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Kenneth Martis, PhD
Professor Emeritus of Geography
Eberly College of Arts and Sciences
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Teaching

Photo of Ken Martis superimposed on top of a US map. Above the map the text says 'With Hope, students can change themselves and the world.'

Positive Geography – Positive Teaching

“In my role as an earth science teacher, I teach about global warming, acid rain, natural disasters, bio-magnification, cancer and the environment, and in my role as a social science teacher, I teach about global hunger, genocide and war.  This can be depressing. It need not totally be.

Positive teaching not only reports the good things happening in the environment and world affairs, and what works in environmental and social science, but also provides prescriptions to change the not-so-good things, all my courses end with hope.  With hope, students can change themselves and the world.”

From: “The Theory and Power of Positive Teaching in Political Geography,” Annual Meeting of the National Council for Geographic Education, October 12, 1998, Indianapolis, Indiana.

DON’T TEACH YOUR STUDENTS  GEOGRAPHY, TEACH THEM TO BE GEOGRAPHERS

From: “Don’t Teach Your Students Geography”   Geographical Survey, Vol. VIII, No. 1, January, 1979, 3-5.

Courses Taught 1975-2012

  • United States and Canada
  • Senior Thesis: Capstone Field Research
  • Political Geography
  • Physical Geography
  • Natural Resources
  • American Environmental History
  • Geography of the Caribbean

Teaching Recognition

  • U.S./West Virginia Professor of the Year 2007 – Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), Washington, DC.
  • West Virginia University Foundation Outstanding University Teacher Award 2007. http://wvutoday-archive.wvu.edu/n/2007/04/17/5631.html
  • WVU Minority Students Organization, Valuable Friend Award, 1983
  • Lilly Endowment Postdoctoral Fellow in Learning and Teaching, 1975-1976.
  • National Council for Geographic Education award for best teaching unit in Geography, 1976.
  • Teacher and presenter of the guided design method of small group learning in the discipline of geography through an Exxon Education Foundation grant 1977-1985.
  • WVU Honors Advisor 1982-2000.
  • Mentor National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates Program.
  • Instructor, Satellite Network of WV Higher Education Telecommunication Project, 1991.