Faculty Profile

My teaching and research interests range widely across English studies. While my B.A. and M.A. were focused in literature, my Ph.D. specialization was in the field of rhetoric and composition. I am particularly interested in the teaching of writing, including introductory and advanced composition and professional writing. My belief that effective communication is contextually and culturally determined leads to a writing instruction approach steeped in rhetorical theory. In all my classes, I prompt students to consider the complex rhetorical ecology of any given writing situation and to understand that good writing is that which adapts to specific, local purposes. I am deeply engaged by the development and administration of writing programs that meet students’ needs in particular institutional contexts. I also hold a master’s degree in English education and am passionate about forging connections among writing instruction that occurs at all levels of schooling to best prepare students with the literacy habits and abilities they need.

My scholarship demonstrates a keen interest in the history of rhetoric and in rhetorical theory; more specifically, some of my current work reflects my commitment to extend rhetorical history and theory beyond the traditional Western frames through the study of cultural rhetorics. 

Education

B.A., Miami University (OH)
M.A., The University of Toledo
M.Ed., The Ohio State University
Ph.D., Purdue University

Other Professional Activity

Recent publications: “Rhetoric of the Thirstland: An Historical Investigation of Discourse in Botswana” in Rhetoric Review 31.3. Recent conference presentations at the Conference on College Composition and Communication, the Writing Program Administrators Conference, International Writing Centers Association Collaborative at CCCCs, and Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association Conference. Co-founder and Co-Managing Editor of Present Tense: A Journal of Rhetoric in Society.