Bowling Green, Ky. - Dr. David Keeling, head of Western Kentucky University’s Department of Geography and Geology, has had two more op-ed articles published recently that address issues of economic development and cultural awareness about the world around us.

“Ignorance breeds fear; fear breeds hate,” featured in the Fort Worth (Texas) Star-Telegram on Sunday (Oct. 29), argues that a general level of geographic ignorance about the world around us is dangerous for democracy and could lay the foundation for a rise in domestic extremism and terrorism. Dr. Keeling argues that citizens need to be more aware of their role in the global system and to understand why policies are made and what impact those policies might have on the ordinary citizen.

“If we build it, they won't come” argues that the current debate over illegal immigration misses the fundamental issue concerning social development in Latin American societies. If U.S. policymakers focused more on helping Latin America to develop its own infrastructure, they wouldn't have to agonize about building fences along the U.S.-Mexico border. This op-ed was featured on July 26 in the Calhoun (Ga.) Times. Both articles can be viewed online at www.amergeog.org/media.htm

Dr. Keeling is a member of the American Geographical Society’s Writers Circle. The AGS is America’s oldest geographical organization. Its mission is to link business, professional and scholarly worlds in the creation and application of geographical knowledge and techniques to address economic, social and environmental programs. By distributing op-ed essays, Dr. Keeling and the AGS hope to encourage greater public discussion of geographical issues critical to society.

To learn more about geographic education and the issues addressed in these articles, visit the AGS website at www.amergeog.org. Additional geography resources for teachers, students and parents are available at www.kga.org

More WKU news is available at www.wku.edu. If you’d like to receive WKU news via e-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.

For information, contact David Keeling at (270) 745-4555.

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