My research agenda is all over the map because I study both regional and diplomatic history, but in both these contexts, my work explores how people perceive differences between themselves and others. I’m especially fascinated by how such notions manifest in popular and folk culture. At the moment, I’m studying a media collective that uses film, music, and theater to challenge stereotypes about Appalachia. I’m also working alongside a colleague in the music department to study the stories behind a folk song that describes the deadly work required to dig tunnels into the mountains surrounding Asheville. My students and I also spend at least a few weekends a year working to preserve the oldest public African American cemetery in western North Carolina. In my free time, I enjoy trout fishing and playing music. I also enjoy getting to know Wilsonites, so I welcome my students to visit with me one-on-one outside of class. Feel free to come by my office to take a look around or to ask me about the Department of Global Studies.