For many, the term \u201crhetoric\u201d conjures images of ancient Greek orators, masters of the spoken and written word, compulsively searching for the perfect turn of phrase to persuade an audience to adopt an idea or undertake an action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Few in the fast-moving twenty-first century, where words are reduced to single characters and sentiments are conveyed with emoticons, ponder the value of rhetoric in our everyday communications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But Kerri Hauman understands fully how these two worlds collide. And she wants to help students see the value in crafting writing that effectively informs, persuades, argues, or critiques\u2014even if the message is relayed via social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Explains Hauman, \u201cWhile some people might feel uncomfortable about incorporating digital media into a liberal arts education, our program recognizes that a basic tenet of rhetoric\u2014the necessity for a rhetor to consider all available means of persuasion\u2014requires us to weigh other options in addition to the spoken word or printed texts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I continually look for opportunities to build students\u2019 confidence and encourage them to see writing and learning as social activities, not as things they must suffer through alone.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n \u201cAs a writing teacher, I see myself as someone who works alongside students to discover or rediscover familiar and new ways to write for varied purposes and audiences, using various modalities and technologies. Ultimately, I aim to help students have experiences and gain skills that will make them more thoughtful, critical readers and writers who are able to participate effectively in society.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rhetoric was, of course, critical to the original concept of a liberal education\u2014a compulsory skill for any engaged citizen. But before you can articulate a well-formulated opinion or write for a broad audience, it\u2019s important to have an understanding of the wider world. And that\u2019s another way Transylvania\u2019s liberal arts curriculum helps students become better communicators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA person studying writing, rhetoric, and communication should have a broad base of knowledge in order to consider various worldviews and determine how to best communicate within a particular situation,” says Hauman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe liberal arts education Transylvania offers\u2014where teachers and students really get to know each other, where students necessarily build their education from a broad base of disciplines and classes, where writing and small group discussions are privileged, where cultural events are emphasized alongside traditional classroom activities\u2014 ensures that students have many and varied opportunities to practice and test the theories we talk about in class.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s hard to imagine a contemporary profession or career that doesn\u2019t demand clear communication and effective writing. Whether it\u2019s preparing lab reports, summarizing case studies, marketing a product, documenting a technical specification, or communicating policies to your staff, you will be more successful in your job if you communicate clearly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After all, we\u2019re all part of society, of a community that requires regular interaction among its members. And while Hauman strives to be respectful of her individual students\u2014their interests, their learning styles, their peculiar anxieties about writing\u2014her goal is to help them be active participants in this larger world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFor me, the best part of teaching is learning with students and watching them grow as thinkers, writers, and intellectuals.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ph.D., Rhetoric and Writing, Bowling Green State University, 2013 First-Year Seminar Feminist rhetorics, pedagogies, and research National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Feminist Connections: Rhetoric and Activism across Time, Space, and Place<\/em>, Edited by Katherine Fredlund, Kerri Hauman, and Jessica Ouellette, 2020<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Writing Teachers for Twenty-First Century Writers: A Gap in Graduate Education,” with Stacy Kastner and Alison Witte, Pedagogy: Critical Approaches to Teaching Literature, Language, Composition, and Culture, January 2015<\/p>\n\n\n\n Review of Literate Zeal: Gender and the Making of a New Yorker Ethos by Janet Carey Eldred, Composition Studies, Spring 2013<\/p>\n\n\n\n Review of Rhetorica in Motion: Feminist Rhetorical Methods and Methodologies by Eileen Schell and K.J. Rawson. Co-authors Em Hurford, Stacy Kastner, Jeff Kirchoff, Lee Nickoson, and Kate Spike. Feminist Teacher, 2012<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCyberfeminists at Play: Lessons on Literacy and Activism from a Girls\u2019 Computer Camp.\u201d Co-authors Kristine Blair, Katherine Fredlund, Em Hurford, Stacy Kastner, and Alison Witte. Feminist Teacher, 2011<\/p>\n\n\n\n Review of Lingua Fracta: Toward a Rhetoric of New Media by Collin Brooke, Computers and Composition Online, Spring 2010<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":4390,"template":"","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"academic_division":[30,4,34],"class_list":["post-241","faculty","type-faculty","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nAcademic History<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
M.A., English, Composition, and Rhetoric, Wright State University, 2009
Certificate in Women’s Studies, Wright State University, 2009
B.A., English, Wright State University, 2006<\/p>\n\n\n\nCourses Taught at Transy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Business Writing
Digital Rhetoric
Feminist Rhetorics
Writing with\/for Nonprofits<\/p>\n\n\n\nAreas of Specialization<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Digital literacies
Teaching with technology
Writing research methods and methodologies
Writing center theory and practice<\/p>\n\n\n\nProfessional Memberships<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Coalition of Feminist Scholars in the History of Rhetoric and Composition (CFSHRC)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nRecent Publications<\/h3>\n\n\n\n