Tacoma Faculty at Evergreen

"My teaching is aimed at helping students overcome their uneasiness about new ideas, to become more confident as they incorporate what they learn into their daily lives."

Lowell "Duke" Kuehn, Ph.D.

Dr. Kuehn earned a B.A. in Sociology at the University of Redlands, 1967, an M.A. in Sociology at the University of Washington, 1969, and a Ph.D. in Sociology at the University of Washington, 1973.

"I have been at Evergreen for 25 years, which means I have spent most of my life here. My children have grown up here and my craft and understanding of the world have matured here. I have been intrigued with a single question since I took my first college sociology course: can social organizations (from families to states) be created that allow for as much individual freedom as possible and still maintain a sense of community and social order?

"My teaching philosophy is to keep posing questions and challenges to my students. I believe learning is a delightful risk and I'm happiest when we are all out on the high wire together trying something new. I do not equate taking intellectual risks with fear. My teaching is aimed at helping students overcome their uneasiness about new ideas, to become more confident as they incorporate what they learn into their daily lives.

"I want to see what I teach used and tested. I set the same challenge for myself. Outside of class I work with organizations trying to find an answer to that question I have been pondering all these years: can these organizations work better for the individuals who inhabit them? I'm encouraged by the success I've had in creating a new type of organization and what I teach in the class room is seamlessly connected to what I do off campus.

"I care deeply about my students. Their success is wonderful and to be part of that is satisfying and fulfilling. It is why I teach."

Lowell (Duke) Kuehn >> More Info