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Chirico, Donna
 

Chirico, Donna

Curriculum Vitae

Professor
Behavioral Sciences

Phone: 718-262-2687
Office Location: AC-4D05
dchirico@york.cuny.edu
http://myprofile.cos.com/DCRYork

Office Hours  
Open hours: Tuesdays  9:00-10:00 am 
Or By Appointment, please email DChirico@york.cuny.edu   

Education

Degree Institution Field Dates
EdD  Columbia University Teachers College  Religion and Education  2000 
MS  Fordham University at Lincoln Center  Counseling Psychology  1980 
BA  York College of The City University of New York  Psychology  1979 
Field research is Ladakh, northern India studying moral and spiritual development constitutes the foundation for Professor Chirico's present research exploring the nature of transcendent imagination as it relates to aspects of psychological development. One connection is the role of the imaginative process in educational attainment among Americans of Italian decent; A central goal of this work to is to come to understand the function of esoteric or transcendent imagination as it relates to personal development, attainment of valued goals, and the formation of personal identity. (Here is a recent piece on Italian American identity:http://www.i-italy.org/node/13090.) Professor Chirico is also an expert in the application of statistical analysis in sports who explores the use of statistical paradigms in sports betting and choices made by fantasy sports league participants. (Here is a recent interview on the topic: https://www.york.cuny.edu/student/yorktv/audio/chirico-krfc-radio/view.)

Areas of Expertise

Development of Transcendent Imagination
The Influence of Ethnicity on Identity, with a focus on the Italian Diaspora
Educational Attainment Among Nontraditional College Students
Statistics in Sports

Articles in Field Of Expertise

Uwe P. Gielen, Stuart Dick, Sidney Rosenberg, Donna M. Chirico and Frank Chiafettelli. "Naturalistic observation of sex and race differences in visual interaction." International Journal of Group Tensions. 1-4 1979: 211-227.

Uwe P. Gielen and Donna Chirico-Rosenberg. "Traditional Buddhist Ladakh and the Ethos of Peace." International Journal of Group Tensions. 23 1993: 5-24.

Donna M. Chirico. "Building on Shifting Sand: The Impact of Computer Use on Neural and Cognitive Development." Waldorf Education Research Institute Bulletin. 2 1997: 13-19.

Donna M. Chirico. "Where Lies the Wisdom to Distinguish One from the Other: The Question of Moral Creativity at 2000." Psychohistory. 27 1999: 47-58.

Donna M. Chirico. "Exoteric and Esoteric Imagination in Psychological Development." Social Compass. 48 2001: 525-539.

Donna M. Chirico. "A Bridge or a Day By Any Other Name." La Voce di New York. August 29, 2017: .

Donna M. Chirico. "As the Columbus Day Debate Rages On, So do the Time-Worn Stereotypes." La Voce di New York. April 3, 2018: .

Chapters in Field Of Expertise

Donna M. Chirico. "Guido: A Generational Rebellion." Guido: Italian American Youth and Identity Politics. Edited by L. Airos and O. Cappelli 2011: 79-82.

Donna M. Chirico. "The Dog Catches His Tail: A Critical Reflection on the Value of an Italian American Identity in Personal Development." The Status of Interpretation in Italian American Studies. Edited by J. Krase 2011: 185-200.

Donna M. Chirico. "Being White, Feeling Black, Acting Out: Identity Development Among Italian American Youth." Benessere Psicologico: Contemporary Thought on Italian American Mental Health. Edited by D. Carielli 2013: 13-30.

Donna M. Chirico. "Italian Identity in the Third Millennium: How to Claim an Italian American Identity." Meditations on Identity/Meditazioni su Identita. Edited by Anthony Julian Tamburri 2014: 65-76.

Donna M. Chirico. "How Cultural Memory Builds a Narrative Past." This Hope Sustains the Scholar. Edited by S. Gibby, J. Sciorra, and A. Tamburri 2021: 223-242.

Refereed Proceedings in Field Of Expertise

Donna M. Chirico. "Painting Psychology: Using Narrative Responses to Art as a Way to Assess Transcendent Imagination." . Fall, 2007: .

Presented Papers, Lectures, and Exhibitions and Performances

" The Big Apple: An Insider's View " May 9, 1980: Florence A. Smith School.

" Development of Socio-Moral Reasoning in Buddhist Ladakh " March 4, 1981: CUNY Graduate Center.

" Cross-Cultural Aspects of Aging: Socio-Moral and Religious Thinking in " March 20, 1982: Institute for Cross-Cultural and Cross-Ethnic Studies.

" Development of Socio-Moral and Religious Thinking in Buddhist Ladakh " October 16, 1982: Columbia University.

" Buddhist Ladakh: Psychological Portrait of a Nonviolent Culture " February 21, 1983: Society for Cross-Cultural Research.

" Jungian Perspectives in Buddhist Symbolism " January 20, 1985: Ethical Cultural Society of Queens.

" A Journey to Ladakh: Signs and Symbols in Tibetan Buddhism " April 11, 1988: York College Faculty Forum.

" Psychological Development in Later Adulthood " October 25 and November 9, 1989: CUNY School of Law.

" The Status of Women in Eastern Religions " March 26, 1991: York College Women's Center.

" Reauthorizing the Older Americans Act " March 3, 1991: CUNY School of Law.

" Growing Together or Growing Apart: The Impact of Interdynamic Processes on Group Formation and Leadership " July 17, 1992: Keynote Speaker, York College Student Government Summer Leadership Conference.

" Reconciling Ethnically Chauvinistic Views of Women in the Egalitarian Classroom " January 21, 1994: Third Annual Faculty/Staff Conference, Making Connections: York College in the Nineties.

" Breaking the Rules: Italian Americans in Higher Education " October 13, 1999: York College Faculty Forum.

" Esoteric and Exoteric Imagination in Americans of Italian Decent " August 11, 2000: Esoteric and Exoteric Imagination in Americans of Italian Decent.

" Holding Moonbeams in your Hand: Measuring Esoteric and Exoteric Imagination " October 20, 2001: Annual Meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion.

" The Narrative Strength of Descriptive Statistics " May 28, 2003: CUNY Writing Across the Curriculum Professional Development Workshop.

" Using Aesthetic Narrative to Assess Transcendent Imagination " October 25, 2003: Annual Meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion.

" Where is the Wisdom: The Question of Moral Creativity " August 15, 2004: Annual Meeting of the Association for Sociology of Religion.

" Statistics: Alive! " September 22, 2006: Presented at St. Paul Interparochial School.

" Creative Genius: Balanchine, Dali, Niebuhr " November 10, 2006: 18th Annual Conference on Behavioral Research, Symposium Session presented with Khionna Douglas and Kathia Lamour.

" Caring for the Caregiver " February 15, 2007: Workshop presented at the Church of the Presentation, Upper Saddle River, NJ.

" Classroom and Curricular Assessment " April 27, 2007: York College Faculty Development Workshop.

" Painting Psychology: Using Narrative Responses to Art as a Way to Assess Transcendent Imagination " October 19, 2007: School of Visual Arts 21st Annual Conference on Liberal Arts and the Education of Artists, Art Education, Religion and the Spiritual.

" Transcendent Imagination and the Struggle for Educational Attainment Among Italian-American Women " October 25, 2007: John D. Calandra Institute for Italian American Studies, Recent Scholarship on Contemporary Italian-American Youth.

" Transcendent Imagination as an Agent of Change Among Italian Women” Italian American Youth Culture. Recent Reappraisals " March 11, 2008: Stony Brook University Center for Italian American Studies.

" The Dog Catches his Tail: A Critical Reflection on the Value of an Italian American Identity in Personal Development " October 6, 2008: Forum for Italian American Criticism.

" The Uses of Statistics in Sports " July, 2009: Beyond the Balls.

" Department Management and Business Practices, Personnel Supervision, Scheduling, Faculty Assignments " Fall, 2009: York College Department Chairs Workshop.

" Preparing your Application and Portfolio " January 15, 2010: New Faculty Orientation Workshop.

" Cultural and Generational Differences: Struggles in Education " April 7, 2010: York College Women’s Leadership Colloquium.

" What to Know Before Getting a Doctoral Degree " April 13, 2010: Teachers College Columbia University.

" Money and Fame are not Enough: Barriers to Education " April 19, 2010: XIII Colloquium of the Modern Languages Department, BMCC.

" Italian Americans as an Affirmative Action Group in Higher Education " September 21, 2010: Presented on Nota Bene, the webcast division of CUNYTV’s Italics.

" Being White, Feeling Black, Acting Out: Identity Development Among Italian American Youth " October 9, 2010: Italian American Mental Health and Wellness Conference.

" Tsunami: Catastrophic & Horrific Disasters in Japan; The Psychological Impact of Disasters " March 31, 2011(with Kidd, Schleifer, Donahue): York College, Earth and Physical Sciences Club.

" Ethnic and Gender Barriers to Educational Attainment " April 1, 2011: Keynote Speaker, St. Francis College, Psi Chi Initiation Ceremony.

" The Importance of Self-Identification in a Multi-Ethnic Social Environment " October 14, 2011: Italian American Mental Health: Research and Praxis Symposium.

" Mentoring Students in Cross Cultural Research " April 14, 2012: Toward a Global Psychology conference, St. Francis College.

" How Ethnicity Trumps Race in the Struggle for Self-Identity " April 23, 2012: John D. Calandra Institute for Italian American Studies, "Reconfiguring White Ethnicity".

" On a Different Shore - Defining Italian " October 24 and 25, 2012: Invited Panelist, Italian Language Inter-Cultural Alliance.

" Cohesive Diversity or Segmented Assimilation?: A Case Study of the Italian American Experience at CUNY " March 8, 2013: CUNY Faculty Diversity and Inclusion Conference (with Anthony Julian Tamburri).

" Unity of Existence " May 18, 2013: Celebration of the 150th Birth Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda Conference.

" What is an Italian identity? Italian Identity in the 3rd Millennium " May 27-28, 2013: Part II, Rome, Italy Invited expert panelist to participate in a constructive dialogue exploring the transformation of Italy and Italian culture today. The symposium was sponsored by ILICA, the Italian Language Inter-Cultural Alliance..

" Italians and America: Searching for Culture in the Right Places. Italian Identity in the 3rd Millennium " November 7-8, 2013: Part III, NYC, NY. Invited expert panelist to participate in a constructive dialogue exploring the transformation of Italy and Italian culture today. The symposium was sponsored by ILICA, the Italian Language Inter-Cultural Alliance..

" Donna Chirico interviews Anthony Tamburri " March 28, 2014: Italics, CUNY TV.

" Italian Identity: The NEXT Generation " October 3, 2014: Invited panelist to participate in a constructive dialogue exploring the transformation of Italy and Italian culture today. The symposium was sponsored by ILICA, the Italian Language Inter-Cultural Alliance.

" Italian American Studies in the United States and Italy " October 6, 2014: Symposium,sponsored by the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute.

" Why Grand Parents Matter: Theoretical Support for the Intergenerational Experience in Development " April 23-24, 2015: Conference paper presentation, Bambini, Giovani, Ragazzi: Children and Youth in Italy and the Italian Diaspora sponsored by the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute.

" The Contribution of Language to Italian Identities/Il Contributo della Lingua Identita Italiane " June 25, 2015: Conference paper presentation, American Association of Teachers of Italian, Siena, Italy.

" The Psychological Consequences of Losing your Roots and the Need for Reclaiming an Authentic Ethnic Identity " June 29, 2015: Invited Lecture, Italian American Diaspora Summer School Program, University of Calabria.

" How Pasta Fazool is Destroying Your Heritage: The Negative Impact of the Bastardization of Language in Psychological Development " October 16, 2015: Conference presentation, Italian American Studies Association, Washington, DC.

" Discrimination Then and Now: Strategies for a Future Education " February 24, 2016: New York State Conference of Italian American State Legislators.

" Creating Reimagined Traditions Out of Ethnic Stereotypes " June 11, 2016: Keynote Address, Order Sons of Italy, Grand Lodge of New York State.

" Forty Years of Italian American Civil Service Employment in New York City and New York State " October 6, 2016: Symposium Presentation, John D. Calandra Italian American Institute.

" Hegemonic Perceptions as a Negative Factor in Identificational Assimilation Among the Italian Diaspora " November 4, 2016: Conference paper presentation, Italian American Studies Association, University of California, Long Beach, CA.

" Teaching Italian American Studies inNorth America: Challenges and Successes " November 4, 2016: Roundtable,Italian American Studies Association, University of California, Long Beach, CA.

" Ethnic Identity in the Italian Diaspora " January 17 and 18, 2017: University of Calabria, Corso Cultura e Lettura Italo-Americano.

" Sounds of Silence: The deaf and hearing-impaired community as linguistic minority among Italians and Italian Americans " April 29, 2017: Italian Sonorities and Acoustic Communities Listening to the Soundscapes of Italianità, John D. Calandra Itaian American Institute.

" Hegemonic Perceptions as a Negative Factor in Identificational Assimilation Among the Italian Diaspora " June 17, 2017: Italian American Studies Association International Symposium.

" Teaching Italian American Studies " June 17, 2017: Italian American Studies Association International Symposium, Workshop, Fred Gardaphe, co-leader.

" Mediterranean Hospitality from Magna Greece to the 21st Century Friday, November 3th, 2017 Criminal Justice Amici/Friends, Il mondo affronta, in modi diversi, il problema dell'Ospitalità ai meno fortunati. The world is facing, with different approaches, the Hospitality problem for those who are looking for a better life far from their countries of origin. L'esperienza e la competenza del John D. CALANDRA/CUNY aiuteranno ILICA nel proporre una Conferenza complessa forse quanto quella fatta nel 2011 per l'unità d'Italia. The expertise of JOHN D. CALANDRA Italian American Institute (Queens College/CUNY) will help ILICA to propose a complex Conference as well as the one we proposed together, back in 2011, for the celebration of Italian Unity. Pino Aprile, Gianpiero Barbuto, Anthony J. Tamburri, Mario Gargiulo e Donna Chirico saranno i relatori che proporranno le proprie opinioni per le domande dei nostri ospiti. Secondo lo stile di ILICA. Pino Aprile, Gianpiero Barbuto, Anthony J. Tamburri, Mario Gargiulo and Donna Chirico will express their opinions before answering to the questions from the audience. That is the ILICA's Conference style. La Conferenza sarà gratis e aperta e include un grande ricevimento con specialità gourmet Italiane " November 7, 2017: Italian Language Inter-Cultural Alliance.

" How Cultural Memory Builds a Narrative Past in Forming Individual Identity " November 14, 2017: John D. Calandra Italian American Institute in partnership with the United Nations; "Cultural Heritage Memory--Negotiating the Past in Order to Build on the Future".

" The Influence of Dualistic Hegemonic Perceptions on Psychological Development in the Italian Diaspora " April 6, 2018, Melbourne, Australia: DIASPORE ITALIANE – ITALY IN MOVEMENT: A Symposium on Three Continents: Australia • United States • Italy, "Living Transcultural Spaces".

" How and Why the Migration of Italians Became a Diaspora: A Psychological Perspective " October 19, 2018: Italian American Studies Association, Chicago, IL.

" The Need for Reconstructing Memory: Connections of the Self to the Italian Diaspora and an Imagined Italian Past " June 20-22, 2019: DIASPORE ITALIANE – ITALY IN MOVEMENT: A Symposium on Three Continents: Australia • United States • Italy, "Living Transcultural Spaces", Genova, Italy.

" The Italian American Experience Between Black and White " September 22-24: Department of French and Italian at Tulane University and the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute, New Orleans. Louisiana.

" Revisiting Educational Attainment Among Americans of Italian Heritage: A New Look at the Importance of Leonard Covello " October 4, 2022: Journey Through the Italian American Community of New York: The Life and Educational Work of Leonard Covello, sponsored by the University of Foggia.

" The Identity Crisis of the Working Class in the Age of Identity Politics " October 28, 2022: Italian American Studies Association, Pittsburgh, PA.

" No Girls Allowed: Homosociality and the Man Caves of Personal Identity " November 5, 2022: The Godfather: 50 Years Later, Symposium presented by the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute.

" Crossing Physical and Psychological Borders: The Impact of Migration on Identity and Mental Health within the Italian Diaspora " November 27-December 1: DIASPORE ITALIANE – ITALY IN MOVEMENT 4: Borders between us and others. The right to migrate as a human right. Transits, experiences and imaginaries, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Professional Honors, Prizes, Fellowships

Citation of Honor, Office of the Queensborough President: 2016.

John D. Calandra Institute for Italian American Studies Faculty Fellow: Spring 2009.

John D. Calandra Institute for Italian American Studies Faculty Research Consultant: 2011-present.

John Templeton Foundation, Model Course in Religion and Science Program, finalist: .

Order of the Sons of Italy in America, Career Achievement Award: 2017.

Who's Who in America: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012.

Who’s Who Among American Teachers: permanent listing.

Who’s Who Among Italian Americans, National Italian American Foundation: current.

Who’s Who in Theology and Science, John Templeton Foundation: current.

York College Alumni Association, Distinguished Alumnus Award: .

York College Student Government Award for Excellence in Teaching: .

York College Student Government Service Award: .

York College Student Government Annual Appreciation Award: .

York College Women’s Center Citation, Recognition for Support of Women’s Issues: .

Grants-In-Aid

New York Council for the Humanities Mini-Grant, Breezes from Andalusia: Dance, Spain and the Jews” - Performed by the Avodah Dance Ensemble. 1993: $1000.

New York Council for the Humanities Mini-Grant, Writing Awareness Week. 1994: $1000.

CUNY Faculty Development Grant, Voices in the Wilderness: The Role of Spiritual Development as part of the University's Mission. 1995: $1000.

York College Auxiliary Board, Slavery in the Modern World. 2002: $450.

York College Auxiliary Board, The Healing Power of Music. 2006: $500.

John D. Calandra Institute for Italian American Studies, Faculty Research Consultant, Grant-in-Aid. 2011-2012: $9000.

Department of Education, STEMConnect. 2017-2023: 350,000.

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Other Professional Activities and Public Service

American Association of University Women, Member: current.

American Italian Historical Association, Executive Committee, Treasurer: current.

American Statistical Association, Member: current.

American Psychological Association: Division 52, International Psychology, Member: current.

American Statistical Association, Statistics in Sports Division, Member: current.

Association for the Sociology of Religion: current.

Book Reviewer, Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries: .

Book Reviewer, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion: .

Book Reviewer, World Psychology: .

Editorial Board Member and Peer Reviewer, Italian American Review: current.

Columnist, il Bollettino, Newsletter of the John D. Calandra Institute for Italian American Studies: .

Comitato di New York of the Societa Dante Aligheri, Advisory Board: current.

Consultant, Learning in the Real World Project sponsored by the Center for Ecoliteracy, University of California at Berkeley: .

Consultant, Statistical textbook development in Psychology for Wadsworth and Prentice-Hall Publishers: .

Counselor, pro bono, Beth Israel Methadone Treatment Center: .

Italian Language Inter-Cultural Alliance, President: .

Judge and/or Chief Judge, Annual York College Science and Math Exposition: current.

Judge and/or Chief Judge, Rohm and Haas Invitational Science Fair: .

Judge and/or Chief Judge, York College Junior Science and Humanities Symposium: current.

Judge, Ursula Gielen Global Psychology Book Award, presented by Division 52 of the American Psychological Association (International Psychology): .

Mathematical Association of America, Member: current.

Mentor, Teachers College Columbia University Alumni Network: current.

Mentor, Fordham University Alumni and Student Mentoring Program: .

Mentor, York College Summer Bridge to Science Program: 2010, 2011, 2020.

National Italian American Foundation: current.

National Organization of Italian American Women, National Board of Directors, Secretary: .

Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society: current.

Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, Member: current.