News

Second-year member of the Rhetoric and Writing Studies PhD program, Charity Givens, has been named the 2022 recipient of the Mick Doherty Kairos Award.

This scholarship recognizes effectiveness, resourcefulness, creativity, and passion for teaching among doctoral students in Rhetoric & Writing Studies in the English Department at Bowling Green State University. Learn more about the award.

Third-year member of the Rhetoric & Writing Studies PhD program Morgan Buchs has been named the 2021 recipient of the Mick Doherty Kairos Award.

This scholarship recognizes effectiveness, resourcefulness, creativity, and passion for teaching among doctoral students in Rhetoric & Writing in the English Department at Bowling Green State University. Learn more about the award.

Congratulations to those individuals who have been elected to serve as officers for the Rhetoric Society of the Black Swamp (RSBS), the BGSU Graduate Student Chapter of Rhetoric Society of America (RSA).

For the 2021-2022 academic year, the elected RSBS officers are:

• Emma Guthrie, President
• Sherrel McLafferty, Vice President
• Annie Cigic, Secretary
• Kari Hanlin and Krys Ingman, 21st Century Englishes Conference Co-Chairs
• Muhammad Alamri, Graduate Student Senate Representative

RSBS meetings for the Spring 2021 semester officially concluded, but will begin again during the Fall 2021 semester.

Third-year member of the Rhetoric & Writing PhD program Ran Meyer has been named the 2020 recipient of the Mick Doherty Kairos Award.

The late Mick Doherty graduated from the Rhetoric & Writing Program in 1994. The Mick Doherty Kairos Scholarship was established to help provide educational expenses for Graduate Assistants in the Rhetoric and Writing Doctoral Program of the Department of English at Bowling Green State University, in honor of his memory. Learn more about the award.

Brian Urias' Prospectus Presentation, “Adapting Transfer for Online Writing Courses: Instructor Practices and Student Perceptions” is on Monday, January 27 from 2:00-3:30 p.m. in East Hall room 306. Please join us to celebrate this milestone!

On Monday, April 6, 2020, Rhetoric & Writing 3rd year student Brandie Bohney hosted the Brown Bag workshop, "Weird Academic Genres: Letters of Recommendation" via WebEx. Acknowledging the occluded genres that many graduate students will soon find themselves writing, Brandie shared tips, tricks, and strategies for composing letters of recommendation.

"In academia, students go from asking for letters of support to writing them in the blink of an eye. Although the importance of strong, thoughtful recommendation letters is a given, the genre is strangely esoteric: since many letters are submitted without students ever seeing them, many early-career teachers and professors begin writing such letters without having seen more than a handful. So let's blow the lid off this bento box! Join us for lunch (BYOBB) and discussion about doing our students justice without losing our minds as we delve into strategies for writing the rec letter."

This Brown Bag workshop was the first of the "Weird Academic Genres" series of workshops, which will continue when we resume face-to-face classes during the Fall 2020 semester.

On Monday, April 6, 2020, Dr. Chad Iwertz Duffy, a faculty member in the Rhetoric & Writing doctoral program facilitated a webinar titled, "Online Teaching in a Time of Crisis: An Online Writing Pedagogies and Research Webinar." Speakers included Dr. Lauren Salisbury, Brian Urias, and Jessie Male. The webinar was sponsored by the BGSU Department of English and provided viewers with real-time transcription. Speakers focused on instructor responses to online migration in light of COVID-19 and shared best practices for supporting students and their learning, including insights from their own experiences and research on online writing instruction.

Congratulations to those individuals who have been elected to serve as officers for the Rhetoric Society of the Black Swamp (RSBS), the BGSU Graduate Student Chapter of Rhetoric Society of America (RSA).

For the 2020-2021 academic year, the elected RSBS officers are:

• Brandie Bohney as President
• Emma Guthrie as Vice President
• Morgan McDougall as Secretary
• Annie Cigic, Rachel Flynn, and Laura Menard as the 21st Century Englishes Conference Co-Chairs
• Clay Chiarelotte as Graduate Student Senate Representative

RSBS meetings for the Spring 2020 semester officially concluded on Wednesday, April 15, but will begin again during the Fall 2020 semester.

Although the 2020 Conference on College Composition and Communication was canceled, BGSU faculty and students are already preparing to submit proposals for the 2021 conference, which will be held in Spokane, WA.

On Wednesday, April 29 and Friday, May 1, students and faculty will be meeting virtually via WebEx to discuss the 2021 CCCC CFP, brainstorm initial proposal ideas, and begin to develop potential collaborations.

Another round of workshops are being planned for mid-May to develop feedback review groups. More information will be posted once specific dates/times for the workshops are solidified. 

Congratulations to the many individuals from the English Department who were represented at the 2020 Shanklin & GSS Awards, with many of those represented being members of the Rhetoric & Writing Studies program!

Outstanding Teaching Associate Award Nominees: Cassandra Caverhill and Morgan McDougall

Distinguished Thesis Award Nominees: Madeline Grigg, English/Creative Writing and Adam Wagner, English/Literary and Textual Studies

Distinguished Dissertation Award Nominee: Kelly Moreland, English/Rhetoric and Writing

Spring 2020 Katzner Graduate Student Research & Professional Development Award: 

$750 Winner: Bailey Poland, English/Rhetoric & Writing

BGSU Teaching & Learning Certificate Program: Brandie Bohney, Anne Cigic, Renee Drouin, Bailey Poland, and Lena Ziegler

Outstanding Graduate Student Award Finalist: Lena Ziegler

Outstanding Research Assistant Award Nominee: Brandie Bohney

Shanklin Colloquium Paper Presentation Honorable Mention: Brandie Bohney

Shanklin Colloquium Poster Competition 1st Place: Brandie Bohney

Shanklin Moderator: Jessica Puder

Shanklin Research Excellence Honorable Mention: Lena Ziegler

Research Excellence Judge: Erin Labbie

GSS Award Judge: Heather Jordan

Shanklin Colloquium and Awards Committee Member: Shahin Hossain

GSS Senate Executive Committee Member: Jessica Puder

On Thursday, March 12, the Rhetoric Society of the Black Swamp (RSBS) hosted the Spring 2020 Graduate Student Spotlight. The Spotlight is a space for students in the program to share the research that they are doing, both inside and outside of their coursework, including dissertation research and other collaborative research projects. The Spring 2020 Student Spotlight highlighted the work of three scholars: Laura Menard, Travis Hein, and Lena Ziegler.

Laura's presentation "Celebrated Evil: Media Rhetorics and Serial Killers" is an examination of historical and current media rhetoric and its contribution to serial killers as modern day folklore. 

Travis's presentation "Survey Research: A Discussion of Student Disposition's Toward Writing" is a discussion of a research project that centers around the dispositions held toward writing, both in and outside of the classroom. 

Lena's presentation "A Revisionist History of Loving Men" is an overview of the narrative process of blending memoir and theory while composing a chapter on sexual violence. 

The next Graduate Student Spotlight will be held during the Fall 2020 semester. 

Renee Ann Drouin’s Prospectus Presentation, “Harassment Rhetorics Performed by Queer Folk and Straight Women: An Ethnography of Voltron’s Online Fandom” is on December 12, from 9:00-10:30 in East Hall 206. Please join us to celebrate this milestone!

On Tuesday, November 19 from 2:30-4:00 p.m., Bailey Poland will deliver her prospectus presentation. Poland's project is titled “Nowhere is Straight Work More Effective”: Ohio Women's Participation in Self-Culture.
Please join us at 2:30 p.m. in East Hall, room 206 to celebrate this milestone!

On Monday, November 18 from 9-10:30 a.m., Lena Ziegler will deliver her prospectus presentation. Ziegler's
project is titled “Consent in Context: Amplifying Women's Stories of Sexual Violence in Heterosexual Relationships”. A trigger warning for discussion of sexual violence accompanies this presentation. Please join us at 9 a.m. in East Hall, room 206 to celebrate this milestone!

On Tuesday, November 5, 2019, Stephen Ohene-Larbi successfully defended his dissertation project. His dissertation was titled “Harnessing Multimodality in First Year Composition Classroom in Second Language (L2) Settings to Enhance Effective Writing" and explored numerous aspects of how multimodal composition can be beneficial for second language learners.

Please join us in congratulating Stephen!

On Wednesday, October 9 from 12:30-1:30 p.m., Bailey Poland will deliver a Brown Bag presentation, "Saying No So You Can Say Yes: Time Management Strategies." 

In this Brown Bag, Bailey Poland will lead an interactive discussion about the importance of developing time management strategies that work for your situation, share her own methods for staying on top of work while still having a life, and provide resources for developing strong time management habits.

Join us in East Hall room 406 for Bailey's presentation!

On Monday, October 14 from 9-10:30 a.m., Brandie Bohney will deliver her prospectus presentation. Bohney's project is titled “Force of Nurture: Influences on Early-Career ELA Teachers’ Writing Pedagogies.”

Please join us at 9 a.m. in East Hall, room 206 to celebrate this milestone!

Second-year Rhetoric & Writing PhD student Morgan McDougall created the LibGuide for this year's Common Read, What the Eyes Don't See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City by Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha. Morgan also shared her thoughts on the experience of creating the guide.

Dr. Chad Iwertz will be joining the English Department in Fall 2019 as an assistant professor in the Rhetoric & Writing program. He was kind enough to answer some questions to introduce himself to the department. Please join us in welcoming Chad to BGSU! Read the full interview with Chad.

The 2019 21st Century Englishes conference will be held on Saturday, November 2. Proposals are due Friday, September 20 at 11:59 p.m. Read the CFP for details and submission guidelines.

The 2019 Computers and Writing conference was held in East Lansing, MI at Michigan State University. Attendees arrived by car, plane, and, in some cases, bicycle. BGSU Rhetoric & Writing faculty member Dr. Neil Baird participated in the 2019 Ride2CW event, and shared his experiences.

On June 21, 2019, Travis Hein, Emma Guthrie, and Morgan McDougall presented at the 2019 Computers and Writing Conference. Their panel was titled, “Digital Technologies that Extend and Transfer Beyond the Classroom: Virtual Reality, Social Media, and Online Learning,” and chaired by Dr. Neil Baird. Learn more about their presentations.

Learn what Rhetoric & Writing students and faculty are working on over the summer.

There are many career options for graduates of Bowling Green State University’s Rhetoric and Writing doctoral program. This feature explores the roles that many of our alumni have taken as writing program administrators (WPAs) or as other administrators (in writing centers, as deans, etc.). We reached out to a few of our alumni to ask them about their role, how their experiences at BGSU prepared them for their position, and what they like/enjoy about their job.

Learn what they had to say.

RSBS will host an end-of-semester gathering on Friday, May 10 at Stones Throw at 5 p.m. We hope to see you there!

Join us on May 8 as Lauren Salisbury and Kristin LaFollette deliver their Brown Bag presentation, #PhDone and #MAstered: How to plan, write, and complete your dissertation or thesis.  

The Brown Bag will be held May 8 at 1:30 pm in East Hall room 206. Learn more about the event.

Third-year member of the Rhetoric & Writing PhD program Jonathan Brownlee has been named the inaugural 2019 recipient of the Mick Doherty Kairos Award. Learn more about the award.  

The Rhetoric & Writing program is thrilled to announce that second-year student Brandie Bohney has been named the recipient of the Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Associate Award. The award is given out each spring to recognize, reward, and encourage excellence in undergraduate instruction. Learn more about Brandie's work and the award.

On Wednesday, April 10, Sara Austin successfully defended her dissertation, titled “By Any Other Name: (Mis)Understanding Transfer-Focused Feminist Pedagogy." Learn more about Sara's work.

On Wednesday, April 10, Lauren Garskie successfully defended her dissertation, titled “Becomings of Space and Collaboration: Applying Design Thinking to a Study of Space and Collaboration in the Collab Lab." Learn more about Lauren's work.  

On Tuesday, April 9, Kelly Moreland successfully defended her dissertation, titled “Rhetorical Embodied Performance In/As Writing Instruction: Practicing Identity and Lived Experience in TA Education." Learn more about Kelly's work.  

On Monday, April 8, Marshall Saenz successfully defended his dissertation, titled “Networks of Interaction: Writing Course Design through Fourth Generation Activity Theory and Principles of Play." Learn more about Marshall's work.  

On Friday, April 5, second-year PhD student Bailey Poland gave an invited talk at The University of Findlay as a Distinguished Alumni Speaker. Learn more about Bailey's talk.

The Rhetoric Society of the Black Swamp (RSBS) is the Rhetoric & Writing Program's chapter of the Rhetoric Society of America. RSBS hosts an annual graduate student conference, 21st Century Englishes, and provides its student members with numerous professional development opportunities throughout the year. Learn more about the new officers.

Lauren Salisbury will host a workshop titled "Teaching Presence while "Teaching Presence": How to Convey Teaching Personas in Online Writing Courses" on Monday, April 1, 2019 from 1-2:30 p.m. in East Hall room 206. Learn more about the workshop.

Two students from the Rhetoric & Writing PhD program will receive awards for their work at the Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Symposium, which will be hosted on March 29, 2019. Learn more about the students' work and the symposium.

Two students in the Rhetoric & Writing program have recent or upcoming publications. Learn more about what students in the program are writing.

Kristin LaFollette, herself a writer and artist, "asked Jon, Annie, and Lena a few questions about why they chose to go into writing studies, how they see themselves as creative-critical scholars and writers, and what they are currently working on." Learn more about what they had to say and what they are working on.

The Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC) will be well attended this year by Bowling Green State University's Rhetoric and Writing doctoral program. See who is presenting at the conference!

On Monday, February 18, Kristin LaFollette successfully defended her dissertation, titled “The Queer Art of Writing: (Re)Imagining Scholarship and Pedagogy Through Transgenre Composing. Read more about Kristin's work.  

Four second-year students in the Rhetoric & Writing program have signed on to work as the digital publishing team for Ada: A Journal of Gender, New Media, and Technology. Learn more about their work and the journal.

Second-year rhetoric and writing student Lena Ziegler's chapbook has been published by The A3 press, and is available for purchase. Learn more about the chapbook.

Second-year Rhetoric & Writing student Bailey Poland served as the pronouncer for the Wood County spelling bee. Learn more about the bee and Bailey's involvement.

Ann von Mehren and Brandie Bohney both have recent or upcoming publications. Learn more about what our PhD students are writing.

Dr. Neil Baird was recently accepted into the 2019-2021 Elon Research Seminar on Writing Beyond the University: Fostering Writers’ Lifelong Learning and Agency. Learn more about the seminar.

Dr. Neil Baird arrived in Bowling Green to take on the role of associate professor in the Rhetoric and Writing PhD program. He generously agreed to an interview about his experience at BGSU so far, his hopes for the future, and his advice to graduate students. Read the full interview.

Dr. Christine Tulley, an alumna of the Rhetoric and Writing program, was interviewed about her new book, How Writing Faculty Write.

Dr. Christine Denecker was the keynote speaker at the 2018 21^st Century Englishes graduate student conference, held at Bowling Green State University on November 10. Read more about the keynote speech and an interview with Dr. Chris Denecker.

The Rhetoric and Writing program proudly welcomes Dr. Neil Baird’s arrival this Fall 2018.

Rhetoric and Writing made a big showing at the 2018 Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Conference.

This year's 5th annual conference theme is Cooperating and Collaborating: Creating Community in the 21st Century and will take place on October 21, 2017, at Bowling Green State University.

The 2016-2017 academic year showcased the Rhetoric & Writing Ph.D. program’s efforts in scholarship and service. Students and faculty presented and published at an array of venues across the United States.

Students in the third year cohort have each presented their graduate lectures, a public presentation of their dissertation prospectus.

Dr. Sue Carter Wood was awarded the President’s Award for Collaborative Research and Creative Work. The President’s Award for Collaborative Research and Creative Work is described as "[recognizing] innovative research and creative work conducted by faculty members in collaboration with graduate students related to improving the quality of graduate education and/or research capacity of the University."

Dr. Christine Tulley, Professor of Rhetoric and Writing at the University of Findlay and alumni of the BGSU Rhetoric & Writing Ph.D. Program, gave a presentation and workshop on April 5th titled, "Effective Publishing in Rhetoric and Composition through Collaboration."

Dr Roopika Risam, an Assistant Professor from Salem State University, hosted a workshop for Rhetoric & Writing Students on Thursday, March 30, titled "Digital Research Methods and Growing Methods from Questions."

April Conway received the Charles E. Shanklin Award for Research Excellence in Arts and Humanities. Her paper, “Practitioners of Earth: The Literacy Practices of Grassroots Cartographers” earned her the 2015-16 award.

Several of the Rhetoric and Writing students were successful at having their work published in various rhetoric and writing publications during the past academic year.

The Game Space Learning Laboratory explores writing and writing pedagogy by fostering relationship between games, academia, and community.

Elizabeth Wardle gave two engaging and thought provoking presentations to GSW faculty and Rhetoric and Writing faculty, graduate students, and alumni as well as Dean Craig.

Rhetoric Society of the Black Swamp (RSBS), BGSU’s Student Chapter of Rhetoric Society of America (RSA), were awarded funding for a proposed spring speaker.

Aimee Taylor successfully defended her dissertation, titled “Fat Cyborgs: Body-Positive Activism, Shifting Rhetorics and Identity Politics in the Fatosphere.”

The fourth annual 21st Century Englishes Conference took place on the campus of BGSU on Saturday, October 15, 2016.

All are welcome to attend and participate in discussion of Soha’s planned project, “International Teaching Assistant (ITA) Training Program at Bowling Green State University: Putting the Needs of ITAs and the Expectations of Native English-Speaking Students in conversation”.

Jeffrey Moore’s research presentation will be on Wednesday, November 9^th from 1:30-3:00 pm in East Hall 206. The title of his presentation is “Digital Literacy Practices of English Language Learners: Identity, Instructor Attitudes, and Alphabetic Supremacy”.

Rhetoric & Writing doctoral students Danielle Donelson, Jeffrey Moore, Stephen Raulli, and Lauren Salisbury presented at the conference.

Several of the Rhetoric and Writing Students presented presented at the Thomas R. Watson Conference on October 20-22, 2016 at the University of Louisville.  The conference theme was “Mobility Work in Composition: Translation, Migration, Transformation.”

Rhetoric and Writing graduate students have formed the BGSU Student Chapter of Rhetoric Society of America (RSA). Jeffrey Moore has been named as the first chairperson and Soha Yousef as the assistant chairperson.