Megan Donelson

I love teaching rhetoric and writing because these skills  empower us in ways we cannot anticipate before beginning the process. (Writing isn't just a way to express ourselves – it is a way to recreate ourselves.) I also love this work because I love learning, and teaching, by its very nature, pushes me to continue to learn and grow. Each cohort of students has unique needs, each shift in technology impacts our learning and what is most effective in the classroom, and each individual student has their own story to tell (and their own way to make use of the skills we teach).  Working with students keeps me curious, energized, and hopeful about the future.  

 

I've been fortunate to explore two very distinct areas of study within the discipline of English: I have an MFA in Writing and Poetics (Naropa University) and a PhD in English (Middle Tennessee State University). This means I have spent time exploring the craft of writing as a creative writer – honing my own skills but also learning to cultivate empathy, curiosity, and creativity in others – as well as immersing myself in academic research on rhetoric (how language creates meaning) and composition (how we learn to write, and how we can best teach writing). I wrote my dissertation on Plato's concept of psychagogia, which is essentially his view of the ideal teacher-student relationship; he believed the ideal setting for education looks more like one-to-one educational mentoring than the classrooms we see today.  While I can't exactly bring Plato's vision to life in my classroom, I do strive to develop these connections with students and ensure that they understand that I'm personally invested in their success. 

 

My research focuses on the rhetoric of health and medicine – the ways in which we speak and write about health topics, and the ways our words both express and shape our underlying beliefs about bodies and minds.  The language we use around health topics (and the language we see/hear around us) shapes what we believe is normal, what is ethical, and even what is possible when it comes to human health and wellbeing. I am always interested in talking to students about these topics, whether they are working on research already or simply want to explore the ways that learning about rhetoric can support their own goals and values.