Rhetoric and Composition
Florida State University
405 Williams Building
Tallahassee, Florida
32306-1580
Phone: 850 644 4230
Fax: 850 644 0811
At Florida State University we offer two graduate programs in rhetoric and composition: an M.A. program in Rhetoric and Composition and a Ph.D. in English with a specialization in Rhetoric and Composition. In each we focus on rhetorical and social practices and theories of composing and composition, particularly emphasizing the relationships between texts (print, audio, visual, and digital), technologies, and literacies. In addition to offering a repertoire of challenging courses and various connections to the field, the program features a hospitable environment for graduate students.
As members of the graduate program, we—students and faculty—often work on research together. For example, TAs and faculty have presented together at conferences (for example, National Council of Teachers of English); several of us have submitted "combined" panels for CCCC. In addition, a team of graduate students and faculty wrote and were awarded a 2006-2007 CCCC research grant. We gather regularly to "read and eat" at a faculty member's home or a local spot, where we discuss current articles and plan collaborative projects. And all doctoral students enroll each semester in a one-hour reading course, where MA students are welcome as well. Not least, each term we host at least one distinguished scholar in rhetoric and composition who shares with us his or her latest research.
December 1 Donald Leu, Donald J. Leu, the John and Maria Neag Endowed Chair in Literacy and Technology at the University of Connecticut, studies reading generally and new literacies more specifically. His current research focuses primarily on new skills, strategies, and instructional tools needed to prepare students for learning to read and write with Internet technologies. At the University of Connecticut, he also directs the New Literacies Research Lab, and he is a past President of the National Reading Conference. With more than 100 research publications and seventeen books, Leu’s research showcases his dedication both to teaching and to finding ways to bridge new technologies and literacies.
February 16 Charles Schuster, Associate Dean for the Humanities at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. While at FSU, he met with nine PhD and MA students on research projects they were currently working on. With an inviting manner and a light sense of humor, Dr. Schuster gave professional feedback on publishing and research questions as well as on drafts. Afterward, Dr. Yancey hosted a pot luck dinner where Dr. Schuster gave a quick talk on the future of publishing in rhetoric and composition and enjoyed socializing with members of the rhet/comp program.
January 12 Deborah Brandt, Deborah Brandt, Professor of Rhetoric and Composition at the University of Wisconsin Madison, researches literacy, specifically social and economic histories of mass literacy, and the status of mass writing within late twentieth and early twenty-first century culture, diversity, equity, and access in literacy learning. At the University of Wisconsin Madison she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in literacy, writing studies, and qualitative research methods. Brandt currently is working on a project following her award-winning volume Literacy in American Lives, entitled Writing Now: New Directions in Mass Literacy, which explores the ascendancy of writing as a second stage of mass literacy.
March 30 Beverly Moss, Beverly Moss, Associate Professor of English at the Ohio State University, focuses both on community literacy, especially in African American communities, and on writing centers. She teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses on composition theory and criticism, literacy theories and practices, qualitative research methodologies and basic writing. Author of several articles addressing composition and pedagogy and African American Rhetoric, she is also the editor of Literacy Across Communities and the co-editor of Writing Groups Inside and Outside the Classroom.
Jennifer O'Malley is a first-year Master's student in Rhetoric and Composition, and a teaching assistant in the First-Year Composition program. Originally from Ormond Beach, Fla., Jennifer received her B.A. in English with a minor in Writing from Jacksonville University in May 2006. Her interests include digital media in the first year composition classroom and the influence of gender roles in computer-mediated discussion spaces. In spring 2009, Jennifer received a TA award for her winning portfolio in teaching.
Research interests: Jennifer's research interests include how to effectively incorporate blogs into the First Year Composition classroom and the influence of gender roles on blogging discourse. She has presented at conferences such as CCCC in the research network forum on blogging in the classroom.
Current reading: I actually have two stacks on my night stand—one that I need to finish for my research for the end of the semester and the other contains books that I will be reading by the pool over the summer. The first stack contains a few books, but the two that I am currently focusing on are William Covino’s Magic, Rhetoric, and Literacy and Ernest Stromberg’s American Indian Rhetorics of Survivance: Word Medicine, Word Magic. The other stack contains Twilight, Lonely Planet’s Ireland Travel Guide, and a few copies of People magazine.
Personal insight: I have always been inspired by Benjamin Franklin’s quote “Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.” In my high school yearbook I choose this quote to accompany my senior picture because I thought it “sounded good.” Interestingly enough, its relevant application provides motivation for me today.
