For the November 2023 issue of Texas Monthly - the 60th anniversary of President Kennedy’s assassination - I spoke with Sean O’Neal for a piece about the staying power around narratives about JFK’s death.
As Sean writes, “The collective memory of the Kennedy assassination is one of anger and suspicion. Our prosthetic memory, fashioned from media depictions that keep November 22, 1963, playing on a constant, Kodachrome-vibrant loop, has only calcified that unease. This cynicism has, in turn, shaped how we see ourselves. The art the assassination inspired nurtured a culture of mistrust whose influence has grown only more mainstream. Today the details—who killed Kennedy and why—are almost beside the point. The story has a life of its own. And we can’t seem to stop telling it.”
Many video games explore alternate history. But when they start getting into the Kennedy assassination, you know it's gonna get weird. There are a few different games that have toyed with this particular moment in history and, strangely enough, the one that recreates it exactly is also the one that's fueled the most conspiracy theories about who really killed JFK.
I spoke with Polygon about these games and their ensuing impact on our visions of shared historical truth - a subject I’ve published on in the past.
This video was a finalist for a National Magazine Award in Video, nominated by the American Society of Magazine Editors.
UT Austin alumna, Carrie Andersen, Ph.D. speaks about her first job after her Ph.D. program, how she turned her CV into a traditional resume, and advice for students interested in pursuing careers outside academia. Carrie received her Ph.D. in American Studies from UT-Austin in 2017.
A Future with Class: Introducing Discussion-Based Learning to the Workplace
Big Design
September 11, 2020
How might we collectively invest in the future of the UX profession through expanding how we think about learning and development for our teams? Drawing from her decade of experience in academia, Carrie Andersen, Ph.D. will share actionable steps for creating a space for discussion-based learning for UX professionals at a fast-paced product organization.
First, she’ll explain the ways that this type of learning can build team culture, develop participants’ skills in UX, and build connections among cross-functional teams. Next, she’ll share the process for creating and leading the Content Strategy Development Program at Wayfair (a series of weekly classes about content strategy topics and methods), from getting leadership buy-in to crafting a syllabus. Finally, she’ll close with takeaways about the impact of this institutional commitment to team members’ future career development, engagement, and long term growth–as well as the long term legacy of UX within one’s organization.
Pursuing Intellectual Work Outside of Academe
University of Texas at Austin (Remote)
April 9, 2020
This panel discussion will teach current graduate students at the University of Texas at Austin about the variety of ways that PhDs in the humanities and social sciences lead fulfilling intellectual careers outside the academe.
Building Your Writing Portfolio
Harvard University
February 21, 2019
This roundtable, held at Harvard University’s Office of Career Services, featured alumni who apply their strong writing and critical thinking skills in different industries and roles. In addition to sharing insights about writing as a career, I also advised student attendees about how to build a writing portfolio and/or samples for the job market.