Mariah Pol

   Download CV   Website   Google Scholar   Research Gate

Dr. Mariah Pol is Teaching Faculty and Secondary Social Studies Program Coordinator in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. Her work bridges research and practice, focusing on social studies education, teacher education, and peace education. Her scholarship examines how teachers engage and facilitate conflictual dialogue in their classrooms after participation in professional development, as well as her work in teacher education.

In addition to her research, Dr. Pol has worked as a curriculum writer for a variety of organizations, designing inquiry-driven, justice-oriented curriculum used by K–12 educators and institutions, with a focus on amplifying diverse histories and supporting youth civic engagement. Prior to joining UW–Madison, she was an Associate Instructor at Indiana University, where she prepared pre-service teachers in social studies methods, multicultural education, and international student teaching experiences. Before entering academia, she was an award-winning secondary social studies teacher in Northwest Indiana and a recipient of multiple domestic and international teaching fellowships, including recognition as Indiana History Teacher of the Year.

Education

• PhD Curriculum and Instruction, Indiana University, 2025
• BS Secondary Education (Social Studies), Indiana University, 2015

Select Creative Works

• Pol, M. (2024). Lesson plans for Legacy and Legend: The history and mythology of basketball in Indiana. Indiana Historical Society Press. Media Link.
• Pol, M. (2024). Empowering youth activism: Exploring superfund sites and environmental advocacy. Indiana University Center on Representative Government. Media Link.
• Pol, M. (2022). Lesson plans for Asian American voices in Indiana. Indiana Historical Society Press. Media Link.
• Pol, M. (2022). Lesson plans for Hoosier Latinos: A century of struggle, service, and success. Indiana Historical Society Press. Media Link.
• Pol, M. (2022, Fall). What can the U.S. learn from Germany’s immigration policies? Transatlantic Outreach Program Lesson Magazine: Teach Germany. 37-41. Media Link.
• Pol, M. (2019). Life in the borderlands: Morocco and Spain inquiry. University of Arizona Center for Middle Eastern Studies.

Select Media Contributions

• Indiana University School of Education News, Lesson plans help teach history through the culture of basketball. (2025, April). Media Link.
• News at IU, Revolutionizing education: Democracy Quest VR will take students on historic journey. (2024, May). Media Link.
• Indiana University School of Education News, A trip to Northern Ireland brings peacekeeping lessons home. (2023, July). Media Link.
• Indiana Historical Society Blog, Celebrating AAPI in Your Home and Classroom. (2023, May). Media Link.
• Indiana Historical Society Blog, Teaching Hoosier Latinos. (2022, December). Media Link.
• Chalkbeat, Witnessing history: Teachers and students left reeling, looking for lessons in an insurrection. (2021, January). Media Link.
• WFYI Radio, As States Count Ballots, Here’s What Indiana Teachers Are Talking About With Students. (2020, November). Media Link.
• WFYI Radio, Juneteenth Isn’t New, But Is Barely Found In Textbooks. People Say That Needs To Change. (2020, June). Media Link.
• Indiana University School of Education Newsletter, Alumna wins Indiana History Teacher of the Year. (2019, July). Media Link.

Select Publications

• Pol, M. (2025). Learning in the aftermath of a historical harm: U.S. teachers peace education conceptualizations and practices through an international learning experience in Northern Ireland (Publication No. 32039821) [Doctoral dissertation, Indiana University]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global. Online Publication/Abstract.
• Cuenca, A., Brinda, C., Cowden, R., & Pol, M. (2024). Preparing all teacher educators? Considerations for the specialized work of teacher education in a pedagogy of teacher education course. In B.M. Butler & S.M. Bullock (Eds.), Understanding a Pedagogy of Teacher Education. Routledge. Online Publication/Abstract.
• Pol, M. (2023). Road to forgotten: Korea in U.S. world history textbooks. Iowa Journal for the Social Studies, 31(1), 91-122.
• Vesperman, D. P. & Pol, M. (2022). Teaching social studies in a time of COVID-19: An examination of contradictions in activity. In D. P. Vesperman (Ed.), Out of turmoil: Catalysts for re-learning, re-teaching, and re-imagining history and social science (pp. 57-72). Emerald Publishing. Online Publication/Abstract.

Select Presentations

• Pol, M. (2026, March). From immersion to implementation: U.S. teachers re-examine peace education after international learning experience in Northern Ireland. Presented at the Annual Conference of the Comparative and International Education Society, San Francisco, CA.
• Pol, M. (2025, April). In-service teachers’ peace education conceptualizations evolved: Insights from an international learning experience in Northern Ireland. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Denver, CO.
• Pol, M. & O’Brien, K. P. (2025, March). “They see us like I’m an angry POC and you’re an idealistic white liberal”: Narrating the emotional responses of two novice teacher educators in a multicultural education course. Presented at Indiana University School of Education Graduate Student Research Symposium, Bloomington, IN.
• Pol, M. (2023, November). “Here’s the road. We are driving this way, and we are not making any turns”: A high school U.S. history teacher’s usage of supplementary curricular materials designed to enhance multiple diverse perspectives. Presented at the College and University Faculty Assembly of the National Council for the Social Studies, Nashville, TN.
• Pol, M. (2022, June). Road to forgotten: Korea in U.S. world history textbooks. Presented at the Annual Conference of the Social Science Education Consortium, Dublin, Ireland.
• Vesperman, D. P. & Pol, M. (2021, June). Teaching social studies in a time of COVID-19: An examination of contradictions in activity. Presented at the Annual Conference of the Social Science Education Consortium, Virtual.

Select Awards and Honors

• James E. Davis Early Career Scholar Award, Social Science Education Consortium, 2026
• Best Dissertation Award, Peace Education Special Interest Group, Comparative and International Education Society, 2026
• Outstanding Associate Instructor Teaching Award, Indiana University School of Education, 2025
• Caleb Mills Indiana History Teacher of the Year, Indiana Historical Society, 2020
• Indiana History Teacher of the Year, Gilder Lehrman Institute for American History, 2019