Research Discipline/Bio
Tara Maria Fernandes is a third year doctoral student of English Education at Teachers College. Her research explores Literature in Community, a topic deeply inspired by her 7 years teaching in an international school in Bangalore (India). Using Book Clubs, immersive reading projects, and field trips to get her students excited about entering and dwelling in the literary realm, Tara's work weaves her experience as a high school teacher in Bangalore together with her current projects as a doctoral student in New York. Along with teaching graduate-level courses in literature pedagogy (like the Teaching of Shakespeare), Tara also runs a book club in her international graduate residential community: The I-House Book Club. Her research questions include what it means to bring a community to literature, and the experience of being a part of a living literary web.
Educational Background
Teachers College, Columbia University - PhD in English Education - May 2026
Bangalore City University: S.B. College, B.Ed. - May 2021
Newnham College, University of Cambridge - MPhil in American Literature - May 2014
St. Stephen’s College, University of Delhi - M.A. First Class Honors English - May 2013
St. Stephen’s College, University of Delhi - B.A. First Class Honors English - May 2011
Honors/Awards
PEO International Peace Scholar for 2023-24 & 2024-25.
Awarded “Best Educational Enterprise” by International House NYC for the I-House Book Club (May 2024)
Morse Fellow at Center for Professional Education of Teachers (CPET) (2023-24)
International House NYC Program Fellow 2023-24 & 2024-25
Zankel Fellow, Teachers College, Columbia University 2022-23
Publications/Exhibitions
Fernandes, T.M. “Only Connecting!: Transaction and Engagement in my Literature Classroom” The English Record (New York State English Council) Vol 72 #1 Spring 2023
Last Updated: Nov 2, 2024