Professor Andrus' field is American religions, with special interests in religion and popular culture, ethnicity and religion, and music. Her current area of academic research focuses on religion and bluegrass music and culture. She holds an M.A. degree from Wilfred Laurier University in Ontario and and a Ph.D. from the University of California at Santa Barbara. In 2001 she received the Robert S. Michaelsen Memorial Award for excellence in the study of religion in America, and was a Graduate Fellow at the Smithsonian Institution.  She has published encyclopedia articles, and was a programmer/writer for the nationally syndicated radio show Sound and Spirit.  Professor Hurwitz has been a Faculty Fellow for Service Learning at UVM and has taught courses in the UVM Religion Department since 2002.