Joan Peterson

Joan Peterson is a Professor in the Department of Teacher Education at Saint Mary's College of California's Kalmanovitz School of Education. Her work focuses on intersections between Holocaust education, literary analysis, and ethical pedagogy. She has been actively involved in academic conferences such as the Annual Scholars' Conference on the Holocaust and the Churches since 2015.

Her research explores topics including anti-Judaism in digital contexts, post-Holocaust literature, and moral dimensions of teaching. Notable contributions include analyses of works by W.G. Sebald, Heinrich Böll, and Italian-Jewish authors. She has received awards like the O. DeSales Perez Award and Bilha Sperling Holocaust Education Award for her scholarly contributions.

• Publications span 1994–2018, emphasizing Holocaust pedagogy, literary criticism, and ethical inquiry
• Active in community initiatives like the Alameda County Holocaust Remembrance Committee
• Developed influential teaching guidelines for Holocaust education curricula

Her work bridges historical memory studies with contemporary educational practice, addressing both scholarly and public audiences through multidisciplinary approaches.