I’m a Visiting Professor of Political Science at Quinnipiac University, and I’m passionate about teaching politics, philosophy, history, literature, and more. I research nationalism in the United States, particularly the kind that works through nostalgia. I also work in community engagement, supporting college students to do the work of social change. In the classroom, I emphasize critical thinking, empathetic analysis, and political praxis, developed by working through some of our stickiest political issues.

IMG_9238.jpg

History of Political Thought

Social and Political Theory

American Politics

Race, Ethnicity, & Nationalism

Critical Pedagogy


The Violence of Nostalgia: Conspiracy Theorism, White Nationalism, and Restoring American Exceptionalism


Travis, C. K. (2023). Nostalgia, Hypermasculinity, and the American Far Right: What Ever Happened to Being Proud of Your Boy? New Political Science, 45(4), 591–612.


Sanitizing White Nationalism: Patriot Front’s Narratives of Whiteness

Trad Wives, Moms for Liberty, and the Role of Women in Christian Nationalism

Digital Democracy in America: Technology and Conspiracy Theory


Three principles feature prominently as part of my teaching and learning philosophy: critique, self-reflection, and empathetic imagination. An ability to think critically and analyze situations; an honest engagement with one’s self-understanding; and a willingness to encounter new experiences, new people, new ideas, and new places; all three are key to establishing a productive and inclusive learning environment.