Rani Varghese | Faculty Profiles

Diplomas/Degrees

Ed.D. (Social Justice Education), University of Massachusetts Amherst (2013)

Graduate Feminist Certificate, University of Massachusetts Amherst (2013)

M.S.W., Smith College School for Social Work (1999)

B.A. (Anthropology, secondary concentration in Biology), University of Cincinnati (1995)

Personal Statement

Having been trained in the fields of Social Work, Social Justice Education and Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies, I bring an interdisciplinary approach to both my teaching and research. I apply a social justice framework, attention to multi-level analysis, intersectionality, positionality and power, to social work practice, research and teaching.

Recent Courses

Core Concepts In Child And Adolescent Trauma

Intergroup Dialogue: Facilitating Social Justice Conversation

Social Work Education: Issues And Processes

Specialization/Interests

As a educator & practitioner: Social Justice, Clincial Social Work, Social Work Education, Gender Based Violence, Intergroup Dialogue

Teaching Philosophy

I view teaching as a political endeavor and believe that classrooms can be transformative spaces where students are encouraged to actively engage with the course content, with me as the professor, and with each other. In my teaching, I facilitate learning with a student centered, collaborative, “guide on side” approach that scaffolds critical thinking and personal reflection rather than a content centered, faculty driven, “sage on stage” process. I am also committed to creating a thriving intellectual community. I believe students must be active participants in the learning process and function as co-facilitators in their own learning. I believe this creates intellectual desire and the possibility of appreciating and valuing learning. Finally, I strive to think and work collaboratively, to utilize the resources of my colleagues, to be open to new pedagogy, and most importantly, to be willing to learn from my mistakes in the pursuit of my growth as a teacher.

Research Interests

My research, grounded in qualitative methodology and interdisciplinary and practical knowledge, furthers social work’s mission of social justice. While social work educators have been charged with training student practitioners to advance social justice, one of the core values of the social work profession (NASW, 2017) and core competencies of social work education (CSWE, 2015), there is limited scholarship that examines teaching or practicing from a social justice perspective. My scholarship addresses these gaps.

My research has two overarching foci:

Examining social work practice and pedagogy through a social justice framework and an interdisciplinary lens. Examining the role of dialogic practices across professional contexts and the impact of Intergroup Dialogue (IGD) facilitator training, a social justice informed pedagogical approach.

Chapters

Adams, M., Varghese, R., & Zúñiga, X. (2022). “Getting Started: Core Concepts for Social Justice Education”. In M. Adams, L. Bell, D. Goodman, Pacheco, R. & Shlasko, D. (Eds.). Teaching for diversity and social justice (4th ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.

Bell, L., Goodman, D., & Varghese, R., (2022). “Critical Self-Knowledge for Social Justice Educators.” In M. Adams, L. Bell, D. Goodman, Pacheco, R. & Shlasko, D. (Eds.). Teaching for diversity and social justice (4th ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.

Funk, M., Varghese, R., Zúñiga, X. (2018). Racism. In M. Adams, L. Bell, D. Goodman & K. Joshi (Eds.). Readings for diversity and social justice (3^rd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.

Varghese, R., Matta, A., & Kang, HK (2018). The ladies salon: Building intellectual and personal collectives(s). In. M. Runell & K. Smith (Eds.). Uncommon bonds. New York: Peter Lang.

Bell, L., Goodman, D., & Varghese, R. (2016). Critical self-knowledge for social justice educators. In L. Bell, D. Goodman, K. Joshi & M. Adams (Eds.). Teachings for diversity and social justice. New York, NY: Routledge.

Zúñiga, X., Mildred, J., Varghese, R., DeJong, K., & Keehn, M., (2014). “Engaged Listening in Race/Ethnicity and Gender Intergroup Dialogue Courses.” In X. Zúñiga, G. Lopez & K.A. Ford (Eds). Intergroup dialogue: Engaging difference, social identities and social justice. New York, NY: Routledge.

Zuniga, X., Mildred, J., Varghese, R., DeJong, K., & Keehn, M. (2014). Engaged listening in race/ethnicity and gender intergroup dialogue courses. In X. Zuniga, G. Lopez & K.A. Ford (Eds.). Intergroup dialogue: Engaging difference, social identities and social justice. New York, NY: Routledge.

Stassen, M. L. A., Zúñiga, X., Keehn, M., Mildred, J., DeJong, K., & Varghese, R. (2013) Engagement in intergroup dialogue: Listening, speaking, and active thinking. In P. Gurin, B. Nagda & X. Zúñiga. Dialogue Across Difference: Practice Theory, and Research on Intergroup Dialogue. New York, NY: Russell Sage Foundation.

Articles

Kelly, B. T., Castillo-Montoya, M., Varghese, R., & Zúñiga, X. (2022). Braids and Bridges: A Critical Collaborative Autoethnography of Racially Minoritized Women Teaching Intergroup Dialogue. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education.

Paul, L. & Varghese, R. (2021). Re-envisioning psychoanalytic content in social work education. Journal for Teaching in Social Work.

Quiros, L., Varghese, R. & Vanidestine, T. (2019). Disrupting the single story: Challenging dominant trauma narratives through a critical race lens. Traumatology. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/trm0000223

Varghese, R. & Kang, HK (2019). Essential knowledge for clinical social work: Social work perspectives. Smith Studies in Social Work

Asakura, K., Strumm, B., Todd, S., & Varghese, R. (2019). What does social justice look like when sitting with clients? A qualitative study of teaching clinical social work from a social justice perspective. Journal for Social Work Education.

Varghese, R. (2019). Intergroup dialogue: Frequencies of social justice. Social work with Groups, doi: 10.1080/01609513.2019.1639976

Varghese, R. (2019). Teaching without being taught how: Examining the ways clinical social work faculty conceptualize teaching and learning. Social Work Education, doi: 10.1080/02615479.2019.1619684

Kelly, D. & Varghese, R. (2018). Four Contexts of Institutional Oppression: Examining the Experiences of Blacks in Education, Criminal Justice and Child Welfare. Journal for Human Behavior in the Social Environment.

Varghese, R., Quiros, L., & Berger, R. (2018). Reflective practices for engaging in trauma informed culturally competent supervision. Smith Studies in Social Work.

Varghese, R. (2016). Teaching to transform?: Addressing race and racism in the teaching of clinical social work practice. Journal for Social Work Education.

Zúñiga, X., Mildred, J., Varghese, R., DeJong, K., & Keehn, M. (2012). Engaged listening in race/ethnicity and gender intergroup dialogue courses. Equity & Excellence, Amherst, MA.

Conference Presentations

Zúñiga, X., Wagner, R., Varghese, R. & Tissi-Gassoway, N. (2021) Skill sets for acting upon educational responsibility: Post Graduate Impact of Intergroup Dialogue Facilitation Training on Professional Practices. Annual (Remote) Association of Educational Research (AERA) Conference, Paper Presentation at Round Table.

Castillo-Montoya, M., Kelly, B.T., Varghese, R., & Zúñiga, X. (2020). Braids and Bridges: A collaborative postcolonial autoethnography of racially minoritized women teaching Intergroup Dialogue. Annual (Remote) Association of Higher Education (ASHE) Conference, Paper Presentation at Round Table.

Varghese, R., McAuliffe, C., Vanidestine, T., & Khalifa, H. (2020). Higher learning: Examining IGD as a high impact practice. Annual (Remote) Program Meeting, Council for Social Work Education

Lerner, J., Varghese, R. , Edmond, T., Fulambarker, A., Kim, A. & Todic, J. (2019). Social Work the “White Way”: Decolonizing the Classroom. Panel Presentation. Annual Program Meeting, Council for Social Work Education, Denver, CO.

Zúñiga, X., Varghese, R. & Tissi-Gassoway, N., Remaly, A. (2019). Examining the post graduate impact of IGD facilitator training in personal & professional contexts. Paper presentation at Northeastern Intergroup Dialogue Conference, UMASS Amherst, MA.

Varghese, R., Werkmeister-Rozas, L, Castillo-Montova, M., DeRosa, D. & Kelly, B. (2019). Examining the role of IGD in professional education. Panel presentation at Northeastern Intergroup Dialogue Conference, UMASS Amherst, MA.

Varghese, R. & Funk, M. (2019). Parenting is Political: Educating our children from a social justice perspective. Presentation at the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity in Higher Education (NCORE), San Francisco, CA.

Zúñiga, X., Varghese, R. & Tissi-Gassoway, N. (2018). Bringing IGD knowledge, skills and practice to professional roles. As part of Beyond Woke: Intergroup dialogue as praxis in moving from social (in) justice to action. Paper Presentation & Interactive Symposium (with Sylvia Hurtado, UCLA & Bridget Kelly, University of Maryland) at Association of Higher Education Conference (ASHE), Tampa, FL.

Varghese, R. (2018). Educating for change: Addressing implicit bias in practice & teaching. Poster Presentation at Social Work, Education and Social Development Conference (SWSD), Dublin, Ireland.

Varghese, R. (2018). Practice makes perfect: Approaches to incorporating race and racism into social work practice & curriculum. Paper presentation at Social Work, Education and Social Development Conference (SWSD). Dublin, Ireland.

Varghese, R. (2017). Psychosocial supports for U.S. South Asian women with gynecologic & breast cancer. Poster Presentation at Annual Program Meeting, Council for Social Work Education.

Zúñiga, X., Varghese, R., Tissi Gassoway, N., Boyd, A., Lee, E.Y., Syldor-Severino, W.A. (2017) Training and supporting Intergroup dialogue graduate student facilitators: Practice methods and post-graduation impact. Paper presentation at the Northeastern Intergroup Dialogue Conference, Cornell University.

Varghese, R. (2016). Teaching without being taught: Examining the ways clinical social work faculty conceptualize teaching and learning. Paper Presentation at Annual Program Meeting, Council for Social Work Education.

Varghese, R. (2016). Essential knowledge for clinical social work: Social work perspectives. Paper Presentation at Annual Program Meeting, Council for Social Work Education.

Adams, M., Griffin, P., Funk, M., Goodman, D., & Varghese, R. (2016). A Classic Book Takes a New Turn: Highlights from the New Edition of Teaching for Diversity and Social Justice/Engaging New Approaches from Teaching for Diversity and Social Justice. Panel Presentation at the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity in Higher Education (NCORE).

Varghese, R. (2016). Praxis Makes Perfect: Addressing Race and Racism in the Teaching of Clinical Social Work Practice. Paper Presentation at Annual Program Meeting, Society for Social Work and Research.

Zúñiga, X., Mildred, J., Varghese, R., & Keehn, M. (2015). What does participant engagement and disengagement look like and what contributes to disengagement in race/ethnicity and gender intergroup dialogues?: Implications for research and practice. Paper presentation at Northeastern Intergroup Dialogue Conference, Skidmore College.

Invited Presentations

Varghese, R. Okello, W., & DeRosa, D. (2021). Higher Education Anti-Racist Teaching. (H.E.A.R.T.) Podcast. University of Connecticut Higher Education and Student Affairs

Varghese, R. & Funk, M. (2020). Opening Up: Talking Racial Injustice with Kids. Children’s Workshop School.

Varghese, R. & Jackson, E. (2019) Equity: Creating inclusive learning environments. Faculty Center for Professional Excellence. New Faculty Orientation.

Varghese, R. (2019 – 2016). Implicit Bias & Microaggressions. Diversity Certificate Program trainings, Adelphi University.

Varghese, R. (2018 - 2016). Cultural Competency. Training for Central Nassau Guidance and Counseling Center, NY.

Varghese, R. & Funk, M. (2017). Bridging Theory & Practice (key note speakers), Social Justice Education Mini-Symposium, University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Varghese, R. & Keehn, M. (2017). Intergroup Dialogue: Developing Facilitation Skills to Foster an Inclusive Campus Community, New York University Residence Life.

Varghese, R. & Funk, M. (2015). Inclusive Leadership: Building Capacity for Public Service. Training for The City Council, City of Holyoke, MA.

Quiros, L. & Varghese, R. (2015). Working from a Trauma-Informed-Social Justice Lens: Creating Safe Spaces in Supervision. Workshop for Long Island Field Directors Networking Breakfast.