Category: Faculty News

Faculty Spotlight — Dr. Michael Gallaway  

On February 25, 2025, Dr. Michael Gallaway presented his ongoing research into the co-production of whiteness in country music. With the Invention Lab (SAC 202) full of students, staff, and faculty alike—and even more attending via Zoom—Dr. Gallaway’s presentation was an insightful and illuminating picture of racial production in contemporary rhetoric. I caught up with Dr. Gallaway the following week to discuss his work in further depth and to shine a spotlight on this important area of research. Read on to hear what we discussed and get inspired to see and hear the world in new ways.  Dr. Gallaway’s Goal 

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A Closer Look: Updates from the WRD Equity Committee

In the aftermath of the 2020 killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Tony McDade at the hands of the police, a collective cry for action resonated within the Writing, Rhetoric, & Discourse Department. Motivated by a poignant letter written by concerned students and alumni, the WRD department was called upon to actively champion diversity, equity, and inclusion. This compelling call to action culminated in the establishment of the WRD Equity Committee. The Committee’s Goals: Since its inception, the Equity Committee has emerged with a series of goals aimed at transforming the WRD department’s approach to antiracism and inclusivity. Some of

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Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Tim Elliott and the TCEP Tutoring Program

Introduction In the heart of Chicago’s vibrant Little Village, a tutoring program has been making waves by empowering local high school students to become first-generation college students. This impactful initiative is a collaboration between DePaul University and the Telpochcalli Community Education Project (TCEP). For several years, the program has provided invaluable guidance to Latinx high schoolers in Little Village, offering them support on their academic journeys. Today, we shine a spotlight on the driving force behind this program, Dr. Tim Elliott, Assistant Professor in the WRD department, who has played a pivotal role in shaping the tutoring program’s mission and

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Event Recap: WRD Professionalization Panel

Last quarter, WRD”s Student Community Committee hosted a Professionalization Panel for students to hear from WRD graduates who work as professional writers about their lives post-graduation. As Dr. Michael Gallaway, who facilitated the panel shared, “The goal is to talk about what life is like after you leave DePaul and after you have received your degree from the WRD Department, including what kind of things you might be doing and some of the intricacies of professional writing jobs.”  WRD undergraduate and graduate students joined the panel on Zoom, which included three speakers: one DePaul Career Center staff member and two

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Updates from WRD’s Equity Committee

This year, the WRD Equity Committee is demonstrating more commitment to the students, staff, and faculty of the department. Through events, a public whiteboard, grant-funded research, and additional projects, the committee is facilitating conversations on equity and striving to make the department more inclusive and diverse. Read on to learn about these ongoing projects. The mission of the Equity Committee is to create practices to embrace and sustain DEI initiatives in the department as a way to respond to the wider WRD community’s exigencies. WRD Equity Committee member Dr. Maria Prikhodko Community Whiteboard During each week of the Winter Quarter,

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Faculty Spotlight: Monica Reyes

Although they spend significant time working with their students, the professors in the WRD department are still scholars at heart–often working on their own projects in addition to teaching. Dr. Monica Reyes is no exception. Her courses like Multicultural Rhetorics and Feminist Rhetorics encourage students to think outside the box for their own personal scholarship. Let’s check in with her to see what she’s been up to.  What are you working on right now? I am currently working on my single-authored book with Routledge. My book, Rhetoric and Storytelling within the U.S. Asylum Process: Shelter Rhetorics, examines the U.S. requirement

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Q&A with WRD’s New Chair Julie Bokser

The WRD department has a new chair. Professor Julie Bokser has been part of the program since its inception in 2007 when the department went its separate ways from the English department. Even prior to that she has called DePaul her academic home since the fall of 2000.  We wanted to take some time to chat with Prof. Bokser about her hopes for this new position, her time in the WRD program, and how it differs from her scholarly pursuits.  Why don’t we just start with who is Julie Bokser in relation to the WRD program? I’ve been here since

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Faculty Achievement Spotlight: Monica Reyes

In October 2021, Professor Monica Reyes of the Writing, Rhetoric, and Discourse program was awarded a fellowship to further her Shelter Rhetorics manuscript. The grant was awarded through the American Association of University Women. Her manuscript is a timely piece that looks to engage a dialogue around the rhetorics of displacement and asylum. This work is vital to Dr. Reyes’ scholarship as she helps students navigate through these kinds of rhetorics in her classes. In the last three years, she has taught two separate, service-learning courses that highlight “countering the predominant victim narrative we often hear about asylum experience.” For

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