Dr. Peter A. Scaramuzzo is an educator, scholar, and curriculum theorist whose work bridges critical pedagogy, queer theory, and ecocentric philosophy in education. He earned his Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from Texas A&M University, where his dissertation—A Critical Dehumanist Curriculum Theoretical Inquiry into Inter- and Nondisciplinary Ecocentric Education through a Queer Theoretical Lens—was chaired by Dr. Patrick Slattery and Dr. Jemimah Young. His scholarship engages reconceptualist curriculum theory, post-qualitative inquiry, and pedagogies of discomfort to interrogate how education can serve as an emancipatory and ecological practice.

 

Dr. Scaramuzzo’s teaching philosophy centers on critically compassionate intellectualism and the belief that education must be rigorous, relational, and justice-oriented. His classrooms emphasize democratic participation, culturally relevant and reality-based pedagogy, and ecological consciousness that affirms students’ lived experiences while cultivating critical thought. Drawing on Freire, hooks, and Morton, he positions education as both humanizing and ecocentric—a transformative act that fosters care, agency, and sustainability.

 

An active scholar and practitioner, Dr. Scaramuzzo has published in journals such as Cultural Studies ↔ Critical Methodologies, International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, and Annals of LGBTQ Public and Population Health. His work has been presented nationally and internationally at AERA, NAME, and the World Curriculum Studies Conference. With extensive K-12 and higher-education teaching experience, he continues to advance inclusive, interdisciplinary, and arts-based approaches that empower teachers and students to reimagine curriculum as a living, ethical, and transformative process toward more equitable and sustainable futures.