My primary area of research is internationalization of higher education; my research interests span international education, internationalization of curriculum, social education, anti-racist and multicultural education, globalization, postcolonial theory, pedagogy in post-secondary institutions, and the ethics of care.  I am interested in how the experiences of those who participate in international education and internationalization processes can inform ways in which we understand and practice internationalization. The courses I teach reflect these diverse and inter-related interests: intercultural and international education, contemporary issues in curriculum, multicultural and anti-racist education, the politics of difference, secondary social studies, and teaching for social justice (with the Professional Development Program).

Email: kumari_beck@sfu.ca

• International education
• Internationalization of high education
• International teacher education
• International development & development education
• Global education
• Globalization
• Postcolonial thought
• Multiculturalism & anti-racist education
• Social issues in education
• Social justice and teacher education
• The ethics of care

Education

Research

Grants

Research/development projects

Publications

PEER REVIEWED ARTICLES

Beck, K. (in press). Globalization/s: Reproduction and resistance. Canadian Journal of Education, special issue on ‘Globalization and the shifting landscape of Canadian education’. (23 pages)

Ilieva, R., Beck, K., & Waterstone, B. (under review). Viewing the internationalization of higher education through a sustainability lens. Globalization, Societies & Education. (18 pages)

Beck, K., Cohen, A. & Falkenberg, T. (2007). Bridging the divide between being and knowing: In quest of care-ethical agency. Paideusis, 16 (2)

Beck, K., Ilieva, R., Scholefield, A. & Waterstone, B. (2007). Locating gold mountain: Cultural capital and the internationalization of teacher education. The Journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Curriculum Studies. Vol. 3. February 2007

BOOK CHAPTERS

Beck, K. (2012).  Making sense of internationalization: A critical approach. In  Yvonne Hebert & Ali Abdi (eds) The intensification of international education. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.

Beck, K. (2009c). Seeking the ‘inter’: Contextualizing, contesting and reconceptualizing internationalization of curriculum. In James Nahachewski & Ingrid Johnston (eds) Beyond Presentism: Re-imagining the personal, social and historical places of curriculum. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers. [peer reviewed]

Beck, K. & Cassidy, W. (2009b).  Enacting an ethic of care in schools: Why relationships matter. In Kitty Te Riele (Ed.) Doing school differently. Sage.

Beck, K.  (2009a) Questioning the emperor’s new clothes: Towards ethical practice. In R. Desai-Trilokekar, G. Jones, & A. Schubert, (Eds.), Canada’s universities go global. Toronto: Lorimer. [peer reviewed]

Beck, K. (2006). Being International: Learning in a Foreign University. In Nuzhat Amin & George Sefa Dei (Eds). The Poetics of Anti-racism. Toronto: Fernwood.

OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS

Cassidy, W., Beck, K., Bai, H., Hawley, M. and Van Poelgeest, D. (2009) Dare to Care: Transforming Schools Through the Ethics of Care. (DVD). Vancouver, BC, Canada: Life is Short Entertainment & National Film Board of Canada.

Beck, K. (2010). Education for development/Developing education. In Context. Special publication to mark the international world congress of Susila Dharma International Association. Montreal: SDIA.

Associate Editor with Doyley, Vincent R. (Ed) (2003) Mico International Journal Vol. 1.

Conferences (selected)

INVITED PRESENTATIONS

Towards Sustainable Internationalization. Featured speaker at the Researchers in International and Comparative Education (RICE) group, Faculty of Education, Western University. January 2012.

Commentary on Faculty perspectives on internationalization. Conference on the ‘The Race to Globalize Higher Education in Canada.’ Ontario Colleges and Universities’ Faculty Association (OCUFA), Toronto. January 2011.

Participant and panelist: Borderless World Workshop Providing tertiary education for refugee populations. Paper: Teaching in a borderless world: Pedagogies of (dis)location. Centre for Refugee Studies, York University, Toronto. April 2010.

Wither Internationalization? Issues for Reflection. Keynote speaker at the Trent University Strategic Planning on Internationalization Initiative. Office of the President, Trent University. September 2006.

Re-Imagining International: From SFU to the World and Back Again. Keynote speaker at SFU’s 40th Anniversary Conference on Internationalization. July 2006.

REFEREED

Beck, K., Ilieva, R., Waterstone, B., Hill, C., Zhang, Z. (2011) Sustaining Social Justice? The globalizing university and sustainable internationalization. Symposium presented at the Fall Institute on Higher education, Globalization and Social Justice. Canadian Society for Studies in Higher Education. Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, BC.

Beck, K. (2011). Maintaining the international ‘Other’: Provoking transculturation. Paper presented at the 5th Biennial Provoking Curriculum conference: Provoking curriculum studies as an aesthetics of vulnerability. University of Alberta, Edmonton.

Beck, K. (2011). Exploration and exploitation, encounters and enculturation: Curriculum in/for the Contact Zone. Paper presented within a Symposium at the Annual conference of the Canadian Association for Curriculum Studies. (CACS) Canadian Society for Studies in Education Conference, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton.

Beck, K.,. Ilieva, R., Waterstone, B., Hill, C., Zhang, Z. (2011). “Reducing emissions”: Towards ‘carbon neutral’, sustainable practices of internationalization. Symposium presented at the Annual conference of the Comparative and International Education Society of Canada, (CIESC) Canadian Society for Studies in Education Conference, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton.

Beck, K.,. Ilieva, R., Waterstone, B., Hill, C., Zhang, Z. (2011). “Reducing emissions”: Towards ‘carbon neutral’, sustainable practices of internationalization. Symposium presented at the 7th International Globalization, Diversity and Education Conference. Washington State University, Spokane, USA.

Beck, K. (2010, May). One world: The sustainability of borderless education. Paper presented at the annual conference of the Comparative and International Education Society of Canada, CSSE, Concordia University, Montreal.

De Castell, S., Beck, K., O’Neill, K., Paterson, D., Smith, S. et al. (2010, May). Sustainable Educational Ecologies: A Faculty’s research inquiry. A panel presentation at the 2010 Annual meeting of the Canadian Network of Environmental Education and Communications. Simon Fraser University, Burnaby.

Beck, K. (2010, February). Reducing emissions: Towards carbon neutral sustainable internationalism. Paper presented at the 6th Annual International Conference on Globalization, Diversity and Education. Washington State University, Spokane, WA.

Beck, K., Ilieva, R., & Waterstone, W. (2009, November). Internationalizing the university: A view from the trenches. Symposium at the Council for  International Higher Education, Annual Conference of the Association for Studies in Higher Education (ASHE) Vancouver, BC.

Beck, K.  (2009, September) Revisiting internationalization of curriculum: Curriculum as pedagogical possibility. Paper presented at the Triennial Conference of the International Association for the Advancement of Curriculum Studies. Cape Town, South Africa.

Beck, K. (2009, September). Towards equity: International teacher education in a Canadian university. Paper presented at the 10th UKFIET International Conference on Education and Development. The UK Forum on International Education and Training, Oxford.

Beck, K. (2009, May). Between nations: Locale, location and dislocation. Paper presented at the annual conference of the Comparative and International Education Society of Canada, Ottawa.

Beck, K. (2009, May). Breaking bounds: Nation, place and space in the internationalization of higher education. Paper presented at the annual conference of the Canadian Society for Studies in Higher Education. Ottawa.

Beck, K. (2009, February). Globalization/s: Reproduction and resistance in internationalization of higher education. Paper presented at the 5th International Globalization, Diversity and Education Conference. Washington State University, Spokane.

Beck, K. (2008, May) Thinking beyond the global and local: Internationalization as eduscape. CIESC/CSSE. University of British Colombia, Vancouver.

Beck, K., Cassidy, W.,  & Bai, H. (2008, May) Thinking beyond the borders of care: Practice informs theory. CERN/CSSE. University of British Colombia, Vancouver.

Bai, H., Beck, K., Cohen, A. & Falkenberg, T. (2007, May) Bridging the divide between being and knowing: In quest of care-ethical agency. CSSE/CPES Canadian Philosophy of Education Society. University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon.

Beck, K. (2007, May) Understanding Internationalization: the view from the ground. CSSE/CIESC. Comparative & International Education Society of Canada. University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon.

Beck, K. (2007, May) How complicated? Exploring internationalization of curriculum as complicated conversation.  & Session Chair – CACS Canadian Association of Curriculum Studies. University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon.

Beck, K. (2006, May) Daring to question the emperor’s clothes. Paper CIESC. CSSE Conference, York University, Toronto.

Beck, K. (2006, May) Re-imagining the spaces and places of curriculum.

Paper selected for Pre-Conference Symposium CACS. CSSE Conference, York University, Toronto.

Teaching

COURSES TAUGHT

Graduate Programs, Faculty of Education, SFU

• The Politics of Difference (EDUC 923)A doctoral course in the Languages, Cultures and Literacies program

• Ethnographic and Anthropological Research Methods (EDUC 926)A companion course to Educ 923, LCL doctoral program

• Current Issues in Curriculum & Pedagogy (EDUC 820) Regular section, and International M.Ed program

• Developing Educational Programs (EDUC 816)

• Introduction to Academic Literacy (EDUC 711) Special Topics course

  M.Ed International cohort

• Academic Literacy for International Graduate Students (non-credit)

Undergraduate Courses, Faculty of Education, SFU

• Social Issues in Education (EDUC 240)Developed course reader

• Intercultural & International Education (EDUC 370)

• Social Studies—Elementary (EDUC 474)

• Social Studies—Secondary (EDUC 414) Designs for Learning

• Anti-Racist/Multicultural Education (EDUC 441)For the Centre for Online and Distance Education (CODE)

Field Programs, Faculty of Education, SFU

• Ways of Seeing, Ways of Knowing (EDUC 530) Special topics course

  Global Education Cohort (Spring 2009)

Learning & Instructional Development Centre, SFU

• Diversity and inclusive teaching for Certificate Program in Instructional Skills Designed and delivered workshops annually for the program since 2004

• Teaching for Inclusion for SFU faculty members and TAsConducted research on needs

  Designed, developed and delivered course (Fall 2003-Summer 2004)

• Diversity Awareness for SFU staff, faculty and studentsVolunteer trainer for SFU’s Diversity Awareness Working Group.

  Delivered workshop on diversity awareness several times a year from 2002-2005

COURSE DEVELOPMENT & REVISION

EDUC 530—Ways of Seeing, Ways of Knowing.

Special topics course for Diploma in Global Education, Field Programs (Spring 2009)

EDUC 820—Current Issues in Curriculum & Pedagogy.

For the MEd International cohort (Redevelopment for International cohort)

EDUC 441—Anti-Racist and Multicultural Education

For the Centre for Online and Distance Education.

Minor revisions (2009). Major Redevelopment (2010-2011).