About me
Religion and media have always fascinated me. When I was studying Communication Sciences and Theology, I tried to explore how they were related. This exploration continued in a Research Master in Theology where I was able to conduct my own research. The result was a master's thesis with the title: Cyberpilgrims: The construction of Spiritual Identity in Cyberspace.
In May and June 2008, I received three scholarships that enabled me to study in the U.S.. One of those is prestigious Fulbright Scholarship that encourages exchange between American and European scholars and students. I choose to study at the School for Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Colorado in Boulder. This School has a Center for Media, Religion and Culture, conducted by professor Stewart Hoover. He is an authority on media and religion, and I had the privilege to study with him. I have been able to participate in the weekly meetings and to conduct interviews. Currently, I am working on the design of a new website for the Center. In Fall 2008 and Spring 2009 I took graduate courses at the Journalism school and the department for Religious Studies. My research on World of Warcraft and religion received the attention of newspapers in the United States, France and the Netherlands.
Besides researching media I also conduct websites as a freelance webdesigner. During my Master's at Utrecht University, I taught webdesign courses, coached students that were developing marketing campaigns and developed online course material for the department of Humanities.
