Faculty Bio
Dr. Erin Reid
My path has taken me from growing up in BC and Calgary to moving east to la belle ville of Montreal, where I lived for more than 20 years — with a few detours to Taiwan, Shanghai, and California. I first received a BEd in TESL from Concordia University which enabled me to teach high school in the beautiful Laurentians. I then moved back to Montreal to complete an MA in Religious Studies (Buddhism) and then a PhD in Education at McGill University, where I examined the role of religious literacy as an educational aim in teacher education. After a number of years teaching at the University of Lethbridge, I moved with my family back to Calgary to start my current position here at St. Mary's.
My research interests lie at the intersection of religious literacy, teacher education, and social justice, broadly speaking, but I am an educational philosopher at heart and also interested in epistemic questions that consider what counts as knowledge in our K-12 classrooms. Most recently, I spend a lot of time thinking about the ethics of generative AI in the K-12 and university classroom. I'm also a co-founder and the Alberta Regional Director for the Centre for Civic Religious Literacy, a national nonprofit where I co-lead projects such as the Civic Literacy Youth Network, an online network for youth across Canada to gain leadership and dialogue skills around issues related to discrimination, religious literacy, and all aspects of identity, including gender, linguistic background, and race.
Teaching has been my life for most of my adult life, and I remain as passionate about creating dynamic learning environments as ever! I'm continually humbled by my students and strive to create a space in which we can all grow together in a spirit of inquiry and inclusivity. My dedication to teaching was affirmed when I was awarded the Distinguished Teaching Award at McGill University.
I love communicating in different languages and could be considered bilingual in French, mildly proficient in Spanish, and able to get by in a pinch in Portuguese. I'm currently studying both Portuguese and Mandarin. To relax, I enjoy listening to music, spending time with my son and spouse, cross-country skiing, studying languages, and traveling to Brazil to enjoy the beach and visit family.
Specialization/Research Interest:
Education
