Jonathan Key, MA
Born and raised in Belgium, Jonathan’s fascination with questions of identity and representation can be traced back to his early childhood, when he was glued to the television screen, which exposed him to representations of identity that helped him un-glue normative notions of gender, sexuality, and embodiment. After graduating from high school, Jonathan participated in a yearlong study abroad program in Oregon, where he took his first classes in film and cultural studies, which allowed him to begin to piece together how popular culture mediates both dominant and subversive discourses of identity. That project continued throughout his undergraduate and graduate studies at the University of Groningen, where he pursued degrees in American Studies and focused primarily on changing articulations of femininity in the post-network era of American television.
While he was in graduate school, Jonathan began working in study abroad, and by the time he joined SIT in 2023, he had spent 10 years coordinating, managing, and leading short- and long-term study abroad programs in Amsterdam for U.S. college and high school students and faculty. For most of that time, he kept one foot in the classroom, teaching classes located at the intersection of film and television studies, cultural xtudies, and gender and sexuality studies. Extending his investment in identity work beyond the four walls of the classroom, Jonathan has served on a number of DEIA+ committees and task forces, and is especially interested in inclusive syllabus design and fostering safe, brave, and accountable learning spaces.
Education
- MA, American Studies, University of Groningen
- BA, American Studies, University of Groningen
