CV

Krista Benson, Ph.D.
bensokri@gvsu.edu

Full CV (updated December 2022)

PROFESSIONAL APPOINTMENTS

Associate Professor; Integrative, Religious, and Intercultural Studies
Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI, US
August 2022-present

Assistant Professor; Integrative, Religious, and Intercultural Studies
Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI, US
August 2017-August 2022

Assistant Chair; Integrative, Religious, and Intercultural Studies
Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI, US
August 2021-May 2023

Program Coordinator, Leadership Certificate and Integrative Studies Leadership Emphasis
Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI US
August 2020-May 2021

EDUCATION

PhD, Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, US
2017
Dissertation: “Generations of Removal: Child Removal of Native Children in Eastern Washington State Through Compulsory Education, Foster Care, Adoption, and Juvenile Justice”

Graduate-Level Coursework in Communication Studies
Eastern Washington University, Cheney, WA, US
Focus in Intercultural Communication and Instructional Communication
2009-2011

Master’s of Arts with Honours; Women’s Studies and Feminist Research
University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
2005
Thesis: “Ready? Ok!: Radical Cheerleading and the Public Sphere”

Bachelor’s of Arts; Major: Sociology, Concentration: Women’s Studies
Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA, US
Minors: Philosophy and Political Science
2001

 

PROFESSIONAL APPOINTMENTS

Managing Editor, Feral Feminisms, 2018-2022

Graduate Editorial Assistant, Frontiers: A Journal of Women’s Studies, 2016-2017

 

PUBLICATIONS

Book (Refereed)

Adoption, Foster Care, and Reproductive Justice with Tanya Saroj Bakhru (advance contract, Routledge)

 

Publications (Refereed)

(2023, Forthcoming). BreakOUT!: Queer and Trans of Color Activism in New Orleans for Youth, Law, and Politics (chapter accepted, edited volume forthcoming from West Virginia University Press).

* (Forthcoming). Rachael McCollum & Krista L. Benson. Disability (In)Justice: Disabled Scholars in an Ableist World for Who Belongs?: Institutional Betrayal in Higher Education, edited by Rebecca Martínez and Monica J. Casper.

* (Tentatively Accepted, Revisions Submitted). Tate Johanek & Krista L. Benson. Thirsty Sword Lesbians in Learning, Education & Games Vol 4: 50 Games to Use for Inclusion, Equity, and Justice (Carnegie Mellon University), edited by Kat Schrier, Rachel Kowert, Diana Leonard, and Tarja Porkka-Konturi.

(2020). Maia L. Butler, April Petillo, Shylah Pacheco Hamilton, Krista L. Benson. A Hopeful Decolonial Rhizome: An Invitation, Frontiers: A Journal of Women’s Studies, “Sowing the Seeds: Decolonial Practices and Pedagogies” Colloquium, 41(2), 128-142.

• Highlighted in The Society for the Study of Southern Literature 54(2), “Moving Toward Decolonial Feminist Collaborative Praxis and Pedagogy,” February 2021.

(2020). Carrying Stories of Incarcerated Indigenous Women as Tools for Prison Abolition, Frontiers: A Journal of Women’s Studies, “Sowing the Seeds: Decolonial Practices and Pedagogies” Colloquium, 41(2), 143-167.

(2020). “They Say I’m Gonna Be Their Little Girl”: The Co-Creation of the Dangerous Queer and the Racialized Rapeable Subject in Beyond Scared Straight in Sexuality, Human Rights and Public Policy, edited by Chima Korieh. Madison, NJ: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press.

(2019). Margins of Identity: Queer-Identified Polyamorous Women’s Navigation of Identity, in Expanding the Rainbow: Exploring the Relationships of Bi+, Trans, Ace, Polyam, Kink, and Intersex People, edited by Brandy L. Simula, J. Sumerau, and Andrea Miller. Rotterdam, NL: Sense Publishers, 95-105.

(2019). Indigenous Reproductive Justice after Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl (2013) in Reproductive Justice and Sexual Rights: Transnational Perspectives, edited by Tanya Saroj Bakhru. London: Routledge, 85-104.

(2019). What’s in a Pronoun?: Trans Kids and Misgendering in Juvenile Justice Systems in Washington State. “What’s In a Noun?” Special Issue (ed. Mimi Marinucci), The Journal of Homosexuality, 67(12), 1691-1712.

(2017). Tensions of Subjectivity: The Instability of Queer Polyamorous Identity and Community. Sexualities, 20 (1-2), 24-40.

 

Invited Essays (Editor-Refereed)

(2022). A Critical Lens on U.S. “State Care”: Foster Care, Racism, and Colonization. Adoption & Culture, 10 (1), 96-115.

 

Multimedia Scholarly Work (Non-Refereed)

(Jan. 2021). Krista L. Benson, April Petillo, Shylah Pacheco Hamilton, and Maia L. Butler. Thinking, Talking, Writing Collectively: An Approach to Decolonial Feminist Praxis and Pedagogy, Frontiers Augmented.

 

Edited Work and Book Reviews

(2023, in progress). Co-editor with Lori Askeland, Lizbett Benge, and Alfred Pérez, Adoption & Culture 11.1, “Foster Care”

(2018). Book Review: Beyond Settler Time: Temporal Sovereignty and Indigenous Self-Determination, Mark Rifkin. Feminist Theory, 19(3), 392-393.

(2018). Raminder Kuar, Maggie O’Neill, Nicola Henry, and Krista Benson. Virtual Roundtable on Mapping Gendered Violence. Anastasia Christou and Cindy Cruz (eds.), Frontiers: A Journal of Women’s Studies, 39(2), 233-264.

(2017). Leslie Bow, Avatar Brah, Mishuana Goeman, Diane Harriford, Shari M. Huhndorf, AnaLouise Keating, Yi-Chun Tricia Lin, Laura Pérez, Zenaida Peterson, Becky Thompson and Tiffany Willoughby-Herrard. “Combahee River Collective Statement: A 40th anniversary retrospective,” Kristen Kolenz, Krista Benson, Judy Tzu-Chun Wu (eds.), Frontiers: A Journal of Women’s Studies, 38(3), 164-189.

(2014). Book Review: Occupy! Scenes from an Occupied America. Human Geography, 7(1), 121-123.

 

In Progress

Taking Children, Not Child Saving: The Juvenile Justice System and Taking of Indigenous Children in Feminist Movements in North American History (DeGruyter, 2024), edited by Rebecca Brückmann, Silke Hackenesch, and Charlotte Lerg. (Invited, in-progress)

Feminist Prison Abolition Pedagogy: When Nobody is Disposable in Times of Crisis for Radical Teacher

The Kids Who Aren’t There: Removal of Native Children Through Schooling, Foster Care, Adoption, and Juvenile Justice (paused due to COVID-19, proposal feedback received from University of Washington Press, “Indigenous Confluences” editors)

 

Popular Media

“Feminism 101: What do feminists think of burkinis?,” by Avital Norman Nathman, groknation.com, September 5, 2016.

“Ask A Raging Feminist: Women share their “If Donald Trump becomes president’ plans,” by Avital Norman Nathman, sheknows.com. March 9. 2016.

“Interview with Christopher Emdin and Hip Hop in Education,” interview by Krista Benson, Writer’s Talk. WBCE/90.5 FM. February 21, 2013.

“Interview with Hannah Rosin: The End of Men and the Rise of Women,” interview by Krista Benson, Writer’s Talk. WBCE/90.5 FM. November 21, 2012.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Associate Professor
Grand Valley State University, Department of Integrative, Religious, and Intercultural Studies (IRIS)
August 2022-present

Assistant Professor
Grand Valley State University, Department of Integrative, Religious, and Intercultural Studies (IRIS)
August 2017-August 2022

Graduate Teaching Fellow
The Ohio State University, Department of Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies
August 2016-May 2017

Graduate Teaching Assistant/Instructor of Record
The Ohio State University, Department of Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies
August 2012-August 2016

Teacher Orientation Facilitator (summers only)
The Ohio State University, University Center for Advancement of Teaching
August 2013-2016

Lecturer
Eastern Washington University, Departments of Women’s and Gender Studies and Career Services
March 2010-June 2012

COURSES TAUGHT

Grand Valley State University
Liberal Studies Department (2017-2019)/Integrative, Religious, and Intercultural Studies (2019-present)

• Introduction to Intercultural Competence (ITC 100): Winter 2018
• Diversity in the United States (INT 201): Fall 2017
• Diversity in the United States (INT 201, hybrid): Fall 2017, Fall 2018, Winter 2019
• Diversity in the United States (INT 201, online): Fall 2018, Fall 2019
• Diversity in the United States (INT 201, online, compressed session): Spring 2018, Spring 2019
• Interdisciplinary Research Methods (INT 301): Winter 2019, Fall 2019
• Interdisciplinary Research Methods (INT 301, hybrid, compressed): Winter 2020, Fall 2020, Winter 2021, Fall 2021, Fall 2022, Fall 2023
• LGBTQ Identities (INT 325): Fall 2017, Fall 2020, Fall 2021
• Sexuality, Justice, and Advocacy (INT 326): Winter 2020
• American Society & Media (LIB/SOC 366, hybrid): Fall 2018
• Internship (INT 490, online): Spring/Summer 2022
• Practicum (INT 491, conventional & compressed session, online): Fall 2020, Winter 2021, Spring/Summer 2021, Fall 2021, Winter 2022, Spring/Summer 2022, Fall 2022, Winter 2023
• Senior Seminar (INT 495, conventional session, hybrid): Winter 2023

Digital Studies Minor

• Identity and Representation in Digital Culture (DS 340): Winter 2019, Winter 2020, Winter 2021, Winter 2022, Winter 2023

 

Graduate Student Supervision

• Knicki Karsies (MA, Social Innovation, Grand Valley State University), Graduation: May 2023
• Landon Nalepinski (MA, Social Innovation, Grand Valley State University), “Post-COVID-19 Teaching with Technology Support in Higher Education” Graduated: December 2022
• Samantha Mayse (MA, Social Innovation, Grand Valley State University), “Elements of Early Warning Systems: Identifying Students Who Need Support Early Enough to Change Their Trajectory Towards Graduation” Graduated: December 2022

 

Undergraduate Student Research Supervision

• Honors Senior Project Supervisor: Casey Classen, “Children’s Books and Destigmatizing Non-Verbal Communication for Autistic Children” (Fall 2022)
• Faculty Primary Investigator: Meggie Kwiatkowski, “Mental Health Awareness and Acceptance in West Michigan Workplaces” (Spring/Summer 2022)
• Honors Senior Project Supervisor: Julia Gorczyk, “Economic Impacts and Drivers of Chinese International Adoption” (Winter 2022)
• Research Practicum Supervisor: Jaime Castillo, “Critical Anti-Racist Abolitionist Pedagogy and Course Design” (Summer 2021), Co-Instructor & Mentor, “Voices from the Inside: Critical Carceral Studies and Experiences of Incarcerated People” (Spring 2022)
• Faculty Primary Investigator: Cory Kavanaugh, “Teaching with Technology to Increase Student Engagement” survey conducted for capstone (Summer 2021)
• Faculty Primary Investigator: Ciara Wilkins, “Mental Health Access and Attitudes in African American Communities” survey to be conducted for capstone (Summer 2021)
• McNair Co-Mentor, Tate Johanek, Queer Identity and Sleepover Culture (Summer 2021)
• Independent Study: G. Angel, “Queer and Trans* Pedagogies,” (Fall 2020)
• Independent Research Project: Rachael McCollum, focused on feminist disability studies and institutional failure (Summer/Fall 2020), resulting in “Disability (In)Justice” book chapter (see publications)
• Honors Senior Project Faculty Supervisor: Domonique Palmer, “Setting Up African American Students for Educational and Cultural Success at Primarily White Institutions” (Winter 2020)

• Research Practicum Supervisor: Catherine Bouchard, focused on LGBT-Affirming Educational Practices in Middle and High Schools (Fall 2019)
• Research Practicum Faculty Supervisor: Hannah Nichols, focused on Indigenous Child Removal Historical Archive Coding and Data Management (Summer 2019)
• Honors Senior Project Co-Supervisor: J.R. Morrish, “both/and: Queer Mechanics and Narratives in Queer Game” (Winter 2019, awarded Honorable Mention for Outstanding Creative Achievement Award in the Honors College)
• Research Practicum Faculty Supervisor: Sam Bloom, focused on LGBT History in West Michigan (Fall 2018)

 

The Ohio State University

Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Department

• Gender, Sex, & Power (WGSS 1110): Spring 2013
• Introduction to Queer Studies (WGSS 2282/ENG 2282): Autumn 2013, Autumn 2015, Spring 2016)
• Women & Violence (WGSS 2350, online): Autumn 2014
• Reading U.S. Women Writers (WGSS 2367.01), Spring 2014
• Reading U.S. Women Writers (WGSS 2367.01, online, compressed session): Summer 2016
• Reading Black Women Writers (WGSS 2367.04, compressed session): Summer 2014
• Reading Black Women Writers (WGSS 2367.04, online): Spring 2015
• Reading Black Women Writers (WGSS 2367.04, online, compressed session): Summer 2015
• Graduate Teaching Fellow, focus on building tools for effective online instruction, 2016-2017

University Center for the Advancement of Teaching

• Teaching & Learning Session 1, New TA Orientation: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
• Teaching & Learning Session 2, New TA Orientation: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016

 

Eastern Washington University

Career Services

• Career Development (CRSV 201): Spring 2010, Winter 2011, Spring 2011, Winter 2012, Spring 2012

Women’s and Gender Studies Department

• Issues in Feminism (WOMS 301): Autumn 2011