Rifat A. Salam

Associate Professor
Deputy Chairperson
Social Sciences, Human Services and Criminal Justice

Office: N-651S

Office Hours:

Phone: +1 (212) 776-6440

I received my Ph.D. in sociology from New York University. My book, “Negotiating Tradition, Becoming American: Family, Gender and Autonomy for Second Generation South Asians” describes the experiences of South Asian Americans whose families came to the United States in the post-1965 period following changes to immigration. My research interests focus broadly on the experiences of South Asian and Asian Americans.

An active member of the American Sociological Association, I have presented and organized workshops on undergraduate teaching and learning, as well as workshops on academic careers. Most recently, I participated in the third iteration of the ASA Taskforce on Liberal Learning and the Sociology Major and am one of the authors of The Sociology Major in the Changing Landscape of Higher Education.

At BMCC, I am a coordinator of Writing Across the Curriculum and focus on faculty development and training to certify faculty to teach Writing Intensive courses. Though my primary interest in pedagogy is writing, I actively pursue pedagogical strategies to provide students with transformative learning opportunities. Most recently, I am part of a multidisciplinary team on an NSF-funded project to develop computational thinking skills across the curriculum.

I am deeply committed to the mission of community colleges and being part of creating academic experiences which will enhance all areas of our students’ lives.

Expertise

South Asians in the United States, Sociology of the Family, Race & Ethnicity, Qualitative Research Methods, Asian-American Experiences, WAC Pedagogy, Faculty Development

Degrees

B.A. Marymount Manhattan College, Sociology,1992
Ph.D. New York University, Sociology,2010

Courses Taught

3 CRS.3 HRS.NULL LAB HRS. SOC 100 SOC 100 (Introduction to Sociology): This course studies the social world and how it has evolved over time, as well as how individuals are influenced and structured by social interactions in small groups and by larger social forces. The course covers major sociological theories and research methods, and key concepts such as culture, socialization, social class, race/ethnicity, gender, technology, social inequality, and social change.
3 CRS.3 HRS.NULL LAB HRS. SOC 230 SOC 230 (Race and Ethnicity): This course focuses on sociological approaches to the study of racial and ethnic relations and their impact on social life. The relations between racial and ethnic groups in the United States will be examined from a social-structural and social-Psychological perspective. This course will examine historical and contemporary constructions of identity, assimilation stratification and interaction between majority and minority groups.
Prerequisite: SOC 100
3 CRS.3 HRS.NULL LAB HRS. SOC 111 SOC 111 (Understanding Technological Society): This is a problem-centered and task-oriented course that integrates the humanities and the theories and practices of science and social sciences into the leading public issues of technological society. By emphasizing the close connections between science and technology, social institutions, and cultural values, students will learn how social institutions directly affect technological development and professional careers. The course also analyzes today's "global village," the changing relations between East and West and the Third World, and worldwide development and environmental issues.

Research and Projects

BMCC Teaching Academy
The BMCC Teaching Academy is a two-year pedagogical program aimed at junior faculty at the college. I was part of the initial group which proposed and designed the program, which was funded by the college and is now into its third cohort of faculty. I am currently serving as a Co-PI in a research project examining the program and am especially interested in assessment.

Publications

Honors, Awards and Affiliations

BMCC Distinguished Teaching Award- 2019
BMCC Faculty Development Grant 2010
BMCC Faculty Development Grant, 2010 for the project, “Re-Arranged Marriage: Second Generation South Asians Negotiate Gender, Autonomy and Becoming American”

Additional Information

https://rsalam.commons.gc.cuny.edu/