RITA VERMA

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR

EDUCATION, RUTH S. AMMON SCHOOL OF

HARVEY HALL
ROOM 243

p - 516-877-4017

f - 516-877-4097

e - VERMA@ADELPHI.EDU

Diplomas/Degrees

Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison (2004)
M.A., University of Michigan-Ann Arbor (1997)
B.A., University of Wisconsin-Madison (1995)

Recent Courses

Community,Schools And Society
First Year Seminar Leaders Of Tomorrow
Foundations Of Education
Human Rights And Peace Studies Multidisciplanary Perspectives
Human Rights And Peace Studies: Multidisciplinary Perspective
Introduction To Philosophy Of Education

Personal Statement

Think, understand, reflect, transform. There exists within us the possibility to be agents of change and of social transformation. To awaken this energy in the lives of others is an incredible experience –and becomes the magnificent journey of a teacher. Every so often we are presented with an opportunity to radically change or enhance the understanding of ourselves and the world around us by critically examining our deep-seated assumptions and exploring diverse worldviews and ideas. Too often, we raise little doubt about what is within us. To think and to think critically, to unearth both the positive and negative can become a life long process of engaging with what we know. Just as we need to look at an aged scripture with new perspective it is imperative that we assess and reflect upon the old fabric that we hold within us. Student learning can become a transformative experience as they make the familiar-strange and question how they know. I embrace teaching as an opportunity to cultivate curiosity, inspire and empower. It is in the classroom that an intellectual community can be found and nurtured, where extensive knowledge is shared and created in an effective manner and where positive criticisms are welcomed. There is room for mutual growth for both educator and student, as teaching and learning culminates in the classroom and students corroborate and challenge one another’s thoughts and viewpoints. As students move against and beyond their own boundaries, learners are both transformed and empowered

Teaching Specializations/Interests

Social Studies Education
Multicultural Education
Peace Education
Immigrant Education

Books

Verma, Rita (2010). Be the Change: Teacher, Activist, Global Citizen Foreword by Christine Sleeter. New York: Peter Lang Publishing.

Rita Verma (2008). Backlash:South Asian Immigrant Voices on the Margins Foreword by Michael Apple. Rotterdam, Netherlands: Sense Publishers.

Book Chapters

Rita Verma (2008). Dialogues about 9/11, the Media and Race: Lessons from a Secondary Classroom. In Joseph Entin, Robert Rosen Leonard Vogt (Eds.). Controversies in the Classroom: A Radical Teacher Reader Teachers College Press. NY: Teachers College Press.

Rita Verma (2008). Unlearning the Silence in the Curriculum: Reaching Beyond Oppressive Subjectivities of the South Asian “Other”. In Binaya Subedi (Eds.). Rethinking Curricular Knowledge of Global Societies. Information Age Publishers.

Rita Verma (2008). Beyond Tacos and Pizza: Critical Literacy in the World Language Classroom. In Wallowitz, L (Eds.). Critical Literacy as Resistance Peter Lang. Peter Lang.

Refereed Articles

Verma, Rita (2009), The Courage to Teach Critically: Crossing Boundaries to Teach Anti-Oppressive Pedagogy. Journal of Peace Education Routledge.

Rita Verma (2007), A Review of Educating the Right Way: Markets, Standards God and Inequality. Teachers College Record.

Verma, Rita (2005), Trauma, Cultural Survival and Identity Politics in a Post 9/11 Era. Sikh Formations.

Verma, Rita (2005), Interrupting the 9/11 Race Dialogue in the Secondary Classroom. Radical Teacher, 74.

Verma, Rita (2004), Turbaned and Targeted: The Predicament of Sikh Youth in post 9/11 Schools. The Subcontinental, 2:3.

Conference Presentations/Papers

Rita Verma (2007). 100 Educators from Around the World Teaching for Peace and Human Rights. In American Educational Research Association. Chicago.

(2005). Discussant on Panel: Perspectives on Education in International Contexts. In American Educational Research Association. Montreal, CA.

Verma, Rita (2004). : Young Sikh Males as Agents of Cultural Survival: Involuntary Identity Making in a Post 9/11 Era. In American Anthropological Association. San Francisco, CA.

Verma, Rita (2004). : Involuntary Identity Remaking in Times of War: The South Asian Immigrant Experience. In The Future of Identity Conference. University of Salford, UK.

Verma, Rita (2004). Teaching in the Post-9/11 Era and Acts of Self-Silencing: South Asian Educators Speak. In 2nd Annual International Conference on Teacher Education and Social Justice. San Francisco, CA.

Honors and Accomplishments

Teaching Excellence Nominee 2008
Research Release Time Fall 2006
Research on Sikh immigrants reported in 2005 National Education Association
Report on the Status of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Education

Professional Activities

Director Peace Studies Program
Coordinator of United Nations Conference on Teaching for Peace and Human Rights
Consultant for Teaching Resources on Global Teaching and Learning Project/UN Cyberschoolbus

Licenses & Certifications

New York State Social Studies 7-12
New York State Spanish 7-12