2011 TC Research
Teachers College, Columbia University
Teachers College Columbia University

Research

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Sandra Schmidt

Professional Background

Educational Background

Ph.D.   Michigan State University
M.A.     University of Michigan
B.A.     Swarthmore College

Scholarly Interests

Geography Education, Critical Social Theory in Geography, Civic Education, Social Studies Education, Postcolonial Theory, Gender and Queer Theory

Selected Publications

Journal Articles (Refereed)

Schmidt, S.J. (2011). Who lives on the other side of that boundary: A model of geographic thinking.  Social Education, 75(5), 250-255.

Schmidt, S.J. & Garrett, H.J. (2011). Reconstituting pessimistic discourses. Critical Arts, 25(3), 423-440.

Schmidt, S.J. (2011). Making space for the citizen in geography education. Journal of Geography, 110(3), 107-119.

Schmidt, S.J. (2011). Theorizing place: Students' navigation of place outside the classroom.  Journal of Curriculum Theorizing, 27(1), 20-35.

Schmidt, S. J. (2010).  Queering social studies: A query of the space for sexual orientation and identity in the social studies. Theory and Research in Social Education, 38(3), 314-335.

Schmidt, S.J. (2010). Bringing the Other closer to home: Geography education in the post-colonial.  Critical Literacy: Theories and Practices, 4(1), 29-47.

Schmidt, S. (2008). Practicing critical democracy: A perspective from students.  Journal of Curriculum and Instruction, 2(1), 38-54.

Book Chapters

Schmidt, S.  (2010). Examining privilege in globalization.  In E. Heilman (Ed.), Social studies and diversity education: What we do and why we do it (pp. 202-206).  New York: Routledge.

Schmidt, S.J. (2010). Geography education curriculum.  In C. Kridel, W. Schubert, & M.R. Bull (Eds.), Encyclopedia of curriculum studies. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Schmidt, S. (2007). Gender gap: The disjuncture between Western-developed policies and their African-determined implementation.  In R. Maboleka (Ed.), Soaring beyond boundaries: Women breaking educational barriers in traditional societies. Rotterdam, The Netherlands: Sense Publishers.

active professional organizations

honors and awards

2011    Outstanding Paper Award from the AERA Queer Studies SIG
2011    AAUW American Fellow
2008    Michigan State University Excellence-In-Teaching Citation

biographical information

Professor Schmidt received her bachelor's degree in political science, economics, and women's studies from Swarthmore College, her M.A. in curriculum and instruction from the University of Michigan, and her Ph.D. in teacher education from Michigan State University.  Prior to obtaining her Ph.D., she taught secondary social studies in Grand Rapids, MI, Corvallis, OR, and Dedza, Malawi.

A&HW 4039: The United States Constitution: Civic decision making

Major philosophical foundations, problems preceding and during the convention, the struggle for ratification, detailed examination of the document, important court cases, non-written constitutional traditions, and unresolved constitutional issues. Selected cases from New York State history are highlighted. Satisfies the New York State civics requirement.

A&HW 4530: Seminar for student teachers in social studies

Must be taken concurrently with A&HW 4730. Restricted to majors. Includes issues of school safety and health issues in secondary schools.

A&HW 5030: Diversity and the social studies curriculum

Curriculum theory and instructional methods related to teaching secondary school social studies in the diverse classroom. Particular attention paid to multicultural issues in urban settings.

A&HW 6030: Research in social studies education

Permission of instructor required. Individual fieldwork in secondary school or introductory college social studies.

A&HW 6503: Doctoral seminar in Social Studies

Seminar focused on doctoral student research and contemporary social studies issues. Beginning doctoral students take the seminar for four consecutive semesters.

A&HW 7503: Dissertation seminar in social studies

The purpose of the dissertation seminar is to develop and refine specific topics for dissertation research. Students should enroll in the dissertation seminar beginning only in the semester in which they intend to present their dissertation proposal for departmental review.