and by email at ehansen@emporia.edu.

Last Updated September 20, 2007