Amanda Todd
Lecturer, Geography
Contact Amanda Todd
843-349-2506 atodd2@coastal.eduBrittan Hall 365
Spring 2024 Office Hours
Tuesdays 10 a.m. to noon or by appointment
“Nature holds the key to our aesthetic, intellectual, cognitive and even spiritual satisfaction.” E.O. Wilson
Biography
Amanda Todd is a broadly trained human-environmental geographer specializing in the intersections of cultures, the natural environment, and spiritual beliefs and practices. Her teaching and research areas focus on sacred spaces, spiritual landscapes, and rituals.
Her doctoral research explored non-secular activities within the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Amanda documented and participated in ceremonies and rituals (i.e., weddings, baptisms, meditations, a despacho ceremony, multi-faith spiritual activities, and indigenous group activities) at prominent mountains and waterfalls in the region. Today, Dr. Todd continues to explore rituals, ceremonies, and experiences people have within natural landscapes and intentionally constructed sacred spaces such as the labyrinth.
From 2012-2017, Amanda traveled frequently to Hawai'i to expand her skills and knowledge with Hawaiian Hula Dance. Through this sacred art, she continues to explore the intersection of movement (Hawaiian Hula) with geography, history, spirituality, and the natural environment. She has been studying with a Kumu Hula in O'ahu since 2016.
More recently her research has taken her to Scotland and Northern England to explore the intersections of people, places, and the sacred. Her interest in this region lies in ancient sites such as cathedrals, abbeys, stone circles, and cairns with their geographic distribution and placement in the wider landscape. In addition, understanding the myths that are connected to landscape formations in Scotland is another important aspect in the intersection of culture, natural environment, and spiritual beliefs and rituals in the region.
Education
Ph.D., Geography, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
M.A., Geography, Appalachian State University
B.S. Natural Resources: Soil and Water Systems, North Carolina State University
Courses
- ANTH/GEOG 120: Cultures and Environments
- GEOG 300: Human Landscapes
- ANTH 310: Myth, Ritual and Magic
- ANTH/GEOG 351: Spiritual Landscapes
- GEOG 352: Sacred Spaces, Sacred Paths
Research Areas
Celtic Christianity, Creation Spirituality, Hula (Dance), Labyrinths, Rituals and Ceremonies, Sacred Sites, Shamanism (Cross-Cultural, Neo, and Modern), Spiritual Ecology, Spiritual Landscapes, Stone Circles, Traditional Healing Practices, Topophilia
News
CCU students create labyrinth to promote mindfulness practices