Kathleen Oberlin
Kathleen received her BA (2005) and her MA (2007) in sociology as well as a master’s certificate in Women’s and Gender Studies from DePaul University. Coming from Chicago and being a self-proclaimed ‘city-girl,’ issues of space and place have shaped not only her theoretical orientation toward her work but also her application of it through the use of tools like GIS to map and analyze a variety of social phenomenon—running the gamut of plotting Chicago dog parks in order to explore stratification patterns throughout the city to more classic issues of mapping general migration patterns and land ownership in the Brazilian Amazon. It has always inspired her continuing general interest in maps and traveling as much as possible in a variety of countries with the hopes of further understanding not only the social implications of space but also the material consequences of place.
In Bloomington, she is an active member of the vibrant sociology department and larger academic community by participating in the Politics, Economy, and Culture workshop (PEC), being a member of the Race and Ethnic Relations committee (RER) as well as the Public Sociology Forum (PSF), and serving as an elected member of the Graduate Affairs Committee. Beyond the university's limestone walls, she is also a consultant for the Volunteers in Medicine Clinic-Monroe County.
On the weekends you will find her looking for the best deals at the Bloomington Farmer's Market, peddling her $5 buck club card at a local cinema, or better yet traveling somewhere outside the city limits.
