Susan D. Blum

Susan D. Blum is a Professor of Anthropology at the University of Notre Dame's College of Arts and Letters. She holds concurrent fellowships at the Kellogg Institute for International Studies, Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies, Institute for Educational Initiatives, Eck Institute for Global Health, and Shaw Center for Children and Families. Previously, she served as Chair of the Department of Anthropology (2011–2013) and Director of the Center for Asian Studies (2003–2008). Her academic journey includes teaching positions at Oklahoma State University, University of Colorado Denver, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Notre Dame since 1999.

Blum earned her PhD in Anthropology from the University of Michigan (1994), with additional MAs in Anthropology and Chinese Language/Literature (1986–1988), and a BA in Human Language (Linguistics) from Stanford University (1980).

Her research focuses on cultural, linguistic, and psychological anthropology with emphases on education, morality, sustainability, and China/US comparisons. Notable works include Schoolishness: Alienated Education and the Quest for Joyful Learning (2024), I Love Learning; I Hate School (2016), and My Word! Plagiarism and College Culture (2009), which was translated into Chinese. She also edited Ungrading: Why Rating Students Undermines Learning (2020).

Blum has received prestigious awards including the Delta Kappa Gamma Educator's Award (2010), NEH Fellowship (2002–2003), and teaching excellence awards from Notre Dame and University of Colorado Denver. Her work bridges academia and public discourse, with frequent media engagements and podcasts on education reform, plagiarism, and ungrading.

She has contributed to over 10 books and 50 peer-reviewed articles, spanning topics from linguistic anthropology to higher education policy. Blum's current projects include the School Story Lab and Teachers as Learners: Listening and Changing in Higher Education.