Faculty | Rhetoric and Composition
Current Faculty
Our faculty are leaders in the field and are renowned scholars in a range of specialty areas, yet they share common interests in community, diversity, collaboration, cooperation, and ethical interactions with and support of our graduate students. Click on the names to link to their faculty pages.
Kamila Albert, Specialized Teaching Faculty in English, Director of the Reading Writing Centers and Digital Studios
Interests: writing center studies, multimodal design pedagogy, visual literacy, and digital literacy
Mais Al-Khateeb, Assistant Professor of English
Interests: 20th and 21st century contemporary rhetorical theory from a transnational feminist perspective; rhetorics of crisis with a focus on refugees, embodiment, and mobilities
Ronisha Browdy, Assistant Professor of English
Interests: Black women’s and Black feminist rhetorical practices, histories, and experiences
Christie Daniels, Specialized Teaching Faculty in English, Program Assistant for the College Composition Program
Interests: technology and visual/multimodal rhetoric, composition theory and pedagogy, rhetorics of difference, pop culture
Elías Domínguez Barajas, Associate Professor of English, Director of the College Composition Program
Interests: paremiology; discursive practices; oral traditions / verbal art; literacy practices; intercultural and intracultural communication
Tarez Samra Graban, Associate Professor of English, Program Director
Interests: histories and theories of rhetoric and composition; global, comparative, and transnational rhetorics; feminist rhetorical theory; archival studies; data humanities; discourse studies; multilingualism
Rhea Estelle Lathan, Associate Professor English
Interests: African American and women's literacies, literacy development, the teaching of writing, critical race theory, identity politics
Michael Neal, Associate Professor of English [link to ePortfolio]
Interests: writing assessment, digital composing technologies, undergraduate research, multi-media authorship and ownership, online writing instruction, disabilities and accessibility
Emeritus Faculty
Kristie S. Fleckenstein, Professor of English, Emeritus
Interests: materiality, visual literacy, feminist theory, and composition pedagogy
Kathleen Blake Yancey, Kellogg Hunt Professor and Distinguished Research Professor, Emeritus
Interests: composition studies, writing assessment, reflection, and the intersections of culture, literacy and technologies
Professional Development and Mentoring
Our faculty are also invested in providing graduate students, at each stage of their graduate education, a range of professional development and mentoring opportunities, both formal and informal. The following are just a small sample of the workshops, meetings, roundtables, courses, spaces, and other opportunities we often organize or host to support the successful completion of their degrees.
- Pedagogy Workshop: First year TAs meet regularly with the Director of College Composition, the Program Assistants, and mentors to support their teaching.
- Publication Workshop: Students with a fully drafted manuscript can sign up for a one-credit workshop, hosted by the program director, to provide and receive feedback on their writing.
- ePortfolio Workshop: Students can sign up for a one-credit hour workshop to develop professional ePortfolios for the job market. Students are provided theory, models, and opportunities for feedback on their work.
- Conference Workshops: Faculty regularly provide workshops and feedback for students preparing conference materials: from drafting conference proposals and abstracts to learning expectations for first time presenters or session chairs.
- Prelim Prep Meetings: As a way to support PhD students as they prepare for their preliminary exams and to assist them after they finish exams, the faculty host regular informal meetings and workshops to prepare doctoral students for the preliminary exams.
- Post Prelim Meetings: Following successful completion of their prelims, students are eligible to sign up for a series of workshop sessions hosted by the program director, on topics ranging from getting to the prospectus to job market readiness.
- Job Placement: Faculty in the program will often supplement the department job placement resources, offering a range of support structures to help prepare graduate students for the rigors of the academic job market. We offer faculty and student panels to provide multiple perspectives on applying for positions, workshops for job materials (e.g., CVs, letters, writing samples, teaching philosophies, etc.), mock interviews, practice video interviews, preparation for campus visits, and other support along the way.