Lisa Blankenship

education

Department of English, Baruch College, CUNY

Box B7/240 New York, NY 10010
lisagblankenship@gmail.com Cell: 405.415.5669
Website: lisablankenship.org

Miami University, Ph.D. Composition and Rhetoric: August 2013

Dissertation: Changing the Subject: A Theory of Rhetorical Empathy
Honorable Mention, 2014 CCCC James Berlin Memorial Outstanding
Dissertation Award
Committee: Kate Ronald (Chair), LuMing Mao, Cindy Lewiecki-Wilson,
Heidi McKee, David Cowan
University of Oklahoma, M.A. English: May 2008
Composition, Rhetoric, and Literacy emphasis
Thesis: Subversive Faith: Lucretia Mott and the Religious Origins of
Early U.S. Feminist Rhetoric
Committee: Catherine Hobbs (Chair), Susan Kates, Chris Carter
University of Oklahoma, B.A. English: December 1995

interests and
specializations

Rhetorical theory; public sphere rhetoric; rhetorical ethics; feminist,

queer, and comparative rhetorics; professional writing; digital/multimodal
rhetoric and pedagogy; writing across the curriculum

peer-reviewed
publications

The Rhetoric of Participation: Interrogating Commonplaces in and Beyond the

Classroom, co-editor with Paige Banaji (Barry University), Katherine DeLuca
(The Ohio State University), and Lauren Obermark (University of Missouri-St.
Louis); Prospectus accepted by the Computers and Composition Digital Press
/ Utah State University Press, July 2014; full manuscript to be submitted to the
Press summer 2015.
E. Pluribus Plures: DMAC and its Keywords. With Casey Boyle,
Caroline Dadas, Laura Micciche, Janine Morris, Christian Smith,
Stephanie Vie, and Melanie Yergeau. Computers and Composition.
Special Issue: CIWIC, DMAC, and Technology Professional Development
in Rhetoric and Composition. Forthcoming 2015.
Rhetorical Empathy in Dustin Lance Blacks 8: A Play on (Marriage) Words,
Present Tense: A Journal of Rhetoric in Society 3.1 (Spring 2013)

teaching

Baruch College, CUNY

Assistant Professor, Writing Program Director
Department of English August 2014 - Present
Miami University
Visiting Assistant Professor, Composition & Rhetoric / Professional Writing
Department of English August 2013 - May 2014

(9/14)

Taught courses in rhetorical theory and digital/multimodal rhetoric and served on

Comp/Rhet Committee and Chairs Advisory Committee.

Northern Kentucky University

Adjunct Instructor Fall 2011, Spring 2012

Graduate Teaching Assistant, Composition & Rhetoric

Department of English August 2008 December 2012

Courses
ENG 340: Business Writing (Online)
A workplace writing course in an online setting, ENG 340 introduces students to
various genres of workplace communication.

Instructor
Anrei English/Chinese Exchange Program Summer 2008

University of Oklahoma
Graduate Teaching Assistant, Rhetoric & Composition Aug 2005 May 2008

Courses
ENG 223: Rhetorical Strategies for Writers
Course website: http://eng223afall2013.wordpress.com/
One of five foundation courses for Rhetoric and Writing minors and Professional
Writing majors; introduces students to terms, principles, and practices of classical
and contemporary rhetorical theory. Students apply rhetorical theory to analyses of
historical and contemporary oral, print, visual, and multimodal examples of
rhetoric and produce their own rhetoric in multiple genres.

Courses
ENGL 3153: Technical Writing
Prepares engineers to write effectively for various audiences in professional contexts.
ENGL 1113: Principles of Composition I
Introduces students to academic discourse by focusing on research skills,
analysis, and writing within various genres.

ENG/IMS 224 Digital Writing and Rhetoric

(cross-listed English & Interactive Media Studies)
Course website: http://engims224bfall2013.wordpress.com/
A required core course for both the Professional Writing major and the interdisciplinary IMS major; explores how writing practices are changing in light of emerging
digital technologies. Students analyze multimodal texts rhetorically and produce
their own multimodal texts for specific audiences.

ENGL 1213: Principles of Composition II

Introduces students to Toulmin-based approaches for analyzing and
constructing arguments in a variety of genres.

administration

ENG 111: College Composition in Digital Environments

One of two required first-year writing courses in the Miami general education
sequence; focuses on principles and practices of rhetoric and composition useful for
producing rhetorically effective writing and for analyzing and constructing
arguments using rhetorical inquiry within a digital, networked environment.
BUS 102: Business Writing
Course website: http://mubus102.wordpress.com/
A business and workplace writing course introducing students to common genres of
business writing from a rhetorical perspective.

Assistant Director, Howe Writing Initiative (Dr. Kate Ronald, Director)

Farmer School of Business, Miami University August 2009 May 2011
Helped administer an embedded writing center and writing across the curriculum
program; conducted workshops for faculty on incorporating writing into their
curriculum; helped conduct a four-year, longitudinal assessment of writing in the
business school; led workshops on writing intensive assignments in multiple courses.

Business and Technical Writing

Anrei English/Chinese Exchange Program
A professional and technical writing course and cultural exchange program for
Anrei Medical Co, Ltd., engineers from Hangzhou, China.

Assistant Director, Portfolio Placement Program (Dr. Moira Casey, Director)

Department of English, Miami University, Spring 2010 and 2011
Administered portfolio placement for first-year composition; helped facilitate a
2-day scoring session in which 30+ composition instructors assessed writing portfolios of incoming first-year students; designed and edited a publication featuring the
top-rated portfolios; wrote and designed promotional materials.

ENG 112: Composition and Literature

A required first-year composition course, students studied literature from
a rhetorical perspective, using the theme of Isolation and Community.
ENG 111: Special Topic (Composition and Activism)
Course website: http://eng111nj.wordpress.com/
A composition course focused on activism and community engagement,
tailored for students in the Western College Program, an interdisciplinary major
based on individualized and integrated study that draws from the humanities,
sciences, arts, social sciences, and professional programs.
2

Interim Associate Director, Howe Writing Center (Dr. Kate Ronald, Director)
Miami University January 2013 - August 2013
Coordinated marketing and outreach; designed and coordinated social and print
media outreach and informational materials; co-conducted faculty workshops on
writing across the curriculum; coordinated university-wide writing contest culminating in the editing, design, and publication of a book of student writing.

Assistant Director of First-Year Composition (Dr. Susan Kates, Director)

Department of English, University of Oklahoma January 2007 May 2008
Helped train graduate teaching assistants; facilitated workshops; developed
curriculum; scored incoming first-year student writing for placement.

Writing Center Consultant (Dr. Michele Eodice, Director)

University of Oklahoma Writing Center September 2006 - December 2006
Consulted with students about their writing for courses across the university;
designed the centers logo and outreach materials; co-designed website.

refereed
presentations

The Real @Oxford Asians: Rhetorical Empathy and Social Media(tion)

With Kate Ronald, Ann Updike, Abby Dubisar, and Caroline Dadas
Writing Research Across Borders III International Conference
Paris, France February 2014

Subversive Faith: Lucretia Mott and the Religious Origins of

Early Feminist Rhetoric
Conference on College Composition and Communication
New Orleans, LA April 2008

Ethical Imperatives: Rhetorical Empathy and Constructions of Race

Conference on College Composition and Communication
Las Vegas, NV March 2013

The Declaration of Independence Revisited: Nationalism and Gender in the

Nineteenth Century U.S. Womens Movement
Textual Nationalism(s) Conference,
University of Oklahoma October 2007

Changing the Subject: Rhetorical Empathy in Gay Rights and

Fundamentalist Discourse
Rhetoric Society of America Conference Philadelphia, PA May 2012

Teaching Audience Through Collaborative Web Design

with Genevieve Critel
Conference on College Composition and Communication
New York, NY March 2007

Empathy in the Margins: Negotiating Difference in Public Discourse

Feminisms and Rhetorics Conference Minnesota State University
October 2011

workshops
and invited
presentations

Rhetorical Empathy as a Queer Methodology

Conference on College Composition and Communication
Atlanta, Georgia April 2011
Inventing and Deconstructing the Disciplines: Ethos as Identity in the
Business Writing Classroom
Miami English Graduate Student and Adjunct Association Annual Conference
Miami University March 2011

First-Year Composition Instructor Training Workshop (2 days)

With Kate Ronald and Jason Palmeri Miami University, Summer 2010 & 2011
Keys to Editing Your Own and Students Writing
Farmer School of Business Faculty Writing Workshop
With Dominic Ashby and Caroline Dadas Miami University April 2011

Implanted in Business: A Writing Center Grafted to a Discipline

With Kate Ronald, Ann Updike, Abby Dubisar, and Caroline Dadas
European Writing Center Association International Conference
Paris, France May 2010

Visual Impact: Design Principles for Effective Teaching

Farmer Business School Faculty Workshop
With Ann Updike and Dominic Ashby Miami University November 2010

Rethinking Polarized Discourse in Californias Proposition 8 Campaign

Conference on College Composition and Communication
Louisville, KY March 2010

The Ethics and Process of Writing Research Reports

Senior Finance Courses, Farmer School of Business
Miami University, March 2010

Contradicting Terms: Rhetorics of Queer and Christian Identity in the

Composition Classroom
Feminisms and Rhetorics Conference
Michigan State University October 2009

Effective Business Writing: Considering Audience, Genre, and Purpose

Summer Business Institute for Non-Business Majors, Farmer School of Business
With Caroline Dadas and Dominic Ashby Miami University, Sum 2009 & 2010
Small, Potent Gestures: Incorporating Video in Course Assignments
Digital Writing Collaborative
Miami University, October 2009

Rogerian Rhetoric: Common Ground in a Pluralistic Culture

Conference on College Composition and Communication
San Francisco, CA March 2009

Analyzing the Rhetoric and Design of Visual Texts

Digital Writing Collaborative
With Caroline Dadas Miami University, September 2008

A More Perfect Union: Barack Obamas Rhetoric of Empathy

Race, Class and Gender Symposium
Miami University February 2009

First-Year Composition Instructor Training Workshop (2 weeks)

With Lee Vasquez-Ilaoa and Lynn Lewis University of Oklahoma, Sum 2007

Web Design in Composition Classrooms

The New Work of Composing / Thomas R. Watson Conference
University of Louisville October 2008
4

Faculty Writing Across the Curriculum Workshop (3 days)

With Kate Ronald and Jason Palmeri Miami University, May 2013 & 2014

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service

Miami University Department of English

The Gathering logo and website, with Gen Critel & Doug Slagle, 2010

Chairs Advisory Committee August 2013 - May 2014

Served as one of five elected faculty representatives as advisors to English
Department Chair.

Industry
Creative Director
Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. August 2001 - December 2004
Led a team of four designers and writers; oversaw creation of company sales and
member-directed communications pieces, including annual report,
brochures, member guides, press releases, web design and email communications.

Top 25 Grant Curriculum Committee Spring 2010-Sum 2011

Revised first-year writing curriculum to incorporate inquiry-based, multimodal
assignments as part of a University-wide General Education Top 25 Grant.
Western Program Curriculum Committee Spring 2009
Developed first-year writing course curriculum focused on activism and community
engagement for students in a self-designed, interdisciplinary major.

Public Relations & Corporate Communications / Graphic Designer

Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. August 1996 - August 2001
Wrote press releases and other public relations material; designed client-directed
print and web-based materials; wrote and edited reports.

Professional Memberships

technology

Conference on College Composition and Communication

National Council of Teachers of English
Rhetoric Society of America
Modern Language Association

honors & awards

Honorable Mention, CCCC James Berlin Memorial Outstanding

Dissertation Award, March 2014

Training
DMAC (Digital Media and Composition), Ohio State University, Summer 2009

College of Arts and Science Graduate Student Teaching Award

Miami University, April 2013

references

Graduate School Dissertation Fellowship

Miami University, Fall 2011-Spring 2012
Department of English Travel Grant, Miami University, May 2010
European Writing Center Association International Conference, Paris, France

(design samples available

at lisablankenship.org)

Dr. Heidi McKee

Associate Professor, Department of English Director, Professional Writing
Interim Director, Howe Writing Initiative, Farmer School of Business
356 Bachelor Hall Miami University Oxford, OH 45056
(513) 529-2635 mckeeha@miamioh.edu

Academy

Howe Writing Center social media, website, and print outreach

materials, Miami University, Jan - Aug 2013

AACSB Accreditation Report, MU Farmer School of Business, Feb 2011

First-Year Composition Portfolio Placement Program outreach materials,

Dr. Jason Palmeri

Associate Professor, Department of English Director of College Composition
356 Bachelor Hall Miami University Oxford, OH 45056
(513) 529-5221 palmerjr@miamioh.edu

Miami University, Spring 2010 and Spring 2011

Howe Writing Initiative outreach materials, Miami University, 2010-2011

University of Oklahoma Writing Center logo, website, and outreach
materials, with Michele Eodice and Genevieve Critel, Fall 2006

Community/pro bono
6

GLBT News Cincinnati website, Spring 2011

Miami University LGBTQ Alumni Logo and website

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Dr. Kate Ronald

Professor, Department of English Director, Howe Writing Center
356 Bachelor Hall Miami University Oxford, OH 45056
(513) 529-6100 ronaldkj@miamioh.edu
Dr. LuMing Mao
Professor and Chair, Department of English
356 Bachelor Hall Miami University Oxford, OH 45056
(513) 529-5221 maolr@miamioh.edu

Graduate School Travel Grant, University of Oklahoma, March 2007

Teaching Audience Through Collaborative Web Design with Genevieve Critel
Conference on College Composition and Communication, New York, NY

professional writing & design

Software
Page Layout: Adobe InDesign
Graphics: Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator
Video: iMovie
Sound: Audacity
Web design: Dreamweaver, Wordpress

Dr. Michele A. Eodice

Associate Provost for Academic Engagement Director of the OU
Writing Center and Writing Across Campus, University of Oklahoma
Room 280 Wagner Hall, 1005 Asp Ave, Norman, OK 73019
(405) 325-2936 meodice@ou.edu

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