Contact

Phone: 470-578-2373

Email: pmcdan11@kennesaw.edu

Office Location: LB 4217

Office Hours:
office hours TBD

Research

My research interests revolve broadly around three areas of focus:

  1. The causes, processes, and implications of human migration to urban regions
  2. Geography Education
  3. Urban Geography in metro Atlanta, Georgia, and the Southeastern United States

Each of these three areas and examples of scholarship and publications in each area are described in detail below.

1. The causes, processes, and implications of human migration to urban regions

My research as an urban geographer has explored processes of immigrant settlement, adjustment, integration, and receptivity, as well as intersections with place-branding/place-promotion practices related to historically marginalized populations more broadly, in cities and metropolitan areas, particularly in the U.S. South, using mixed-methods, qualitative, and community-based participatory research and community-engaged methods for applied research.

Since joining KSU in 2015, some of the projects below have been funded through various internal and external sources, including: National Geographic Society documenting human migrations grant (NGS-50802E-18); Atlanta Global Research and Education Collaborative (AGREC) 2020-2021 grant; KSU Creative Activities and Research Experiences in Teams (CARET) grant from the KSU Office of Undergraduate Research; KSU Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) Pilot/Seed Grant; KSU Diversity Faculty Fellowship with the KSU Office of Diversity and Inclusion; KSU Radow College of Humanities and Social Sciences (RCHSS) 2017 Faculty Summer Research Grant; KSU Radow College of Humanities and Social Sciences (RCHSS) 2021-2022 Scholarship Support Grant; KSU Tenured Faculty Enhancement Program (Fall 2022) with the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning and the Office of Research at Kennesaw State University.

Examples of projects within this area of focus include:

Immigrant Integration, Receptivity, Welcoming Cities, and Immigrant Inclusive Place-Branding Practices

My research in this area has involved leading and contributing to research and scholarship about immigrant integration and receptivity processes, policies, programs, and practices in different local, metropolitan, state, and national level contexts, including projects in the cities and metro areas of Atlanta, Birmingham, Charlotte, Chicago, Dayton, and Nashville.

  • Furuseth, Owen, Heather Smith, and Paul N. McDaniel. 2015. “Belonging in Charlotte: Multi-Scalar Differences in Local Immigration Politics and Policies.” Geographical Review 105, 1 (January): 1-19.
  • Harden, Susan B., Paul N. McDaniel, Heather A. Smith, Emily Zimmern, and Katie E. Brown. 2015. “Speaking of Change in Charlotte, North Carolina: How Museums Can Shape Immigrant Receptivity in a Community Navigating Rapid Cultural Change.” Museums and Social Issues 10, 2: 117-133. 
  • Rodriguez, Darlene Xiomara, Paul N. McDaniel, and Marie-Dominique Ahebee. 2018. "Welcoming America: A Case Study of Municipal Immigrant Integration, Receptivity, and Community Practice." Journal of Community Practice, 26, 3: 348-357. 
  • McDaniel, Paul N. 2018. "Shared Humanity, City Branding, and Municipal Immigrant Integration Initiatives in the Southeastern United States." Southeastern Geographer, 58, 3: 250-281.  
  • McDaniel, Paul N., Darlene Xiomara Rodriguez, and Qingfang Wang. 2019. "Immigrant Integration and Receptivity Policy Formation in Welcoming Cities." Journal of Urban Affairs, 41, 8: 1142-1166. 
  • Rodriguez, Darlene Xiomara and Paul N. McDaniel. 2019. “Community-Based Participatory Research as a Tool for Improved Understanding and Practice of Newcomer Integration.” Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, 23, 2: 3-19.
  • McDaniel, Paul N. and Rob Paral. 2020. A Global Welcome: Metro Chicago's Approach to Immigrant Inclusion. Chicago: The Chicago Council on Global Affairs. 92 pp. 
  • Rodriguez, Darlene Xiomara, Paul N. McDaniel, and Matthew Tikhonovsky. 2020. "Human Services Providers’ Perspectives on Refugee Resettlement in the United States Before and After the 2016 Presidential Election." Journal of Immigrant and Refugee Studies, 18, 4: 448-466.
  • McDaniel, Paul N. 2021. "Twenty-First Century Migration, Integration, and Receptivity: Prospects and Pathways in Metropolitan Areas of the Southeastern United States." Special Issue: Observations on the Future Geographies of the American South. Southeastern Geographer, 61, 4: 381-404. 
  • McDaniel, Paul N., Rajit H. Das, and Darlene Xiomara Rodriguez. 2022. "Place-branding for immigrant and refugee integration and receptivity amid the COVID-19 pandemic: Responses of U.S. cities in the 'Welcoming America' network." In COVID-19 and a World of Ad Hoc Geographies, edited by Stanley D. Brunn and Donna Gilbreath. Springer Publishing. 
  • McDaniel, Paul N. and Darlene Xiomara Rodriguez, eds. 2024. Integration and Receptivity in Immigrant Gateway Metro Regions in the United States. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books (an Imprint of Rowman & Littlefield). 
  • McDaniel, Paul N. 2024. Birmingham, Alabama: Immigrant Integration, Place Branding, and Geographies of Care in the Ridge and Valley. In Paul N. McDaniel and Darlene Xiomara Rodriguez (Ed.), Integration and Receptivity in Immigrant Gateway Metro Regions in the United States. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books (an Imprint of Rowman & Littlefield).
Atlanta One Region Initiative

My research in this area has involved leading and contributing to research and scholarship about Welcoming America's Atlanta One Region Initiative through an applied, community-engaged, and community-based participatory research approach as a One Region Initiative Steering Committee member.

  • McDaniel, Paul N., Darlene Xiomara Rodriguez, and Anna Joo Kim. 2017. "Receptivity and the Welcoming Cities Movement: Advancing a Regional Immigrant Integration Policy Framework in Metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia." Papers in Applied Geography, 3, 3-4: 355-379. 
  • McDaniel, Paul N., Darlene Xiomara Rodriguez, and Anna Joo Kim. 2018. "Creating a Welcoming Metro Atlanta: A Regional Approach to Immigrant Integration." Atlanta Studies. April 26, 2018. 
  • McDaniel, Paul N., Darlene Xiomara Rodriguez, and Jordyne Krumroy. 2019. "From Municipal to Regional Immigrant Integration in a Major Emerging Gateway: Planning a Welcoming Metro Atlanta." Papers in Applied Geography, 5, 1-2: 140-165. 
  • Hyde, Allen, Cathy Yang Liu, Paul N. McDaniel, Darlene Xiomara Rodriguez, and Britton Holmes. 2023. "Welcoming Immigrant Integration Beyond the Local Level: Atlanta’s One Region Initiative." Journal of Race, Ethnicity and the City, 4, 1: 77-110. (funded by AGREC grant).
Immigrant Integration, Receptivity, and Immigrant Health

My research in this area has involved contributing to research and scholarship about immigrant health and well-being, particularly amid the COVID-19 Pandemic and its impacts.

  • McDaniel, Paul N. and Darlene Xiomara Rodriguez. 2020. "Immigration Integration." Public Health Post. Boston: Boston University School of Public Health. March 12, 2020. 
  • Rodriguez, Darlene Xiomara, Jessica Hill, and Paul N. McDaniel. 2020. "Immigrant Health is Public Health." Public Health Post. Boston: Boston University School of Public Health. October 20, 2020. 
  • Rodriguez, Darlene Xiomara, Jessica Hill, and Paul N. McDaniel. 2021. "A Scoping Review of Literature About Mental Health and Well-Being Among Immigrant Communities in the United States." Health Promotion Practice, 22, 2: 181-192.
  • Hill, Jessica, Darlene Xiomara Rodriguez, and Paul N. McDaniel. 2021. "Immigration Status as a Health Care Barrier in the USA During COVID-19." Journal of Migration and Health, 4. 
  • Hill, Jessica, Darlene Xiomara Rodriguez, and Paul N. McDaniel. 2021. "Immigration Status as a Social Determinant of Health During Covid-19." Public Health Post. Boston: Boston University School of Public Health. October 29, 2021. 
Public Education, Immigrant Integration, and Immigrant Youth

My research in this area has involved leading and contributing to research and scholarship about the intersections among immigrant integration and receptivity in public education and impacts on immigrant youth experiences.

  • McDaniel, Paul N., Susan B. Harden, and Heather A. Smith. 2011. Courage in the City: Education Equity in the Multicultural South – Report of Evaluation Data. Charlotte, NC: Levine Museum of the New South.
  • McDaniel, Paul N. 2013. Receptivity in a New Immigrant Gateway: Immigrant Settlement Geography, Public Education, and Immigrant Integration in Charlotte, North Carolina. Charlotte, NC: The University of North Carolina at Charlotte. 330 pp.
  • Plaisance, Michelle, Elizabeth Morrell, and Paul N. McDaniel. 2015. “Technicolor Education in the New South: Moving Beyond Black and White.” In Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow: School Desegregation and Resegregation in Charlotte. Edited by Roslyn Arlin Mickelson, Stephen Samuel Smith, and Amy Hawn Nelson. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.
  • McDaniel, Paul N., Susan B. Harden, Heather A. Smith, and Owen J. Furuseth. 2017. “Increasing Immigrant Settlement and the Challenges and Opportunities for Public Education in Charlotte, North Carolina.” In US Latinization: Education and the New Latino South. Edited by Spencer Salas and Pedro R. Portes. Albany, NY: SUNY Press.
  • McDaniel, Paul N. and Heather A. Smith. 2017. "Receptivity's Construction in Public Schools: A Component of Immigrant Integration in an Emerging Gateway." Journal of International Migration and Integration, 18, 4: 1061-1081. 
  • Rodriguez, Darlene Xiomara, Paul N. McDaniel, and Gianni Bisio. 2019. "'FU': One Response to the Liminal State Immigrant Youth Must Navigate." Law & Policy, 41, 1: 59-79.
  • Smith-Sitton, Lara, Darlene Xiomara Rodriguez, and Paul N. McDaniel. 2019. “When Local Community Writing Initiatives Crashed into White House Public Policy: ‘Green Card Youth Voices: Stories of an Atlanta High School’.” Spark: A 4C4Equality Journal.
  • Garefino, Allison, Darlene Xiomara Rodriguez, Paul N. McDaniel, Jihye Kim, and Brandon D. Lundy. 2020. White Paper: Welcoming Schools: Tools for Immigrant Families and Educators Creating a Culture of Comprehensive Health for Diverse Family and Community Environments. 2019-2020 R2 Research Success Faculty Learning Community Sponsored by Kennesaw State University’s Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning and Office of Research. Kennesaw, GA: Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, Kennesaw State University.
  • McDaniel, Paul N., Darlene Xiomara Rodriguez, and Lara Smith-Sitton. 2021. "Inclusive Storytelling: Community Reaction to Immigrant Youth Experiences in Atlanta." Atlanta Studies. September 16, 2021. 
  • Rodriguez, Darlene Xiomara, Lina T. Tuschling, and Paul N. McDaniel. 2022. “'Why do they laugh at me?' Stereotypes and Prejudices Experienced by Immigrant Youth.” Journal of Belonging, Identity, Language, and Diversity, 6, 2: 26-40. 
  • McDaniel, Paul N. and Heather A. Smith. 2024. Charlotte, North Carolina: Multiple Scales of Receptivity in the Queen City. In Paul N. McDaniel and Darlene Xiomara Rodriguez (Ed.), Integration and Receptivity in Immigrant Gateway Metro Regions in the United States. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books (an Imprint of Rowman & Littlefield).
Immigrant Entrepreneurship

My research in this area has involved leading and contributing to research and scholarship about local, regional, and national experiences and impacts of immigrant entrepreneurship. This work has taken place in local, regional, and national contexts in Birmingham, Chicago, Dayton, Detroit, Nashville, St. Louis, rural Iowa, and in the Midwest region more broadly.

  • McDaniel, Paul N. 2006. An International Corridor in the Making? Immigrant-Owned Entrepreneurial Establishments in Birmingham, Alabama. Knoxville, TN: The University of Tennessee. 159 pp.
  • McDaniel, Paul N. and Anita I. Drever. 2009. “Ethnic Enclave or International Corridor?: Immigrant Businesses in a New South City.” Southeastern Geographer 49, 1 (February): 3-23.
  • Kerr, Juliana, Paul McDaniel, and Melissa Guinan. 2014. Reimagining the Midwest: Immigration Initiatives and the Capacity of Local Leadership. Chicago, IL: The Chicago Council on Global Affairs.
  • McDaniel, Paul. 2014. "Immigrant Entrepreneurs and Their Contributions to the United States." In Immigration Options for Investors and Entrepreneurs. 3rd ed. Edited by Lincoln Stone. Washington, DC: American Immigration Lawyers Association. 
  • McDaniel, Paul. 2014. Revitalization in the Heartland of America: Attracting Immigrant Entrepreneurs for Economic Development. Washington, DC: American Immigration Council.
  • McDaniel, Paul, and Guillermo Cantor. 2014. "Latinos and the Economics of Immigration." American Latino Agenda Report. Washington, DC: New America Alliance Institute. 
  • McDaniel, Paul. 2016. Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Welcoming Cities: Lessons from Chicago, Dayton, and Nashville. Washington, DC: American Immigration Council.
Edited Book and Special Journal Issue

My many years of leading and contributing to scholarship resulting in peer-reviewed journal article publications have led to opportunities for the cultivation and production of two recent and forthcoming deliverables from two large projects, including:

2. Geography Education

As defined by the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) at Kennesaw State University (KSU), The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) is systematic inquiry into student learning and/or one’s own teaching practices in higher education which is situated in context and involves methodologically sound application of appropriate research methods, peer review, and distribution as scholarly work. SoTL activities fall within the broader context of scholarly teaching practices.

My independent and collaborative SoTL work about my own teaching innovations and practices and about various aspects of geography education more broadly have been published in peer-reviewed journals, including Journal of Geography, Professional Geographer, and Journal of Geography in Higher Education. I have also presented about this work and discussed this work on panel sessions and workshops at various conferences, including the annual meetings of the American Association of Geographers, National Council for Geographic Education, Southeastern Division of the American Association of Geographers, and the Hawaii International Conference on Education. My SoTL work has been funded in part by KSU Radow College of Humanities and Social Sciences (RCHSS) 2019-2020, 2020-2021, and 2021-2022 Student Success Teaching Incentive Grants. 

Recent and ongoing SoTL projects include:

Teaching with geospatial science technology and GIS in systematic and regional (non-GIS) geography courses

Many of my lower- and upper-division geography courses include a significant number of students from outside of geography and geospatial sciences taking these courses as a general education requirement or as an upper-division elective/related study requirement for majors beyond geography and geospatial sciences. As such, my course(s) in which they are enrolled may be the only geography courses such students complete. This is a tremendous opportunity to introduce geospatial technology and the tools of geography to a larger number of students from many majors. Within this context, I have introduced a variety of teaching innovations into my various courses that involve learning about and using geospatial technology in non-GIS courses. This approach has yielded the following peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations:

  • McDaniel, Paul N. 2022. "Teaching, Learning, and Exploring the Geography of North America with Virtual Globes and Geovisual Narratives." Journal of Geography, 121, 4: 125-140. 
  • McDaniel, Paul N. “Teaching, Learning, and Exploring the Geography of North America with Virtual Globes, Geovisual Narratives, and Storymapping.” Hawaii International Conference on Education. Waikaloa, HI. January 2022.
  • McDaniel, Paul N. "Teaching and Learning Regional and Systematic Geography with Virtual Globes, Online Mapping, and Geovisual Narratives." American Association of Geographers Annual Meeting. New York, NY (virtual). February 2022. 
  • McDaniel, Paul N., and Ulrike Ingram. 2023. "Integrating ArcGIS Online and Digital Story Mapping for Active Learning in Systematic Geography Courses." Journal of Geography in Higher Education. 
  • McDaniel, Paul N. and Ulrike Ingram. “Integrating ArcGIS Online and StoryMaps for Active Learning in Systematic Geography Courses.” National Conference on Geography Education 108th Annual Meeting. Columbia, SC. October 2023.
  • McDaniel, Paul N. “Enhancing Geographic and Digital Literacy in Study Abroad Experiences through the Integration of Virtual Globes and Geovisual Narratives.” 120th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Geographers. Honolulu, HI. April 2024. 
The immediate and long-term impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on post-secondary teaching and learning in geography education

My research in this area has involved contributing to SoTL work examining the immediate and longer term impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on post-secondary teaching and learning.

  • Day, Terence, I-Chun Catherine Chang, Calvin King Lam Chung, William Doolittle, Jacqueline Housel, and Paul N. McDaniel. 2021. "The Immediate Impact of COVID-19 on Post-Secondary Teaching and Learning." Professional Geographer, 73, 1: 1-13. 
  • Day, Terence, Calvin King Lam Chung, William Doolittle, Jacqueline Housel, and Paul N. McDaniel. 2023. “Beyond COVID Chaos: What postsecondary educators learned from the online pivot.” Professional Geographer, 75, 1: 14-30.
Geography of North America in Geography Education

My research in this area has involved leading SoTL work examing various aspects of teaching and learning about the geography of North America in geography education.

  • McDaniel, Paul N. 2022. "Teaching, Learning, and Exploring the Geography of North America with Virtual Globes and Geovisual Narratives." Journal of Geography, 121, 4: 125-140. 
  • McDaniel, Paul N. “Representation of the American South in North American Regional Geography Textbooks in the Twenty-First Century.” Southeastern Division of the American Association of Geographers Annual Meeting. Norfolk, VA. November 2023. 
  • McDaniel, Paul N. 2024 (accepted/in press). Representation of the American South in North American Regional Geography Textbooks in the Twenty-First Century. Southeastern Geographer. 
Current Ongoing SoTL Projects

In addition to the above published SoTL projects, I am currently leading or contributing to several ongoing SoTL projects related to the various regional and systematic/thematic geography courses I teach and their intersections among the use of:

  • Map exhibits
  • Experiential learning, field trips, and study abroad as high impact practices in geography education
  • Geospatial science teaching innovations, including use of Google Earth, ArcGIS Online, and GIS StoryMaps
  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) in geography teaching and learning

3. Urban Geography in metro Atlanta, Georgia, and the Southeastern United States

My current ongoing research as an urban geographer explores the geography of place-branding, particularly as it relates to the causes, processes, and implications of issues related to inclusive city- and place-branding strategies, initiatives, processes, and effects, how place-/city-branding strategies incorporate historically marginalized populations, and how place-branding can contribute to the cultural, economic, political, and social development of cities and regions. 

Inclusive municipal place branding processes and practices in the Southeastern United States related to inclusion of historically marginalized populations and communities

With particular focus on LGBTQ+ communities. This work builds off of my many years of researching and publishing about immigrant integration, receptivity, welcoming city, and immigrant inclusive city-/place-branding initiatives mentioned above.

  • McDaniel, Paul N. and Joshua L. Bearden. “Perception vs. Reality: Place Branding and the Lived Experiences of Southern LGBTQ Communities.” Southeastern Division of the American Association of Geographers Annual Meeting. Florence, AL. November 2021.
Assessing Implications of Human and Physical Geography in Public Art Landscapes of the Atlanta BeltLine

The Atlanta BeltLine is one of the largest urban redevelopment projects in the United States. As such, it has many impacts within and beyond the city of Atlanta and the broader metro region and is garnering interdisciplinary research from many perspectives. Our work focuses on various aspects of the physical and human geography implications of the Atlanta BeltLine. We include undergraduate geography and geospatial sciences majors in various stages of the project. Funded in part by a 2023-2024 Department of Geography and Anthropology Intradepartmental Research Initiative grant with co-PI Dr. Ranbir Kang. 

  • McDaniel, Paul N., and Ranbir S. Kang. “Active and Experiential Learning in Geography through the Lens of a Local Urban Development Project.” 109th Annual Meeting of the National Council for Geographic Education. Tempe, AZ. October 2024. (abstract accepted April 2024).

Conclusion

Undergraduate and graduate student assistants are integral to the success and rigor of all my teaching, research, and outreach endeavors and I welcome expressions of interest from current and future students wishing to join one of my research teams. Students who have currently or previously assisted with my research projects include undergraduate students from a variety of majors (including geography and geospatial sciences), graduate students in the MS in Conflict Management program, and doctoral students in the PhD in International Conflict Management program. I routinely work with graduate and doctoral students in KSU's School of Conflict Management, Peacebuilding & Development.  

Throughout all my work, I strive for my teaching, research, and service endeavors to embody the University’s commitment to civic and community engagement to strengthen the relationship between KSU and the larger community, as well as to diversity and inclusion, and to sustainability. 

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