Degrees

Ph.D., History, University of California, Los Angeles
M.A., History, University of California, Los Angeles
A.B., Medieval Studies, Dartmouth College

Main Interests

Late antique and medieval cultural history; popular religion and devotion; sacred kingship and the intersection between religion and politics/power; medieval art and architecture; popular culture.

Research Interests

My main research interest is medieval cultural history, particularly religion, gender, and architecture. The specific questions driving my research tend to revolve around the visual, corporal, and ritual aspects of Christianity: What role did the visual and material play in medieval Christianity? How did corporeal performance affect belief and vice versa?

In my doctoral dissertation, "Precious Stones, Living Temples: Sacred Space in Carolingian Churches, 751-877 CE," I undertook an extensive investigation of both visual and textual sources. The project examines how sacred space developed metaphorically, architecturally, and ritually in the Frankish world of the eighth and ninth centuries. In approaching this topic, I analyzed and synthesized myriad texts: theological treatises, legal sources, episcopal statutes, biblical commentaries, liturgical directives, saints'  lives, relic translations, a treatise on religious art, a monastic plan, art, and architecture, including more than twenty Carolingian and earlier Italian churches and monasteries. Examining the ways in which churches were conceived, constructed, and used, I demonstrate how theology, devotion, ritual, gender, architecture, and art intersected.

Currently I am revising my dissertation into a book manuscript. In expanding my project, I am now exploring the diverse functions and effects of churches in creating not only religious, but also social and political communities. In particular, my postdoctoral research considers how the ways in which Carolingian churches were conceived, created, and used affected the social and political workings of the Carolingian kingdom.

Teaching Interests

I enjoy teaching courses that span the ancient and medieval Western worlds, especially those focusing on gender, religion, and cultural history. All my classes encourage interdisciplinary exploration and the examination of myriad texts, both written and visual.

My courses for the 2011-2012 academic year are:

• 100. Ancient Western History (Fall 2011)
• 207. Medieval Europe (Spring 2012)
• 298. History of England (Spring 2012)
• 398. Carolingian History (Fall 2011)
• 401. Senior Seminar (Fall 2011)

My other courses include:

• 253. Popular Religion and Devotion in the Middle Ages
• 298. Byzantine History
• 343. Late Antiquity--Transformation and Migration
• 344. Sex, Gender, and the Body in the Medieval World

Other Interests

Beginning in the 2011-2012, I will be the Faculty in Residence in Beard Hall, where I look forward to engaging with students in residential settings!

Publications

"Transforming Space, (Per)forming Community: Church Consecration in Carolingian Europe," Viator 43, no. 1 (Spring 2012): 79-98.

"Another Word on Job-Market Etiquette," Perspectives in History 49, no. 9 (Dec. 2011): 28-29.

Getting an Academic Job in History. Washington, D.C.: American Historical Association, 2009.

Student Projects

With the support of a Wheaton Research Partnership, I have been working with Christine Sobieck, Elena Malkov, and Eben Diskin on a research project entitled "Women and Family, Love and Marriage at the Court of Charlemagne." For Summer 2011, Christine, Eben, and I have received a Mars Fellowship to write a related article tentatively entitled, "Frankish Women on the Hunt."