Nancy Fischer

I have a variety of academic interests that are reflected in my teaching and research. My current intellectual project (both in teaching and research) concerns sociological perspectives on love and the role that love plays in having a sense of living a meaningful life. I’m exploring this topic through social theories about love and intimacy.

I direct Augsburg’s Urban Studies Program and I teach various courses on urban issues, particularly societal changes needed to co-create a more sustainable future. I incorporate experiential education, where we learn from local community leaders, engage in community-based research projects, and/or visit neighborhoods or even other cities to experience how different forms of urban design impact how we interact with our environments. I co-lead short-term study abroad courses on urban sustainability every few summers through Augsburg’s Center for Global Education and Experience (CGEE); I have also co-authored journal articles on teaching urban sustainability abroad. My urban teaching experiences have transformed me into an avid urban walker and a transit advocate.

I have both a personal and a professional interest in fashion, particularly vintage and secondhand clothing. I have given presentations on vintage clothing, consumers and sellers and written about the history of wearing vintage in Vintage, the First Forty Years: The Emergence and Persistence of Vintage Style in the United States” on how the trend of wearing vintage clothing grew in the United States since the 1960s. My interest in fashion was inspired by my mother, who is an excellent seamstress. Although I lack my mother’s sewing skills, I sew in my spare time, and like all sewists, I have more fabric and patterns than time to make them materialize!

EDUCATION

• B.A. Hamline University, Saint Paul MN (Sociology and International Relations)
• M.A. American University, School of International Service, Washington DC (International Relations)
• Ph.D. State University of New York at Albany (Sociology, and Graduate Certificate in Women & Public Policy)

AREAS OF CONCENTRATION

• Love and Intimacy
• Social Theory
• Fashion, Secondhand & Vintage Clothing
• Urban Sociology and Urban Sustainability

Professional Affiliations

• The American Sociological Association