About Us

Cristine Milton: Traveler, Culturist, Instructor.

Through each adventure in her interdisciplinary career, Cristine Milton has consistently woven a common thread:  a quest for knowledge of our world and a desire to share what she has learned. From her work in everything from marketing to environmental engineering and from law to academics, she has constantly looked at the bigger picture through the interconnectedness of each discipline.

Cristine’s Personal Enrichment classes include a series of one-day courses that explore influential places and their issues, such as China and the Middle East.  She dipped into her tool bag from her regular for-credit Geography classes, from previous PhD study, and from travel to create these classes.

You have had a very eclectic career working in many different industries, but teaching is something you have done throughout your career. What inspired you to become a teacher?

I have always loved teaching.  It is something hardwired into me.  As a seven-year-old I would line up my stuffed animals and teach them about far away places in the world, about nature, and even about the solar system, using pages from anything I could get my hands on, like National Geographic. Even then, I knew that we could better understand our nearby world if we could understand the bigger picture also.

Early on I made the decision not to limit myself to only one path.  My entire life has been about marching into uncharted territory to continually experience new things and discover the ways in which they interrelate.  I will always be a student of life.

At CU your specialty is Human Geography. Can you explain that area of study?

Geography has two basic divisions, physical geography and human geography. Physical geography focuses on natural features from land formations and water to climate and flora and fauna.  When you add people into the mix, you create a wonderful interplay between natural landscapes and humans in what are often referenced as “cultural landscapes.”  Human geography studies these peopled landscapes and includes everything from religion and politics to economics and psychosocial dynamics.

My geography classes are really like turning on PBS or CNN Live and then going behind the scenes to more fully understand everything that influenced or gave birth to what we see on the TV as news.

Most students take semester-long courses. What was the idea behind creating one-day personal enrichment classes?

Working and even retired adults are not always able to take the classes they want because of their schedules.  Continuing Education and I worked together to come up with a way that even people with lots of other commitments could participate.  We selected topics that as many people as possible could relate to or might be curious about, and then I designed a series of classes that offer encapsulated versions of the dynamics and issues surrounding these topics.

How do you think your students benefit from taking one of your classes?

The world and our knowledge base have changed so much since many adults received their education. Technology and global communication have made so much information available today, but a lot of that information is isolated, inconsistent, and tedious to wade through.  As a result, understanding the complexities of our constantly changing world feels like a daunting task to most people. However, if we can build a template of past and present issues that have shaped the various countries and cultures to become what they are today, we are better prepared to understand daily events.

Because we live in such a vibrant and dynamic world, I find it enormously rewarding to help build that template for students, knowing that it leaves us all better informed global citizens.  Learners of all ages really appreciate being given a larger, overarching view of the dynamics shaping the world.

How do you, as the instructor, stay current on issues that are so quickly changing and nuanced?

It is a 24/7 job to keep learning and stay current, but doing this is what I love.

The most important part of my preparation for teaching is constant study and travel.  My personal antennae scan the world non-stop, seeking new information and new pieces to the global puzzle.  When I travel, I immerse myself in the culture and environment wherever I go.  You won’t find me at many tourist spots; instead I’ll be knee deep in a rice paddy talking to a farmer or sidestepping puddles in a squatter’s settlement trying to understand the lives of the world’s landless people.

I do my homework ahead of time to get a feel for what I want to see, but, invariably, following my intuitive navigation takes me on the most incredible journeys. I may meet a rural family that invites me to live with them for a week and suddenly I’ve been given a rare, first-hand opportunity to learn about the issues they are facing – issues very different from what I might have imagined.  The opportunities that people along the way offer up to me transform my travels into something truly extraordinary.

Over the years, through study and footwork, I have collected an amazing community of contacts that help keep me informed on issues around the world.  These contacts help me maintain a pulse on grassroots issues and balance out what I might discover through study and research.

There are many controversial and interesting issues surrounding the parts of the world you have chosen for your class subjects. How are you able to present a level and unbiased education for your students?

As a way to keep us all more honest and unbiased in our learning, I continually encourage myself and my students to take another step back in order to broaden the perspective. While we sometimes find comfort in a certain position, we can understand the world better by looking at things in new ways and allowing more into our view.

While it is my role to bring forth information and new ways to frame that information, it is equally important to create a forum for discussion where each student has the opportunity to teach the rest of us.  Students in these Personal Enrichment classes come from such diverse backgrounds and have personal experiences to share that truly illuminate all of us.  I am constantly learning from my students.

What do you see as success in your teaching?

Over the years, my greatest barometer for success has come from the students themselves when they have shared with me how excited they were to have been able to provide the background story about an issue or a country while out with family or friends.  Hearing how empowering that was for my students has been a profoundly meaningful reward for me.

The U.S. has suffered from a bit of myopia, but this has started to change. I find great pleasure in being a catalyst in that forward momentum.  I love helping people look at common subjects in new ways. What they see is ultimately up to them, but my joy comes from having provided the opportunity for new learning and new perspectives.