Collegiate Affiliation
Writing Studies
English
Links
Professional Website

Professor Laura J. Gurak  (Ph.D., Communication and Rhetoric, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute) studies rhetorical and persuasive dynamics and patterns of human communication, especially ethos, trust, and credibility. In particular, she is interested in the expressions of human language with and through technology, from the cave paintings to the printing press to the Internet. In addition, Professor Gurak is interested in how technology and science are communicated to the public, including technical writing and the study of communicative patterns in science, health, and engineering discourse. She is author of numerous publications and was among the earliest scholars to document persuasion in online settings, including two sole-authored books: Persuasion and Privacy in Cyberspace (Yale 1996); Cyberliteracy (Yale 2001). With Professor John M. Lannon, she is co-author of Technical Communication (2024, 16th ed., Pearson Longman). Gurak was the founding chair (2007-2016) of the Department of Writing Studies, College of Liberal Arts, University of Minnesota.

Educational Background & Specialties
Open Close

Educational Background

  • Ph.D.: Communication and Rhetoric, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 1994
  • M.S. : Technical Communication, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 1990
  • B.A. : Public Communication , College of St. Rose, 1989

Specialties

  • Rhetorical dynamics of human communication
  • Internet studies and online research methods
  • Social aspects of computing
  • Rhetorics of technology
  • Technical and professional writing and communication
  • Trust, ethos, and human communication