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Allen J. Christenson

Professor, Interdisciplinary Humanities
Department of Comparative Arts and Letters

JFSB 3052
BYU, Campus Dr
Provo, UT 84602

Biography

Allen Christenson was born in Sherman Oaks California. He received his BS degree at Brigham Young University, majoring in Zoology. He received a DDS degree from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1984. He completed a General Practice and Surgical residency at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington DC in 1985. He served in the Air Force for six years, separating as a Major. He practiced dentistry in Provo, UT for four years, teaching part time at Brigham Young University from 1990-1994. He completed both an MA and PhD in Precolumbian Art History at the University of Texas, Austin, studying under Dr. Linda Schele. He has worked as an ethnographer and linguist in highland Guatemala since 1978, working principally with the K’iche’-Maya and Tz’utujil-Maya. His MA and PhD degrees are in Precolumbian Art History and Literature from the University of Texas, Austin. He has written numerous journal articles and book chapters as well as three books on the Maya, including Art and Society in a Highland Maya Community, and a new translation and critical edition of the Popol Vuh, an important ancient Maya text containing detailed descriptions of ancient theology, creation, and history. He is currently a Professor in the Department of Humanities, Classics, and Comparative Literature at Brigham Young University where his research and teaching focus on the art and culture of the Maya.

Research Interests

Art, Literature, Linguistics, Theology, Ethnology of the Maya; Victorian England; Art and literature of the fin de siecle period (1890-1910)

Teaching Interests

Art, Literature, Linguistics, and Theology of Precolumbian Mesoamerica, Victorian Art and Literature, Europe from 1890-1910, Early American Art and Literature, Latin American Art and Literature

Honors and Awards

  • P.A. Christensen Lectureship, College of Humanities (2012 - 2013)
  • Professorship in Precolumbian Studies, College of Humanities, Brigham Young University (2009 - 2010)
  • University Young Scholar Award, Brigham Young University (2002 - 2005)

Memberships

  • American Society for Ethnohistory (2011 - Present)
  • Artes de Mexico en Utah (2010 - Present)
  • WAYEB (European Maya Association) (2006 - Present)
  • American Anthropological Association (1998 - Present)
  • College Art Association (1995 - Present)
  • Society of American Archaeologists (2017 - 2020)

Professional Citizenship

  • Other, Artes de Mexico en Utah (2010 - Present)

Courses Taught

Publications

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Presentations

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