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Joan Brehm

Joan M. Brehm, PhD at Illinois State University

Research Activities and Interestes

My research interests center around the interactions between human populations and the environment in which they live. I am most intrigued by how societies function and what factors influence their various relationships and attitudes towards 'nature' and what those attitudes mean for both sustainable land management and broader community well-being. My professional training has focused heavily on rural and environmental change, with formal training in natural resource and environmental sociology, community, and demography. One avenue of investigation has focused on an examination of the role of natural environment amenities in community attachment and their relationship to community well-being in rural areas in the Intermountain West. More recently, I have focused my scholarship on research that examines the role of values, attitudes, and place attachment in the development of sustainable, watershed-scale stewardship of water quality and natural resources at the community level.

Some Of My Most Recent Publications:

  • Joan M. Brehm and Brian W. Eisenhauer.  2008. “Motivations for participating in Community-Supported Agriculture and their relationship with community attachment and social capital.”  Southern Rural Sociology, Vol. 23, No. 1, pg. 94-115.
  • Joan M. Brehm.  2007.  “Community attachment unpacked: The complexities of the natural environment dimension.”  Human Ecology,Vol. 35, No. 4, pp. 477-488.
  • Joan M. Brehm, Brian W. Eisenhauer, and Richard S. Krannich.  2006.  “Community attachments as predictors of local environmental concern: The case for multiple dimensions of attachment.”  American Behavioral Scientist, Vol. 50, No. 2. pg. 142-165.
  • Joan M. Brehm and Brian W. Eisenhauer. 2006. “Environmental concern in the Mormon Culture Region.” Society and Natural Resources, Vo. 19, No. 5. pg. 393-410.
  • Joan M. Brehm, Brian W. Eisenhauer, and Richard S. Krannich. 2004. “Expanding the concept of community attachment and it’s relationship to well-being in the amenity-rich rural West.” Rural Sociology, Vol. 69, No. 3.

Current Research Projects

Evaluating Watershed Health Risks through Integrated Water Quality Analyses, Community Capacity Assessments, and Outreach Appraisals.

Co-PIs: Mae Davenport, Jon Schoonever, and Karl Williard, Southern Illinois University; Erin Seekamp, University of Idaho; Joan Brehm, Illinois State University. Funded by USDA/CSREES. (2007-2010).

Nippersink Creek Watershed Social Assessment.

PI: Joan Brehm, Illinois State University. Funded by Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (ILEPA) 319 Program. (2009-2011).

The Nexus of Place Attachment, Behavior, and Ecological Integrity on Round Lake, IL.

PI: Joan Brehm, Illinios State University. Funded by: Round Lake Commission and Illinois State University, College of Arts and Sciences. (2007-2008).

Keep checking back for updates on new research projects. See my curriculum vitae for a complete listing of current publications