Educator, Writer and Researcher

Recently, I was introduced to Foss and Griffin’s 1995 Theory of Invitational Rhetoric. I had never heard of this theory before but learned about it while conducting research for my Advanced Theory of Communication course at Regent University (Spring 2015). I read two journal articles (currently being reviewed for my Applied Research Methods course) that suggest the “possibility” of designing English and Communication courses using this theory as a base model. The articles were suggestive of applicability, but not thoroughly tested in a classroom setting. I am intrigued by this possibility, and I am thinking of using this theory to create a multi-modal writing course for first-year Freshman Composition. I need to flesh out the idea more, and of course, conduct some research (of which there is scant in literature at this time). My hope is that I might be able to produce some scholarly work, perhaps a conference paper, on this topic. It seems to be gaining some traction in higher education, specifically in Writing and Rhetoric departments and groups.

Excerpt from "Invitational Rhetoric" (2015).

Edwin Black wrote his treatise, “Rhetorical Criticism: A Study in Method” (1965) while working on his Ph.D. at Cornell University. Black’s suggestion that Neo-Aristotelian practices based upon the assumptions and principles of theory limited the critic’s ability to understand the historical, social, political, and ideological context of texts provoked controversy among rhetorical critics of the day (p. ix). His method book, while, not welcomed by all scholars, opened the doors to new avenues of public discourse, and unchained subsequent generations of students and scholars to envision new ways to think, to explore, and to conceptualize the rhetorical process. The study method, published originally in 1965, was reintroduced to students in 1978 and has continued to be considered one of the most influential books in the field (Black, 1978).

Excerpt from "A CRITICAL REVIEW OF BLACK’S “RHETORICAL CRITICISM: A STUDY IN METHOD” (2015)

Facebook has now told me that if I don’t update my page, they will hide it. Interesting to me that my personal educational page will be hidden from visitors simply because I am not actively promoting it.

The Role of Computer-mediated Communication on the Formation of Organizational Identity in Megachurch Websites: A Content Analysis - Draft Dissertation Proposal.

This proposal is motivated by four research questions: (1) What role does mediated communication play in the ministry of the American megachurch? (2) How do megachurches use mediated communication to support their mission and vision? (3) How does this mediated communication support the creation and maintenance of organizational identity? And, (4) How does mediated communication support the megachurch model? Using a mixed methods approach, I will conduct a quantitative and qualitative content analysis on nine urban megachurch websites. This research will explore the communicative practices of American megachurches, specifically by studying how megachurches communicate organizational identity through mediated contexts. The findings, results, and future research will be discussed upon completion of the research study.

Keywords: organizational communication, organizational identity, megachurch, web 2.0, mediated communication

This fall, I will be teaching COM 203, Introduction to Communication at Arizona Christian University and ENG 106, English Composition II at Grand Canyon University.

I will be teaching three sections of English 106: Composition II at Grand Canyon University in spring 2016.

My article, "Ethnography of Communication in Praxis in the Literature Classroom" is accepted pending revisions at the Journal of Instructional Research. Fall publication is August 2016.

I have finally updated my own website. Check it out at http://www.carolhepburn.com!