I came to the University of Oslo to start a position as an Associate Professor of American Studies in the fall of 2022. I have a PhD in American Studies from ILOS. From 2019 to 2022 I worked in the teacher training program at the University of Southeastern Norway.
Academic Interests
My research focuses on 20th-century American history, esp. religion, gender, sexuality, politics, and education. My first monograph Family Matters: James Dobson and Focus on the Family's Crusade for the Christian Home was published in 2019. The book tells the story of the evangelical family expert James Dobson and his organization Focus on the Family. It was reviewed in journals such as Journal of American History, Church History and Choice. So far, I have published mostly on conservative evangelical groups, from rap groups to school activists. See details below.
I currently work on what I hope to be a second monograph about the political debates around reading instruction in the US from the 1950s to George W. Bush's school reforms. The project traces how a specific method of teaching reading (phonics) was part of a broader conservative project against progressive pedagogy in schools.
I have been invited to write a chapter for an edited volume for the project Living Together about religion and democracy in Colorado. The project is supported by the Henry Luce Foundation.
Courses Taught
ENG4000 – Thesis Writing for English Literature, American and British Studies
ENG2504 – American Places (with a special focus on suburban history)
ENG4550 Theory and Method in American and British Studies
ENG1506: American History and Society: An Introduction
ENG4546: Educating Americans: The History of Education in the USA
MA Supervision
I supervise theses in recent American history that deal with topics such as education, religion, gender, class, transnational movement, popular culture, ethnicity, and race.
Select Research Funding
Congregational Library, Boston (2016)
Visiting fellowship at Point Loma Nazarene University (2015)
Fulbright Fellowship at Northwestern University (2010-2011)
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