Esther Kim joins Curriculum & Instruction faculty
Tell us a little about your background and what brought you to W&M.
I was born and raised in southern California, where I spent as much time at the beach as possible. But work and grad school took me to Korea, Connecticut, and then Texas. And finally, here to William & Mary. I taught humanities, U.S. History and World History for six years before starting my doctorate. I still miss being in high school classrooms with amazing young people, but have come to love teaching and learning from students dedicated to the agency and education of young folx.
What’s your area of research and what question are you most passionate about answering right now?
My research looks generally at ideologies/origin stories (particularly around race and religion) that underlie the borders that students (and all of us truly) construct around those we consider community and those we consider as outsiders. What are the consequences of those boundaries? And how might we begin to shift those ideologies and origin stories so that our borders widen, or someday disappear?
What else are you hoping to get involved with on campus or in the community?
I hope that with time, I'll become more familiar with local teachers so that we can support each other in working towards equity and justice in Social Studies curriculum and classrooms.
