Patrick Ashwood

A Bit More About Your Professor

 

Education:

Richfield High School, Richfield MN. A southern residential suburb of Minneapolis. (Now filling up with assisted living condos while jets roar overhead.)

Augsburg College, Minneapolis. B.A. History major. Minors in French and English.

University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. Master's of Arts in History with concentrations in Urban Studies, Geography and Sociology

University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. Ph.D. in Urban Studies. (Urban history, sociology, geography and political science in one big wacky package) My dissertation was on Downtown Redevelopment in Minneapolis and Milwaukee. It was a best seller.

Certified in Thanatology: Death, Dying and Bereavement. Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC)

 

Teaching Experience:

University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. As an adjunct I taught courses in sociology and history for about 5 years.

Milwaukee School of Engineering. As an adjunct I taught upper division social science courses to the engineers for three years. (The hardest working students I have ever had.)

Indian Hills Community College. I spend 3 long years in Ottumwa IA teaching whatever they told me to teach (including Japanese Culture, Anthropology, Human Relations, Marriage & Family, Intro to Sociology, World Geography….)

Buena Vista University. While serving at IHCC detention-college, I taught some upper division courses in sociology in the evening and helped establish a sociology major at the Ottumwa extension. (I wonder if they still have one.)

University of Northern Iowa. I taught a couple of urban studies classes at UNI a while back.

Hawkeye Community College. I have been teaching here since Fall 1994. I have served as chair of the Curriculum Coordinating Committee and the Transfer Degree Committee. I have been the coordinator or department chair of social sciences since Spring 1996. I have taught many courses: Death & Dying, American Civilization, US History, Human Geography, Introduction to Sociology, Urban Studies, Marriage and Family…

 

Research:

Research?  Who has time for research?  This is a community college, we teach here.  I have dabbled a bit into the funeral industry especially its history.  I also have interest in censorship and the suppression of free expression.

 

Interests and Stuff.

Family. I am married to a wonderful Hawkeye psychology professor: Tracy Grandy.  I have two active boys 12 & 16 from a previous marriage. (Caitlin my first child.) We also have a goofy Irish Water Spaniel: Izzy. 

I've been a runner for 30 years. Nothing fancy, no competition, no watches, just run (unless it is below zero).  I have always loved to bike but where's the time to do that too?

Music. I was in a number of garage and basement bands in junior/senior high through graduate school. (Guitar, vocals, flute, sax) It is a good way to spend money and express yourself. I don't play enough nowadays.  I still have 600+ record albums that I am slowly converting to digital. I don't know how many CDs I have. My favorite music (if you care) is found on another web page.

Mr. Fixit. I enjoy (usually) fixing up my home.  I'll try to do almost anything once. This is the fourth house I have owned and altered.

Sports. Baseball is the only real sport. (Okay maybe it is the only one I understand.)  I grew up with the Twins but they are hard to watch out of state. I watch my wife's Cubs lose too often (especially when it really counts) and it is so depressing. (Are Cub fans sadistic?)

Science Fiction. Space has always been on my mind.  Star Treks, occasionally another good series comes along. (SciFi network should be named the Horror channel)  I have loved Dr. Who, Farscape, Lord of the Rings, books, books, books,

Outdoors. The garden, hikes, the birds and critters…. (and environmental issues, recycling etc.)

 

Some Web Pages I find interesting.

http://www.greenpeaceusa.org/   Greenpeace. Environmental rabble-rousers.

My favorite magazine Utne. A Reader Digest for progressives

http://www.northernsun.com/ Expression on buttons, stickers, t-shirts.

http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/ People For the American Way

The Daily Show is a fun way to watch the news.  Laugh and learn.