Education

Doctor of Philosophy, Communication, University of Colorado Boulder, July 2022

Dissertation: “Communicating God’s Work: An Applied and Postcolonial Study of Cultural Discourses in a Christian Nonprofit”

Committee Members: Dr. David Boromisza-Habashi (Advisor), Dr. Joelle Cruz, Dr. Lawrence R. Frey, Dr. Natasha Shrikant, and Dr. Mark Ward

Masters of Arts, Department of Communication, University of Colorado Boulder, May 2018

Thesis: “Conversation and Storytelling as Cultural Practices: Designing a Communication Activism Intervention with Migrant English Language Learners”

Committee Members: Dr. Lawrence R. Frey (Advisor), Dr. Leah Sprain, and Dr. David Boromisza-Habashi

Bachelor of Arts, North Park University, Chicago, IL, May 2014

Majors: Communication Studies and English Creative Writing

Academic Employment

Assistant Professor (August 2023-present)

University of Memphis, Department of Communication & Film

Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow (August 2022 – present)

University of Colorado Boulder, Division of Continuing Education

Lead Graduate Student Fellow (May 2021 – May 2022)

University of Colorado Boulder, Center for Teaching and Learning

Graduate Part-Time Instructor (January 2017 – May 2022)

University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Communication

Teaching Assistant (August 2016 – December 2016)

University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Communication

Research Areas

Applied Communication

Ethnography of Communication

Religious Communication

Organizational Communication

Publications

Peer-reviewed articles

Carstensen, K.A.H. (under review). Learning Beyond Language: An Ethnographic Study of Language Socialization in English Conversation Groups. Submitted to Language and Intercultural Communication.

Schnabel, E., Carstensen, K.A.H, Taylor, L.E., Wood, N., Lee, K.M., Reese, J.T. (in press). A Certain Kind of Religion: A Critical-Qualitative Content Analysis of the Journal of Communication and Religion (2002–2022). Journal of Communication and Religion.

Carstensen, K.A.H. & Loker, E. (2024). Surviving PhDepression as Women and Graduate Students: A Collaborative Feminist Autoethnography on Mental Health in Academia. Women and Language, 47(1).

Brownlee, K. (2021). Using cultural discourse analysis and storytelling to design an applied intervention for U.S. English language education. Journal of Applied Communication Research. DOI: 10.1080/00909882.2021.1919744

Book Chapters

Taylor, L.E., Carstensen, K.A.H., Sciullo, N.J. (in press). The religio-political imaginary of short-term Christian missions trips. In One Nation Under God(s): Race, Religion, American Identity (Eds.) C. Maldonado and M. Naumoff.

Frey, L. R., Brownlee, K., & Musselwhite, J. (2017, November). Resource guide for communication scholarship on social justice activism. In S. J. Hartnett (Ed.), Communication’s civic callings: The social justice exchange and community engagement. Washington, DC: National Communication Association. Available at: https://www.natcom.org/advocacy-public-engagement/social-justice-exchange

Book Reviews

Brownlee, K. (2021). [Review of the book Feeding the Other: Whiteness, Privilege, and Neoliberal Stigma by Rebecca de Souza]. International Journal of Communication, 15, 3854–3856.

Brownlee, K. (2018). [Review of the book Collaborative Imagination: Earning Activism Through Literacy Education, by Paul Feigenbaum]. International Journal of Communication, 12, 2922–2925.

Brownlee, K. (2017). [Review of the book Communication and the Global Landscape of Faith, by A. E. H. Daniels]. Central States Communication Association Newsletter, 8, 4–5.

Conference Presentations

Competitively Selected Papers

Carstensen, K., Cruz, J., and Koschmann, M. (2024, November). The decoupling dilemma in nonprofit communication: Negotiating postcolonial and relational spaces in child sponsorship promotional materials. To be presented at the National Communication Association Conference, New Orleans, LA. Organizational Communication Division. Top Paper Award.

Carstensen, K. and Boromisza-Habashi, D. (2024, November). Examining moments of disruption: A review of social dis/order in Ethnography of Communication scholarship. To be presented at the National Communication Association Conference, New Orleans, LA. Language and Social Interaction Division.

Carstensen, K. (2024, July). When engaged partnerships go wrong: A conversation about critical reflection and repair. Presented at the Aspen Engaged Conference, Fort Collins, CO.

Carstensen, K. (2023, November). Bridging interpretive and critical scholarship: Using natural criticism for the ethnography of communication and postcolonial theory. Presented at the National Communication Association conference, National Harbor, MD. Language and Social Interaction Division.

Brownlee, K. (2023, May). Communicating “God’s Work” Through the Practice of Questioning in a Christian Nonprofit. Presented at the International Communication conference, Toronto, Canada. Language and Social Interaction division, Top Paper Award. 

Brownlee, K. (2023, May). Contending with the White Savior and Postcolonial Identity in a Christian Nonprofit. Presented at the International Communication conference, Toronto, Canada. Organizational Communication Division.

Brownlee, K. (2021, November). Evaluating religious missions and success: Narratives of transformation in Christian nonprofit marketing. Presented at National Communication Association conference, Seattle, WA. Language and Social Interaction Division.

Brownlee, K. (2020, May). The Communal Dilemma of Being Better Together: Christian Discourse in a Church Debate on Human Sexuality. Presented at the International Communication Association Conference, Gold Coast, Australia. Language and Social Interaction Division, Top Student Paper Award.

Brownlee, K. (2020, May). How Speech Codes Organize: Agency and Authority in a Christian Church Denomination. Presented at the International Communication Association Conference, Gold Coast, Australia. Organizational Communication Division.

Brownlee, K. & Marras Tate, J. (2020, May). Nature from God: Transnational cultural discourses about Christianity and the environment. Presented at the International Communication Association Conference, Gold Coast, Australia. Language and Social Interaction Division.

Brownlee, K. & Loker, E. (2019, November). Surviving PhDepression as Women and Graduate Students: A Collaborative Feminist Autoethnography on Mental Health in Academia. Presented at the National Communication Association Conference, Baltimore, MD. Ethnography Division, Top Paper Award.

Brownlee, K. (2019, May). Using cultural discourse analysis to design an applied communication intervention. Presented at the International Communication Association Conference, Washington D.C.. Language and Social Interaction Division, Top Student Paper Award. 

Brownlee, K. (2018, November). Narrative construction of intersectional identities as a relational tool in group dialogue. Presented at the National Communication Association Conference, Salt Lake City, Utah. Language and Social Interaction Division.

Brownlee, K. (2018, May). Learning beyond language: Cultural discourses of acting and relating in English conversation groups. Presented at the International Communication Association Conference, Prague, Czech Republic. Language and Social Interaction Division, Top Student Paper Award.

Brownlee, K. (2017, June). Learning beyond language: An ethnographic study of English conversation groups. Presented at the New Horizons in the Ethnography of Communication Conference, Yonkers, NY.

Competitively Selected Panel Presentations

Carstensen, K., Goke, R., Taylor, L., Metz, J., Nyawaga, C. (2024, April). BYOB - Build Your Organizational Belonging: The role of burnout and resilience on organizational belonging across contexts. To be presented at the Southern States Communication Association, Frisco, TX. Applied Communication Division.

Carstensen, K., Johnson, A., Johnson, K., Smith, L. (2024, April). Rhetoric and Religion as Resources for Resistance: A Panel Discussion. To be presented at the Southern States Communication Association, Frisco, TX. Kenneth Burke Society Interest Group. 

Schnabel, E., Brownlee, K., & Taylor, L. (2022, November). 20 years of the Journal of Communication and Religion: A Critical Content Analysis. Presented to the Religious Communication Division, National Communication Association conference, New Orleans, LA.

Brownlee, K. (2021, November). Religion and identity: Critical perspectives on gender, race, and sexuality. Presented to the Religious Communication Division, National Communication Association conference, Seattle, WA. 

Brownlee, K. (2020, November). Subjects’ Faith, Researchers’ Reason: The “God Problem” at the Crossroads of Fieldwork in Religious Communication. Presented to the Religious Communication Division, National Communication Association Conference, Indianapolis, IN. 

Brownlee, K. (2020, November). Spotlight Panel on Mental Health (Part #2): Studying Mental Health within Organizational Structures. Presented to the Health Communication Division, National Communication Association Conference, Indianapolis, IN.

Brownlee, K. (2019, November). The God Problem in Communication Studies. Presented to the Religious Communication Division, National Communication Association Conference, Baltimore, MD.

Brownlee, K. (2019, February). Advancing social justice by using local knowledge: Advocacy, evidence, and the ethnography of communication. Presented to the Language and Social Interaction Division, Western States Communication Association Conference, Seattle, WA.

Brownlee, K. (2018, February). Communicating need through crafted perceptions: A case study on child sponsorship as a means for nonprofit fundraising. Presented to the Organizational Communication Division, Western States Communication Association Conference, Santa Clara, CA.

Brownlee, K. (2017, November). Online simulations for group communication teaching and research. Presented to the Group Communication Division, National Communication Association Convention, Dallas, TX.

Brownlee, K. (2017, April). Deciding when to interrupt: Reflecting on researcher responsibility in moments of intercultural conflict. Presented to the Rocky Mountain Communication Association Conference, Denver, CO.

Teaching Experience

University of Memphis, Department of Communication & Film

COMM 2100: Communication Inquiry (Fall 2023, Spring 2024)

COMM 3330: Applied Communication Research Methods (Fall 2024)

COMM 4212: Communication and Religion (Spring 2025)

COMM 4342: Small Group Communication (Fall 2023)

COMM 7/8369: Organizational Communication (PhD and MA level; Spring 2024, Spring 2025)

University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Communication

COMM 1300: Public Speaking (Fall 2018)

COMM 1600: Group Interaction (Fall 2016, Summer 2017, Summer 2019)

COMM 2320: The Craft of Argument (Fall 2022)

COMM 2400: Discourse, Culture, and Identity (Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Spring 2018, Spring 2020, Fall 2020)

COMM 2410: The Practice of Intercultural Communication (Spring 2021, Fall 2021)

COMM 2500: Interpersonal Communication (Spring 2019)

COMM 3410: Advanced Intercultural Communication (Fall 2019, Fall 2022)

COMM 3630: Organizational Communication (Spring 2022)

Research Assistantships

Dr. David Boromisza-Habashi (May–August 2020; reviewed current debates and conversations on globalization and language).

Dr. Leah Sprain (August 2017–May 2018; Collecting and analyzing data for a research program, funded by the Spencer Foundation, to assess quality engagement across difference in high school classrooms)

Service

University of Memphis

Research Committee, Department of Communication and Film (2023-present)

College Research Council, College of Communication and Fine Arts (2024-present)

Doctoral Committee Member

Christopher Harris, University of Memphis

Jeff Miller, University of Memphis

Amber (AD) Alston, University of Memphis

Elizabeth Bartholomew, University of Memphis

Community Engagement

Public Speaking 101 Workshop. Masters of the Environment program, University of Colorado. (2022, 2023)

Nonprofit organizational training series (2021-2022). Children of the Nations International.

Workshop 1: “How can we miscommunicate if we are both speaking the same language? Intercultural communication and cultural discourses.” Presented to the International Liaisons and Program Team.

Workshop 2: “Problem Solving and Conflict Management for Organizational Leaders.” Presented to the Operations Leadership Team.

Workshop 3: “Practicing critical reflexivity to understand and address cross-cultural power dynamics.” Presented to the International Development Team and Country Directors.

Better Together Leadership Team (2019)

Planned and facilitated a grassroots effort to address conflict within a church denomination over the acceptance of LGBTQ people; included organization of a protest rally, public worship service, and letter-writing campaign.

Storytelling Workshop Program for adult English language learners (2018)

Designed and led a four week program to help learners practice their conversation skills and gain cultural competence for speaking English.

Conversations in English group facilitator (2017). Boulder Public Library.

Served as a substitute leader for weekly groups where adult English language learners practice speaking and listening skills.

University of Colorado Boulder

Lead Graduate Teacher, Department of Communication, Center for Teaching and Learning (2021–2022)

Graduate Peer Mentor (2021–2022)

Graduate Program Committee Representative, Communication Graduate Student Association, Department of Communication (2020–2021)

Undergraduate Committee Representative, Communication Graduate Student Association, Department of Communication (2019–2020)

Social Chair, Communication Graduate Student Association, Department of Communication (2018–2019)

Communication Chair, Communication Graduate Student Association, Department of Communication (2017–2018)

Student Leader, College of Media, Communication and Information Connect Student Welcome and Orientation (Fall, 2018)

Co-chair, Scientific Committee for Culture, Language, and Social Practice (CLASP) V Conference (2016–2017)

Professional Memberships

International Communication Association

Graduate Student and Early Career Representative Liaison for the Language and Social Interaction Division (2018-2020)

Conference reviewer (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022)

National Communication Association

Information Officer for the Language and Social Interaction Division (2023-2025)

Conference Reviewer (2022, 2023, 2024)

Religious Communication Association

Grants & Awards

Outstanding Recent Scholarship Award (2024). Language and Social Interaction Division of the National Communication Association. Awarded for the article “Using cultural discourse analysis and storytelling to design an applied intervention for U.S. English language education” published in the Journal of Applied Communication (2021).

John Waite Bowers Outstanding Graduate Student Award (2022). University of Colorado Boulder Department of Communication

Best Should Teach Silver Award (2022) Center for Teaching and Learning at University of Colorado Boulder.

Graduate Teaching Excellence Award (2021), University of Colorado Boulder Graduate and Professional Student Government.

Waterhouse Family Institute Grant for Communication Research (2020-2021). Awarded $8,000 for travel and research materials related to a dissertation project on international nonprofit success and evaluation.

Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Award (2018) University of Colorado, Boulder, Department of Communication.

BoulderTalks Award for Leadership in Democratic Engagement (2018) University of Colorado, Boulder, Department of Communication.

Humanities Scholar Grant Recipient, Swedish Council of America (2014): Grant for scholarly research and cultural exchange to Sweden, to survey current scholarship on minority communication and Scandinavian indigenous issues.

Certifications

Certificate in College Teaching, Center for Teaching and Learning at the University of Colorado Boulder (2022)

Certificate in MEAL DPro: Nonprofit Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning. Received from Kaya, Humanitarian Leadership University (2020)

Certificate in Culture, Language, and Social Practice, University of Colorado Boulder Interdisciplinary Program (2018)