Biography
Christopher (Chip) Oscarson completed his BA and MA at Brigham Young University in History and Comparative Literature before going to the University of California, Berkeley where he completed a PhD in Scandinavian languages and literatures with a designated emphasis in film. His has a joint appointment at BYU in both Interdisciplinary Humanities as well as Scandinavian Studies. He worked for ten years as the director of the BYU Scandinavian Studies Program, is treasurer for the Association of Swedish Teachers and Researchers in America (ASTRA), and was on the executive board for the Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study (SASS) 2013-2017. He is currently the coordinator for the university International Cinema Studies Program and one of the co-directors for the International Cinema Program.
His research interests largely focus on late nineteenth and early twentieth-century visual and literary culture with an emphasis on both early cinema and the construction and representation of the natural environment in literature and film. His publications explore the work and historical contexts of figures like Carl Linnaeus, Selma Lagerlöf, and Victor Sjöström as well as more recent work of Kerstin Ekman and Mikael Kristersson with a particular interest in how Scandinavian literature and film contribute to the growing interest in ecocriticism and the understanding of the human relationship to the more-than-human world.
Research Interests
Art and the Environment, 19-20th Century Scandinavian Literature, Film, EcocriticismTeaching Interests
Environmental Humanities, Scandinavian Cinema, Swedish Literature, Film Criticism and Theory, Film HistoryHonors and Awards
- Alcuin Fellowship, BYU GE and Honors (2014 - 2016)
Administrative Assignments
- Undergraduate Education: Associate Dean (2020 - Present)
- International Cinema: Director (2017 - 2020)
- Scandinavian Studies Program Director: Other (Move to BYU Citizenship?) (2005 - 2015)
- Center for the Study of Europe: Associate Director (2012 - 2013)
Memberships
- Association for Swedish Teachers and Researchers in America (ASTRA) (2010 - Present)
- European Association for the Study of Literature, Culture, and the Environment (EASLCE) (2010 - Present)
- Association for the Study of Literature and the Environment (ASLE) (2008 - Present)
- Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study (SASS) (1998 - Present)
Professional Citizenship
- Committee/Council Member, Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study (SASS) (2013 - 2017)