Faculty

Faculty in the Department of Writing Studies at the University of Minnesota are recognized around the world for their outstanding contributions to teaching and scholarship in rhetoric, writing, and technical communication. Our twelve tenured professors take great pride in working with students to explore areas including writing and digital media; writing in technical, medical, and workplace settings; writing in relation to history, culture, society, and politics.

Students who take classes in writing studies also benefit from the experience and knowledge of our full time professional instructors, graduate instructors, and teaching assistants. Our instructional staff are experts in the teaching of writing, especially first year composition and technical writing.

Full-Time Faculty

Name	Contact	Specialty
Lee-Ann Kastman Breuch Professor Chair Interim Director of Graduate Studies (Certificate and MS)	233 Nolte 612-624-1784 lkbreuch@umn.edu	Rhetoric and technical communication, writing theory and pedagogy, online writing instruction, usability and human factors
Patrick Bruch Associate Professor	209 Nolte 612-625-6041 patbruch@umn.edu	Theory and history of composition studies, critical literacy and critical pedagogy, cultural studies
Daniel Card Assistant Professor	221 Nolte 612-625-7974 dcard@umn.edu	Rhetoric of science & environment, digital/computational rhetoric, technical writing, rhetorics of innovation & entrepreneurship
Ann Hill Duin Professor	215 Nolte 612-625-9259 ahduin@umn.edu	Collaboration, distance education, partnerships Distinguished University Teaching Professor
Richard Graff Associate Professor On sabbatical Fall 2022	201 Nolte 612-624-4985 graff013@umn.edu	Classical rhetoric, contemporary rhetorical theory, stylistics & rhetorical criticism
Laura Gurak Professor	211 Nolte 612-624-3773 gurakl@umn.edu	Rhetorical theory; Internet studies; technical writing and communication; digital research methods
Molly Kessler Assistant Professor Interim Graduate Studies (MA & PhD)	210 Nolte 612-301-2577 kesslerm@umn.edu	Rhetoric of health and medicine, professional and technical communication, rhetoric of science and technology
Amy Lee Professor Director of First Year Writing	213 Nolte amylee@umn.edu	Critical pedagogy; teacher development in higher education; engaging diversity and supporting equity in undergraduate classrooms; composition/writing studies; intercultural pedagogy H.T. Morse Distinguished Professor
John Logie Associate Professor	206 Nolte 612-624-4709 logie@umn.edu	Rhetorical theory, rhetoric of electronic writing spaces, sophistic rhetoric
Thomas Reynolds Associate Professor Director of Undergraduate Studies	207 Nolte 612-626-0065 reyno004@umn.edu	Composition Studies, literacy history

Professional Instructors

Name	Contact	Specialty
Maureen Aitken Senior Teaching Specialist	307 Nolte 612-624-8777 aitke001@umn.edu	First-year writing
Mark Anderson Senior Teaching Specialist	309 Nolte 612-625-0757 ander574@umn.edu	First-year writing
Clayton Benjamin Lecturer	benj0056@umn.edu	Technical communication
Alan Berks Lecturer	136 Nolte 612-625-6530, berks010@umn.edu	First-year writing
Sarah Chandler Lecturer	331G Nolte sarchand@umn.edu	First-year writing
Kris Cory Associate Director of First-Year Writing: Teaching Excellence and Pedagogy	316 Nolte 612-624-1428 coryx001@umn.edu	First-year writing
Melissa Cundieff-Pexa Lecturer	331G Nolte 612-626-8860 cundi016@umn.edu	First-year writing
Patty Fillipi Senior Teaching Specialist	311 Nolte 612-625-0164 filli002@umn.edu	First-year writing, President's Emerging Scholars program
Lee Fisher Director, Minnesota Writing Project	10 Nicholson 612-625-6323 lcf@umn.edu
Anne Fretheim Senior Lecturer	337C Nolte 612-301-1317 fret0017@umn.edu	Multilingual learners
Tim Gustafson Senior Lecturer	337B Nolte 612-625-8671 tgus@umn.edu	First-year writing, technical & professional writing
Jim Hall Teaching Specialist Certificate Program Advisor	208 Nolte 612-626-6298 jhall@umn.edu	Technical communication, usability
Elizabeth Hartman Lecturer	hart0644@umn.edu	First-year writing
Michelle Herrin Lecturer	331G Nolte 612-626-8860, herri340@umn.edu	First-year writing
Matthew Hodapp Lecturer	buck0338@umn.edu	First-year writing
Barbara Horvath Senior Teaching Specialist Assistant Director of Undergraduate Studies	202 Nolte 612-624-1902 horva003@umn.edu	Technical editing, visual communication
Ezra Hyland Teaching Specialist	315 Nolte 612-624-5849 hylan003@umn.edu	First-year writing
Kirsten Jamsen Director, Center for Writing	10 Nicholson 612-625-5355 kjamsen@umn.edu	Writing center studies, writing across the curriculum, composition pedagogy
Matthew Kimlinger Senior Teaching Specialist	137A Ruttan 612-625-4710 kimli013@umn.edu	First-year writing
Jax Kinniburgh Teaching Specialist	331C Nolte 612-625-1398 jkinnibu@umn.edu	First-year writing
Nick Kleese Lecturer	301 Nolte 612-625-2338 klees023@umn.edu	First-year writing
Katie Levin Co-Director, Center for Writing	612-624-7720 kslevin@umn.edu
Bridget Lillethorup Lecturer	321 Nolte 612-624-4524 lille219@umn.edu	First-year writing
Corinth Matera Teaching Specialist	304 Nolte 612-624-4279 mate0001@umn.edu	First-year writing
Megan Mills-Rittmann Lecturer	337A Nolte 612-625-6337 mills139@umn.edu	First-year writing
Nicole Montana Senior Lecturer	306 Nolte 612-625-0731 nmontana@umn.edu	First-year writing
Joseph Moses Senior Lecturer	313 Nolte 612-624-2199 moses004@umn.edu	Collaborative writing, technical and professional writing, project design and development, inclusive pedagogy, information design, theory and practice of writing for digital media
Brigitte Mussack Senior Lecturer Coordinator, Advanced Writing	204 Nolte Center 626-8484 muss0039@umn.edu	First-year writing
Capper Nichols Senior Lecturer	137B Ruttan / 305 Nolte Center 612-624-5345 nicho008@umn.edu	Technology studies, environmental history, travel writing
Cynthia Pope Lecturer	cpope@umn.edu	Technical writing
Vanessa Ramos Lecturer	213 Nolte ramos328@umn.edu	First-year writing
Dylan Reynolds Lecturer	315 Nolte 612-624-5849 reyno656@umn.edu	First-year writing
Zoe Rodine Post-doc	310 Pillsbury rodin012@umn.edu	First-year writing
Tréza Rosado Teaching Specialist	318 Nolte 612-624-6384 rosad018@umn.edu	First-year writing
Nick Rosencrans Teaching Specialist	rosen584@umn.edu	Usability
Courtney Salmela Teaching Specialist	331C Nolte 612-625-1398 salme046@umn.edu	First-year writing
Sarah Selz Lecturer	323 Nolte 612-624-7991 selzx003@umn.edu	First-year writing, multilingual writing, student writing support
Kimberley Strain Senior Lecturer	317 Nolte strai004@umn.edu	First-year writing, professional and technical writing, graduate writing, student writing support, multilingual learners, writing centers
Jasmine Kar Tang Co-Director, Center for Writing Co-Director, Minnesota Writing Project	10 Nicholson 612-625-1541 jkt@umn.edu	Writing center studies, Asian American studies, critical race and ethnic studies
Matthew Tchepikova-Treon	treon005@umn.edu	First-year writing
Elise Toedt Teaching Specialist	338A Nolte 612-626-2292 toedt012@umn.edu	First-year writing
Lee Thomas Teaching Specialist	3-372 CarlSMgmt 612-626-6880 thom1221@umn.edu	Scientific and technical communication, information design
Barbara Van Pilsum Teaching Specialist	337C Nolte 612-301-1317 vanpi012@umn.edu	First-year writing
Angelo Volpe Senior Lecturer	310 Nolte 612-624-4394 volp0006@umn.edu	Argumentative writing, first-year writing
William West Lecturer	325 Nolte 612-624-9729 westx005@umn.edu	Technical writing, medical writing
Tara Zahler Lecturer	331C Nolte 612-625-1398 zahl0012@umn.edu	First-year writing

Graduate Instructors

Name	Contact	Home Department
Caitlin Baulch	335 Nolte	Writing Studies
Mark Brenden	300 Nolte 612-626-2248	Writing Studies
Cody Bursch	Nolte	Writing Studies
Kayla Carden	Pillsbury	English
Mikayla Davis	335 Nolte 612-624-3831	Writing Studies
Thomas Forrest	Pillsbury	English
Brandi Fuglsby	338A Nolte 612-626-2292	Writing Studies
Asmita Ghimire	335 Nolte	Writing Studies
Emily Gresbrink	335 Nolte 612-624-3831	Writing Studies
Matthew Hodapp	Pillsbury	English
Jacqueline James	302 Nolte 612-625-4495	Writing Studies
Kaylen James	301 Nolte	American Studies
Emily Jones	Pillsbury	English
Brian Le Lay	335 Nolte 612-624-3831	Writing Studies
Keelia Estrada Moeller	Pillsbury	English
Scott Nelson	Pillsbury	English
Nyla Numan	Pillsbury	English
Alison Obright	335 Nolte	Writing Studies
J Richards	Pillsbury	English
Kyle Riper	Pillsbury	English
Luke Shackelford	335 Nolte 612-624-3831	Writing Studies
Jessa Wood	302 Nolte 612-625-4495	Writing Studies
Rira Zamani	Nolte	Writing Studies

Affiliate Faculty

Affiliate faculty have their homes in other departments, but hold appointments in our graduate Rhetoric & Scientific and Technical Communication (RSTC) programs.

Name	Contact	Specialty
Ronald W. Greene Professor Communication Studies	225 Ford Hall 612-624-2808 green179@umn.edu	Political communication, debates, civic education
Atilla Hallsby Assistant Professor Communication Studies	263 Ford Hall hall1039@umn.edu	Rhetorical history, ethics, theory, and criticism
Joseph A. Konstan Professor Computer Science and Engineering	5-207 Keller Hall 612-625-1831 konstan@umn.edu	Human-computer interaction, recommender systems, online community
Daniel J. Philippon Associate Professor English	320H Pillsbury Hall 612-624-4209 danp@umn.edu	Environmental literature, history, and ethics; ideas of nature, culture, and place; human dimensions of conservation biology

Emeriti Faculty

Name	Contact	Specialty
Andrew Cohen Professor Emeritus	adcohen@umn.edu	Bilingual and immersion education
Christina Haas Professor Emerita	chaas@umn.edu	Writing as material, embodied practice
Anne Lazaraton Associate Professor Emerita	lazaratn@umn.edu	Applied linguistics
Earl McDowell Professor Emeritus	mcdow001@umn.edu	Technical communication apprehension
Donald Ross Professor Emeritus	rossj001@umn.edu	Travel writing; rhetoric of argument; computers in writing instruction; writing in academic disciplines
Tom Scanlan Professor Emeritus	scanl001@umn.edu	Humanities
David Schuelke Professor Emeritus		Communication in the workplace. Sustainability and communication.
Mary Schuster Professor Emerita	mmlay@umn.edu	Rhetoric of the law; feminist perspectives on domestic violence and sexual assault 2013-14 Arthur "Red" Motley Exemplary Teaching Award
Billie Wahlstrom Professor Emerita	bwahlstr@umn.edu	New and emerging technologies and their impact on learning and higher education organizations