Geography Department Head Derek Alderman published an article in Social Education which constructed a lesson for helping teachers and students explore the politics of naming streets for Martin Luther King Jr. National Geographic Society picked up the article and created an educational activity that is available online.
This Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, multiple news agencies including the Associated Press interviewed or featured Derek Alderman, geography department head, for his research that explores the cultural and political significance of MLK-named streets. “In some ways we racially profile these streets,” he said. “We need to move beyond those images and see what concrete
Honors and awards for the university’s faculty and graduate students.
It’s football time in Tennessee—and that means it’s also time for the College of Arts and Sciences Pregame Showcase. Now in its twenty-fourth season, the Pregame Showcase gives fans the chance to hear from esteemed faculty prior to each gridiron matchup. This year’s first showcase will be held at 4:00 p.m. this Saturday. Derek Alderman,
Derek Alderman, geography department head, was interviewed by MSNBC for a story which takes a look back at Martin Luther King’s legacy by analyzing the streets across the country that bear his name. Alderman has studied the names of these streets for fifteen years. His current work seeks to create a closer dialogue between the
Derek Alderman, head of the Department of Geography, was interviewed by WMRA in Harrisonburg, Virginia about the politics of naming streets for Martin Luther King, Jr. Alderman has written extensively about passions that erupt when local officials consider renaming a street in honor of King. The city in the middle of this debate and the
Streets connect us and define our humanity. Their names tell us where we work, where we play, and where we live. Streets dedicated to Martin Luther King Jr. do all these things as well, but they also bring to life some of the successes—and continuing struggles—America faces in the civil rights arena. Derek Alderman, professor
Derek H. Alderman is the new head of the Department of Geography. He comes to UT from East Carolina University where he was a professor and department chair, as well as a research fellow in cultural and heritage tourism at the Center for Sustainable Tourism, and co-coordinator of the Race, Ethnicity, and Social Equity in