“‘Willing Deeply and Inwardly’: Neurotheology and Kierkegaardian Free Will,” Journal of Theta Alpha Kappa (2022).

Abstract: Writing in the mid-nineteenth century, Søren Kierkegaard considered the relationships between philosophical and theological thought and early advancements in psychology that occurred during his lifetime. Although Kierkegaard’s pseudonymous writings pose interpretative challenges, his journals reveal a complex understanding of volition that underpins many of Kierkegaard’s pivotal contributions to philosophy and theology. Given Kierkegaard’s engagement with psychology, the emerging interdisciplinary field of neurotheology provides a unique framework for reconceptualizing Kierkegaard’s ideas in the context of neuroscientific and psychological research. In this thesis, I apply a methodological approach based on neurotheology to analyze Kierkegaardian free will, engaging with specific research findings and addressing gaps in existing neuroexistentialism scholarship. I argue that Kierkegaard’s perspective regarding free will can be viewed as compatible with contemporary decision-making research, particularly given the lack of scientific consensus regarding philosophical free will. Specifically, Kierkegaard’s writings reflect emotion regulation strategies that appear to mediate some neurophysiological influences on the brain’s preconscious valuation system. Additionally, the psychological concept of differentiation of self parallels Kierkegaard’s emphasis on willing to be oneself, reaffirming his core notion of the relationship between volition and self-identity.

“Conversation Shaper: Supporting Neurodiversity in the Writing Center,” The Peer Review (2022).

Abstract: Neurodivergent students continue to face barriers to academic and personal fulfillment in postsecondary educational institutions that were not designed to support neurodiversity. However, the individualized tutoring model prioritized in writing center pedagogy holds the power to provide valuable, concrete support to neurodivergent clients and an accessible work environment for neurodivergent employees. In this Conversation Shaper, I draw on my own experiences as an autistic student and tutor to offer a bibliography of sources that provide insights about neurodiversity, disability justice, accessibility, and writing center pedagogy. This bibliography aims to offer sources that support awareness of neurodiversity and greater understanding of its role in writing center spaces. I contend that these sources collectively demonstrate why and how neurodiversity must be supported by writing center pedagogy—both in theory and in practice.