Publications & Presentations
books | edited volumes | special issues | journal articles | book chapters |
public scholarship | graphic design | curricula | essays & invited contributions |
book reviews | conference reviews | exhibits | presentations | media |
Books (monographs)
Hitler’s Rhetorical Playbook: Persuasive Strategies for Tyranny and Genocide (University of Tennessee Press, forthcoming 2027)
Conceding Composition: A Crooked History of Composition’s Institutional Fortunes (Utah State University Press, 2016)
Books (edited volumes)
Rhetoric & Guns. Edited by Lydia Wilkes, Nate Kreuter, & Ryan Skinnell (Utah State University Press,
2022)
Reinventing (with) Theory in Rhetoric & Writing Studies: Essays in Honor of Sharon Crowley. Edited by Andrea Alden, Kendall Gerdes, Judy Holiday, & Ryan Skinnell (Utah State University Press, 2019)
Faking the News: What Rhetoric Can Teach Us About Donald J. Trump. Edited by Ryan Skinnell (Societas Books, 2018)
Bureaucracy: A Love Story. Edited by Gabriel Cervantes, Dahlia Porter, Ryan Skinnell, & Kelly Wisecup (Aquiline Books, 2018)
What We Wish We’d Known: Negotiating Graduate School. Edited by Ryan Skinnell, Judy Holiday, & Christine Vassett (Fountainhead Press, 2015)
Journal Special Issues Edited (refereed)
Rhetoric’s Demagogue | Demagoguery’s Rhetoric. Edited by Ryan Skinnell & Jillian Murphy. Special Issue of Rhetoric Society Quarterly
49.3 (2019).
Journal Articles (refereed)
“Why Are There So Many English PhDs, Anyway?” College English 86.2 (2023): 111-35.
“Two Truths and a Big Lie: The ‘Honest’ Mendacity of Fascist Rhetoric.” Journal for the History of Rhetoric 25.2 (2022): 175-97.
“Teaching Writing in the (New) Era of Fake News.” College Composition & Communication 72.4 (2021): 546-69.
“Coalition-Building in the Creeping Shadow of Fascism.” Spark: A 4C4Equality Journal 3 (2021).
“Using Democracy Against Itself: Demagogic Rhetoric as the Undermining of Democratic Institutions.” Rhetoric’s Demagogue | Demagoguery’s Rhetoric. Special issue of Rhetoric Society Quarterly 49.3 (2019): 248-63.
“Enlisting Composition: How First-Year Composition Helped Reorient Higher Education in the GI Bill Era.” Journal of Veterans Studies 2.1 (2017): 79-84.
“Who Cares if Rhetoricians Landed on the Moon? Or, a Plea for Reviving the Politics of Historiography.” Rhetoric Review 34.2 (2015): 111-28.
“Harvard, Again: Considering Articulation & Accreditation in Rhetoric & Composition’s History.” Rhetoric Review 33.2 (2014): 95-112.
“Strengthening Graduate Student Preparation for WPA Work.” Co-authored with Cristyn L. Elder & Megan Schoen. WPA: Writing Program Administration 37.2 (2014): 13-35.
“Institutionalizing Normal: Rethinking Composition’s Precedence in Normal Schools.” Composition Studies 41.1 (2013): 10-26.
“A Problem of Publics & the Curious Case at Texas.” JAC: A Journal of Composition Theory 30.1/2 (2010): 143-73.
“Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s 1854 ‘Address to the Legislature of New York’ & the Paradox of Social Reform Rhetoric.” Rhetoric Review 29.2 (2010): 129-44.
“Circuitry in Motion: Rhetoric(al) Moves in YouTube’s Archive.” Video & Participatory Culture. Spec. issue of Enculturation 8 (2010).
Book Chapters
“Sleuthing Towards Bethlehem: Hitler’s Theory of Reading & Learning & the Enduring
Appeals of Confirmation Bias.” The Charge for Change. Ed. Elizabethada Wright & David Beard. Parlor Press (2023): 135-41.
“Teaching Literature as Equipment for Living Democratically.” Routledge Companion to Literature & Social Justice. Ed. Masood Ashraf Raja & Nick T. C. Lu. Routledge (2023): 381-92.
“Teaching Teaching as a Process: San Jose State University’s TA Program & the Development of Pedagogical Thinking.” Co-authored w/ Ume Ali, Ariel Andrew, Rachel Crawford, Steven Domingo, Julia Dunn, Jessie Fussell, Olivia Lee, Alayna Mills, Jillian Murphy, Alexis Rocha, Lisa Rose, Elizabeth Rosser, Amber Sylva, & Claire Tromblee. Threshold Conscripts: Rhetoric and Composition TAships. Ed. William J. Macauley, Jr., et al. WAC Clearinghouse (2023): 447-53.
“Deceiving Sincerely: The Embrace of Sincerity-as-Truth in Fascist Rhetoric.” In The Rhetoric of Fascism: Devices for the Cult of Irrationality. Ed. Nathan Crick. U of Alabama P. (2022): 222-40.
“Rewriting Demagogic Discourses.” In Teaching Demagoguery & Democracy, ed. Michael Steudeman, Intermezzo, 2021.
“What Institutional Logics Can Teach Us About Institutional Rhetorics (And Why We Should Care).” Re-inventing Rhetoric Scholarship: Fifty Years of the Rhetoric Society of America. Ed. Roxanne Mountford, Dave Tell, & David Blakesley. Anderson, SC: Parlor Press (2020): 162-8.
“Toward a Working Theory of Institutional Rhetorics.” Reinventing (with) Theory in Rhetoric & Writing Studies. Ed. Andrea Alden, Kendall Gerdes, Judy Holiday, & Ryan Skinnell. Logan, UT: Utah State UP (2019): 69-82.
“Coming to Terms with the Inevitability of Epic Failure, or Once More unto the Breach.” Explanation Points: Publishing in Rhetoric & Composition. Ed. John Gallagher & Dànielle Nicole DeVoss. Logan, UT: Utah State UP (2019): 229-32.
“What Passes for Truth in the Trump Era: Telling It Like It Isn’t.” Faking the News: What Rhetoric Can Teach Us About Donald J. Trump. Ed. Ryan Skinnell. Exeter, UK: Societas (2018): 76-94.
“Reconciling Texas; or Inventing (a) Place Out of Place.” Inventing Place: Writing Lone Star Rhetorics. Ed. Jenny Rice & Casey Boyle. Carbondale: Southern Illinois UP (2018): 139-49.
“Setting Out for Serendip: Of Research Quests and Chance Discoveries.” Serendipity in Rhetoric, Writing, and Literacy Research. Ed. Maureen Daly Goggin & Peter Goggin. Logan, UT: Utah State UP (2018): 117-28.
“What Are We Doing & Why Are We Doing It?: A Brief Survey of Shared Exigencies in Contemporary Histories of Rhetoric.” Rhetorics Change/Rhetoric’s Change. Ed. Jenny Rice, Chelsea Graham, & Eric Detweiler. Anderson, SC: Parlor Press and Intermezzo (2018): n.p.
“Developing a Professional Profile.” What We Wish We’d Known: Negotiating Graduate School. Ed. Ryan Skinnell, Judy Holiday, & Christine Vassett. Southlake, TX: Fountainhead Press (2015): 203-8.
“Considering the Impact of the WPA Outcomes Statement on Second Language Writers.” Co-authored with Paul Kei Matsuda. The WPA Outcomes Statement: A Decade Later. Ed. Nicholas Behm, et. al. West Lafayette, IN: Parlor Press (2013): 230-41.
“The Literature of Trauma: Reading the Sorrow of Love in Bao Ninh’s The Sorrow of War.” Thirty Years After: New Essays on Vietnam War Literature, Film, & Other Arts. Ed. Mark Heberle. Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Press (2009): 256-64.
Public Scholarship
“Trump’s Cabinet Nominees Are Not a Joke, They’re a Fascism-Inspired Dare.” Common Dreams, 29 Nov. 2024. Reprinted in CityWatch LA, 3 Dec. 2024.
“The Destructive Myth of Universal Genius.” JSTOR Daily, 14 Jun. 2023. [feature]
“A Sweaty Hitler is a Sexy Hitler.” History of Yesterday, 9 Sept. 2022. Originally published as “A Sweaty Hitler is a Sincere Hitler, and Sincerity Is Profoundly Persuasive.” History of Yesterday, 6 Aug. 2021.
“History Tells Us Forged Pro-Trump ‘Election Documents’ Should Sound Alarm Bells.” Made by History, Washington Post, 18 Jan. 2022.
“How Praise and Blame Rhetoric are Poisoning American Democracy.” The Globe Post, 2 Nov. 2021.
“Trump Praised Hitler’s “Economic Miracle” — And That’s Even Worse Than It Sounds.” Salon, 7 Aug. 2021. Reprinted in RawStory, 7 Aug. 2021.
“A Sweaty Hitler Is a Sincere Hitler, and Sincerity Is Profoundly Persuasive.” Medium, A History of Yesterday, 6 Aug. 2021.
“Only the Strong Will Survive? American Echoes of a Dark Past.” Newsweek, 16 Mar. 2021.
“The MAGA Mutiny Shows that America Isn’t a Fascist Country…Yet.” Medium, Politically Speaking, 11 Mar. 2021.
“Attempted US Capitol Coup a Security and Existential Crisis.” The Globe Post, 3 Mar. 2021. Cross-posted at The College Post, 3 Mar. 2021.
“Trump’s Rhetoric Wasn’t Inconsequential, and We Should Not Act Like It Is.” The Hill Reporter, 25 Feb. 2021.
“Trump Lied His Way In and Is Lying His Way Out: What 20th-Century Fascists Can Teach Us about the Need for Truth in the 21st-Century.” Public Seminar, 10 Dec. 2020.
“We Learned Plenty These Four Years. The Lessons Apply Going Forward.” The Fulcrum, 23 Nov. 2020. Reprinted in ArcaMax, Bozeman Daily Chronicle, The Dominion Post (WV), Finger Lakes Times (NY), Kankakee Valley Post News (IN), Marietta Daily Journal (GA), News Break, News Bug, Skagit Valley Herald (WA), and World News Network.
“Losing Big Might be Trump’s Best Campaign Strategy.” The Hill Reporter, 26 Oct. 2020.
“‘Defund the Police’: A Simple Slogan for a Complex Problem.” The Fair Observer, 9 Oct. 2020.
“Good Democracy Requires Disagreement, Conflict, and Argument.” The Fulcrum, 7 Oct. 2020. Reprinted in Bangor Daily News, The Daily Item (PA), The Daily Jeffersonian, The Daily World (WA), Hartford Courant, MSN.com, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Record-Courier (NV), The Virgin Islands Daily News, and Yakima Herald-Republic.
“Sh*tposting for Fun and Profit: Memes, Rhetoric, and Russian Trolls.” Arc Digital, 7 Oct. 2020.
“Trump’s Health and the Threat of Political Amnesia.” The Hill Reporter, 18 Sept. 2020.
“Checking Facts is the Wrong Way to Understand Political Persuasion.” The Hill, 1 Sept. 2020.
“US Riots: Inevitable Reaction to Centuries of Oppression and Injustice.” The Globe Post, 15 Jun. 2020.
“You Might Think It’s Okay, But I Don’t: Tracing Symploce in Democrats’ Response to the Mueller Report.” Citizen Critics, 29 Mar. 2019.
“Citizen Critics Live: State of the Union.” with Atilla Hallsby, Mark Hlavacik, Jessica Kurr, Rita Shah, Michael J. Steudeman, & Emily Winderman. Citizen Critics, 5 Feb. 2019.
“All Together Now: Consubstantiality in the Controversy around a Native Elder and a #MAGA Hat-Clad Teen in D.C.” Citizen Critics, 5 Feb. 2019.
“Effectiveness, Backlash, and Collateral Damage in #MeToo’s Media Campaign.” Media Ethics 30.1, 11 Dec. 2018.
“The Rhetoric of ‘Outside Agitators’ Has a Troubling Past We Can’t Ignore.” Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, 2 Dec. 2018.
“Why is Trump Covering Up Jamal Khashoggi’s Murder?” Daily Doublespeak, 23 Oct. 2018.
“The Rhetoric of Trump’s Zero Tolerance Immigration Policy.” Citizen Critics, 23 Oct. 2018.
“Is Brett Kavanaugh a ‘Good Man’? Does It Matter?” Daily Doublespeak, 25 Sept. 2018.
“What Rhetoric Can Teach Us About Donald J. Trump?” The Academic Minute, Inside Higher Ed. 23 May 2018.
“Donald Trump and the Rhetoric of Honest Lying.” Citizen Critics, 01 May 2018.
“Making Spaces for Diverse Writing Practice” with Cindy Baer. Literacy & NCTE: The Official Blog of the National Council of Teachers of English. NCTE. 17 Dec. 2016.
“The Timeless Wisdom of a Plagiarized Convention Speech.” The University Press of Colorado Blog. University Press of Colorado. 25 Oct. 2016.
“Why It Is Worth Reconsidering the Commonsense about Bureaucracy.” The University Press of Colorado Blog. University Press of Colorado. 08 Jun. 2016.
“Why Donald Trump’s Promises of Disaster Might Be Part of His Appeal.” Ten Miles Square, The Washington Monthly. 31 Mar. 2016.
Guest editorial. “Airlines’ Request for More Info Not Worth Our Time.” Daily Sundial. 18 May 2005: 10.
Guest editorial. “Religious Right Gains Power—Unfortunately Uses It.” Daily Sundial. 19 Apr. 2005: 10. Rpt. in The African-American Resource Guide. (2005): 5-7. 23 Sept. 2007.
Guest editorial. “College Study Abroad Boycott Misguided.” Daily Sundial. 15 Mar. 2005: 10.
Guest editorial. “America’s Brand New Enemy: Merry Ole’ England.” Daily Sundial. 28 Feb. 2005: 11.
Guest editorial. “Rice’s ‘Diplomatic’ Past Will Affect America’s Future.” Daily Sundial. 15 Feb. 2005: 10.
Graphic Design
Dr. Skinnell’s Extravaganza of Rhetoric Sticklies, 2021-ongoing.
Curricula
“Good-Faith Argumentation.” 3-week writing course curricular unit. Boston, MA: The Independent Critical Thinking
& Writing Co. (2020).
Essays / Interviews / Invited Contributions
“‘As Long as There’s Fire,’ with Apologies to David Bowie,” Composition Studies, vol. 53, no. 2, 2025, pp. 155-62.
“Root Causes and Structural Problems; or, Why ‘Current Trends’ in English PhDs Are More Than Seventy Years Old,” ADE Bulletin, vol. 161, 2024, pp. 35-9.
“What Evil Lurks in the Hearts of … Well … Us? A Response to Richard Leo Enos about the Possibilities for a 21st Century Rhetorical Education.” Burkean Parlor, Rhetoric Review 42.3 (2023): 231-4.
“Dizzying Up the Discipline.” Composition Studies 50.3 (2022): 141-4.
“Trite as It Sounds, Writing for the Public Means Practicing What We Preach.”
FEN Blog, Composition Studies (2022).
“About A Lucky Man Who Made the Grade.” Our Body of Work: Embodied Administration & Teaching. Ed. Melissa Nicolas & Anna Sicari. Utah State UP (2022): 188-91.
“‘I Didn’t Know How Else to Get It Right’: Lives on the Boundary as an Invitation to Public Intellectualism.” “A Tribute to Mike Rose: Teacher and Scholar, Writer and Friend,” special issue of WPA Journal 45.2 (2022): 72-5.
“Foreword: The Archives of Epistemic Possibility.” Teaching through the Archives: Text, Collaboration, & Activism. Ed. Wendy Hayden & Tarez Samra Graban. Carbondale: Southern Illinois UP (2022): xi-xvi.
“Octalog IV: Bad People Speaking Effectively in the History of Rhetoric.” Rhetoric Review 40.4 (2021): 337-40.
“Introduction to Rhetoric’s Demagogue | Demagoguery’s Rhetoric.” Co-authored with Jillian Murphy. Special Issue of Rhetoric Society Quarterly 49.3 (2019): 225-32.
“Exigencies for RSQ: An Afterword.” Co-authored with Maureen Daly Goggin. Fifty Years of Rhetoric Society Quarterly: Selected Readings, 1968-2018. Ed. Joshua Gunn & Diane D. Davis. London: Routledge (2018): 343-56.
“Research :: Culture :: Exchange: Complex Cultural Exchange Amid a US-Pakistani Education Partnership.” Pakistaniaat: A Journal of Pakistan Studies 6 (2018).
“Forty Years & More: Reminiscences with Sharon Crowley.” Interview conducted with Judy Holiday, Andrea Alden, & Kendall Gerdes. Composition Forum 37 (2017).
“Why Studying Writing Matters.” Proceedings of the International Conference on Social Sciences and Humanities: Emerging Interdisciplinary Trends in Social Sciences and Humanities, Oct. 20, 2015. National University of Modern Languages-Islamabad (2016): 130-4.
“Afterword: On the Market.” What We Wish We’d Known: Negotiating Graduate School. Ed. Ryan Skinnell, Judy Holiday, & Christine Vassett. Southlake, TX: Fountainhead Press (2015): 217-8.
“Connections of a First-Year Teacher.” Journal for the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning 12 (Winter 2006-2007): 84-5.
Book Reviews
“Review of Aja Y. Martinez’s Counterstory: The Rhetoric and Writing of Critical Race Theory.” Co-authored with Alexis Rocha. Enculturation 33 (2021).
“Review of Candace Epps-Robertson’s Resisting Brown: Race, Literacy, & Citizenship in the Heart of Virginia.” Literacy in Composition Studies 7.2 (2019).
“Review of Patricia Roberts-Miller’s Demagoguery & Democracy.” H-Rhetor, H-Net Reviews (2018).
“Review of Kelly Bradbury’s Reimagining Popular Notions of American Intellectualism.” Composition Forum 37 (2017).
“Review of Victor J. Vitanza’s Chaste Cinematics.” Co-authored with Geoffrey V. Carter. Enculturation 23 (2017).
“Review of Lori Ostergaard & Henrietta Rix Wood’s In the Archives of Composition: Writing & Rhetoric in High Schools and Normal Schools.” Rhetoric Review 35.3 (2016): 270-2.
“Review of Victor J. Vitanza’s Sexual Violence in Western Thought & Writing: Chaste Rape.” Enculturation 21 (2016).
“Review of Brent Henze, Jack Selzer, & Wendy Sharer’s 1977: A Cultural Moment in Composition.” Co-authored with Maureen Daly Goggin. Rhetoric Review 28.2 (2009): 215-8.
“Review of Paul Butler’s Out of Style.” Co-authored with Duane Roen. Rhetoric Review 28.2 (2009): 205-7.
Conference Reviews
“Octalog III: The Politics of Historiography in 2010.” Conference on College Composition
& Communication. Kairos 15.1 (2010).
“Empty Rhetoric & Academic Bullshit: Strategies for Composition’s Self-Representation in National Arenas.” Conference on College Composition & Communication. Kairos 14.1 (2009).
“Think-Tank for Newcomers Developing Papers and Sessions for CCCC 2009.” Conference on College Composition & Communication. Kairos 13.1 (2008).
“Charles Bazerman Dancing.” Conference on College Composition & Communication. Kairos 13.1 (2008).
“Who Represents English Studies? Whom Does English Studies Represent?” Conference on College Composition & Communication. Kairos 11.3 (2007).
“Selling Ideas or Selling Out?: Negotiating Identities in the Writing of Composition Textbooks.” Conference on College Composition & Communication. Kairos 11.3 (2007).
Exhibits Curated
“Bureaucracy: A Love Story.” Guest Curator with Gabriel Cervantes, Dahlia Porter, & Kelly Wisecup, UNT Rare
Books and Special Collections, 2014-2015.
Presentations
Conference Papers
“Baldwin’s Reluctant Optimism as a Source of Rhetorical Power.” Rhetoric Society of
America. Portland, OR. May 2026
“Less Human than Human: How Appeals to ‘Natural’ Hierarchies Powered the Holocaust.” Rhetoric Society of America. Portland, OR. May 2026
“The Führer’s Rhetorical Finishing School.” International Society for the History of Rhetoric. University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. (Jul. 2025)
“Weimar’s Rhetorical Revival and Its Lessons for the Digital Age.” Rhetoric in Society #9 Conference, Rhetoric Society of Europe. Zagreb, Croatia. (Jun. 2025)
“Maybe ChatGPT Can Finally Drag Writing Instruction Kicking and Screaming into the 1970s.” Conference on College Composition & Communication. Baltimore, MD. (Apr. 2025)
“Hiding in Plain Sight: The Rhetorical Force of Being Unbelievable.” Rhetoric Society of America. Denver, CO. (May 2024)
“Rhetoric Before and Beyond ‘Post-Truth’: An Interactive Roundtable.” Rhetoric Society of America. Denver, CO. (May 2024)
“Desiring More When You Already Have More.” Conference on College Composition & Communication. Spokane, WA. (Apr. 2024)
“Only Language and Critics: Teaching Rhetoric and Public Address in the Age of Donald Trump.” National Communication Association Annual Conference. National Harbor, MD. (Nov. 2023)
“Hitler Wasn’t Magical, He Was Rhetorical.” Rhetoric in Society #8 Conference, Rhetoric Society of Europe. Tübingen, Germany. (Jun. 2023)
“Writing After the End of the World.” Conference on College Composition & Communication. Chicago, IL. (Feb. 2023)
“The Nazis’ Paideia.” International Society for the History of Rhetoric. Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands. (Aug. 2022)
“‘Freed From the Snares of This International Serpent’; Or, We May Be Nazis, but at Least We’re Not Bolsheviks.” Rhetoric Society of America. Baltimore, MD. (May 2022)
“Sleuthing Towards Bethlehem: Hitler’s Theory of Evidence, Learning, and Certainty.” Rhetoric Society of America. Baltimore, MD. (May 2022)
“Branding MAGA’s Leader Cult into Power.” National Communication Association Annual Conference. Seattle, WA. (Nov. 2021)
*“Octalog IV: Bad People Speaking Effectively in the History of Rhetoric.” Conference on College Composition & Communication. Pre-recorded session with live Q&A. Spokane, WA. (Mar. 2021) *Conducted online due to COVID-19.
*“Collecting Our Racist Uncles: Seeking Our Worst Selves in the History of Rhetoric.” “Revisionist Histories of Composition” Modern Language Association, Toronto, Canada. (Jan. 2021) *Conducted online due to COVID-19.
*“‘It’s Just What Hitler Would Have Said, Isn’t It?’: Table Talks as Credible Posthumous Invitation,” Accepted for the Rhetoric Society of America. Portland, OR. (May 2020). *Conference cancelled because of COVID-19.
*“Faking the News: What Rhetoric Can Teach Us About Donald J. Trump,” Accepted for the Rhetoric Society of America. Portland, OR. (May 2020). *Conference cancelled because of COVID-19.
*“Octalog IV: Public Dispatches from the Ivory Tower.” Roundtable accepted for the Conference on College Composition & Communication. Milwaukee, WI. (Mar. 2020). *Conference cancelled because of COVID-19.
“The Rhetoric of Fascism: Devices for the Cult of Irrationality.” National Communication Association Annual Conference. Baltimore, MD. (Nov. 2019)
“Introducing Dissonance: Parrhēsia and the Art of Political Persuasion.” International Society for the History of Rhetoric Annual Conference. New Orleans, LA. (Jul. 2019)
“‘I Didn’t Know How Else to Get It Right’: Lives on the Boundary as an Invitation to Public Intellectualism.” Conference on College Composition & Communication. Pittsburgh, PA. (Mar. 2019)
“What Institutional Logics Teach Us about Institutional Rhetorics.” Rhetoric Society of America. Minneapolis, MN. (June 2018)
“How Did I Get Roped into This Shit? Stories from a jWPA.” Conference on College Composition & Communication. Kansas City, MO. (Mar. 2018)
“The Perversal Reversal of Lying and Truth-Telling in the Trump Era.” Team Rhetoric Conference, “Rhetoric and the New Fascism,” College Station, TX. (Feb. 2018)
“Trump’s Stump: On the Risky Appeal(s) of Donald Trump’s Anti-Rhetoric.” Conference on College Composition & Communication. Portland, OR. (Mar. 2017)
“What Are the Shared Exigencies for Contemporary Histories of Rhetoric?” Rhetoric Society of America. Atlanta, GA. (May 2016)
“Conceding Composition: How FYC Helped Reorient Higher Education in the GI Bill Era.” Conference on College Composition & Communication. Houston, TX. (Apr. 2016)
“Accrediting English.” National Council of Teachers of English. Minneapolis, MN. (Nov. 2015)
“Teaching Teachers to Write for Publication in Islamabad, Pakistan.” Conference on College Composition & Communication. Tampa, FL. (Mar. 2015)
“A Master Plan: A History of Higher Education & the Rhetorical Redefinition of Tenure.” Rhetoric Society of America. San Antonio, TX. (May 2014)
“Revisiting Historical Methodologies: Macro-, Micro-, & Genitive Histories.” Conference College Composition & Communication. Indianapolis, IN. (Mar. 2014)
“Accreditation & the Origins of Composition.” Conference on College Composition & Communication. Las Vegas, NV. (Mar. 2013)
“Adams Sherman Hill, Accreditation, & the ‘Birth’ of First-Year Composition.” Rhetoric Society of America. Philadelphia, PA. (May 2012)
“The Normals: Normal Schools & Composition History.” Conference on College Composition & Communication. St. Louis, MO. (Mar. 2012)
“Contesting the WPA Professionalization Narrative: A Local History.” Conference on College Composition & Communication. Atlanta, GA. (Apr. 2011)
“Reconsidering Professionalization Programs for Grad Student Administrators.” Council of Writing Program Administrators Annual Conference. Philadelphia, PA. (Jul. 2010)
“Building the CWPA Mentoring Project Blog” with Michael Day, Cristyn Elder, Michele Eodice, Joe Janangelo, Duane Roen, Megan Schoen, & Sheldon Walcher. Council of Writing Program Administrators Annual Conference. Philadelphia, PA. (Jul. 2010)
“YouTube’s Vault: Rhetorical Invention in the Video Archive.” Rhetoric Society of America. Minneapolis, MN. (May 2010)
“An Uncomfortable Encounter: Postmodern Reading Meets History in the Archives.” Research Network. Rhetoric Society of America. Minneapolis, MN. (May 2010)
“Material Archives & the ‘New’ Historiography.” Conference on College Composition & Communication. Louisville, KY. (Mar. 2010)
“The Logic of Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s Pathos.” Conference on College Composition & Communication. San Francisco, CA. (Mar. 2009)
“Effective Peer Reviews: The Importance of Creating Dialogue.” 2009 ASU Composition Conference. Tempe, AZ. (Feb. 2009)
“Complicating Genres in First-Year Composition: A Reality Check.” Conference on College Composition & Communication. New Orleans, LA. (Apr. 2008)
“Getting Past ‘It’s Good’: Making Peer Reviews Useful & Effective.” 2008 ASU Composition Conference. Tempe, AZ. (Mar. 2008)
“Where Are We Going, Where Have We Been: Notes on the History of the Freshman Theme.” Research Network Forum. Conference on College Composition & Communication. New York City, NY. (Mar. 2007)
“Do as I Say: Controlling the Language of Power in Freshman Classrooms.” Research Network Forum. Conference on College Composition & Communication. Chicago, IL. (Mar. 2006)
“Reading the Sorrow of Love in Bao Ninh’s The Sorrow of War.” Vietnam War Literature & Film International Conference. Honolulu, HI. (Nov. 2005)
“The Perfect Theory Bound Paper: A Story.” English Association of Pennsylvania State Universities Conference, Writing as/and Struggle. Erie, PA. (Oct. 2005)
Keynote Addresses & Invited Talks
“Magical Hitler; Or, a Rhetoric Problem of Global Proportions.” Illinois State University,
Normal, IL. (8 Apr. 2026)
“Why I Write.” Rhetoric and Composition Institute, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC. (18 Feb. 2026)
“Pedagogy, Politics, and the New Peril: Teaching and Learning in Precarious Times.” George Washington University, Zoom. (May 9, 2025)
“Introduction to Rhetoric, and Its Connections to Critical Discourse Analysis.” National University of Modern Languages-Islamabad, Zoom (Apr. 7, 2025)
“Antisemitism and Anti-Democracy” breakout session. Campus Climate Initiative, Hillel International, UCLA (Mar. 24, 2025)
“Showcasing Students’ Digital Writing-in-Process,” w/ Amanda Smith. SJSU Adobe Digital Literacy Day, San José State University, Zoom. (Mar. 6, 2025)
“Teaching in the Second Era of Trump.” George Mason University, Zoom. (Feb. 14, 2025)
“Rhetoric, Hitler, and Weimar Politics Come to the Cabaret.” Theatre Arts Program, Department of Film, Theatre, & Dance, San José State University. (Sept. 19, 2024)
“Misinformation, Disinformation, and Community Discourse.” Faculty Training Week, Eagle Hill School, Hardwick, MA. (Sept. 9, 2024)
“Words Matter: Democracy’s Rhetorical Failure(s).” League of Women Voters of San Jose/Santa Clara, “Lunch with League” program, Zoom. (Mar. 16, 2023)
“Repair the Broken World with This One Weird Trick.” 2022-23 “Write to Repair” Syracuse Symposium, w/ Collin Brooke and Jennifer Mercieca. Dept. of Writing Studies, Rhetoric, and Composition; Composition and Cultural Rhetoric; and the Engaged Humanities Network, Syracuse University. (Oct. 2022)
“Writing for Public Media,” w/ Jennifer Mercieca. 2022-23 Syracuse Symposium, Dept. of Writing Studies, Rhetoric, and Composition and the Engaged Humanities Network, Syracuse University. (Oct. 2022)
“Rhetoric, Demagoguery, and Democracy.” Rotary Club of San Jose, San Jose, CA. (Apr. 2022)
“Rhetoric, Writing, Fake News, & Fascism.” Composition Conversations, Weber State University, Ogden, UT, via Zoom. (Feb. 2022)
“Teaching Writing in the (New) Era of Fake News.” Teaching Democracy, Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Buzzards Bay, MA, via Zoom. (Jan. 2022)
“Two Truths and a Big Lie: The ‘Honest’ Mendacity of Fascist Rhetoric,” University Scholar Series lecture, San José State University, CA. (Sept. 2021)
“If This Wall Could Talk: The Rhetoric of Berlin’s Wall,” German International School of Silicon Valley, Mountain View, CA. (Nov. 2019)
“Teaching Writing in the New Age of Fake News.” Composition Program Orientation, California State University, Northridge. (Jan. 2019)
“Well, That Was a Thing: A Postmortem on the 2018 Mid-Term Election Rhetoric.” Creative Writing Week, San Jose State University. (Nov. 2018)
“Donald Trump’s (Rhetorical) Gender Gap.” Women’s Research and Resource Center, California State University, Northridge. (Oct. 2018)
“What is Demagoguery, and What Role Does it Play in a Democracy?” Salon San Jose, hosted by Kathryn Exon Smith. San Jose, CA. (Aug. 2018)
“An Introduction to Rhetoric & Composition Pedagogy.” National University of Modern Languages-Lahore, via Skype. (May 2018)
“‘Remediation’ in the United States: A Brief History.” SJSU Academic Senate Retreat, San José State University. San José, CA. (Feb. 2016)
“Off the Bleeding Edge: A Case for Researching & Writing (about) ‘Boring’ Stuff.” Center for Writing Visiting Speaker Series. Texas A&M-Commerce. (Apr. 2015)
“Of Funding, Federalism, & First-Year Composition: Writing Instruction in American Universities’ ‘Golden Age.’” UNT Postwar Faculty Colloquium. UNT. (Apr. 2015)
“Recentering NUML-Islamabad’s Writing Resource Center.” U.S. Department of State University Partnerships Best Practices Workshop. UNT. (Nov. 2014)
“Why College Writing Matters.” UNT Writing Program. UNT. (Aug. 2014)
“Who Cares if Rhetoricians Landed on the Moon?” Martha Gano Houstoun Distinguished Visiting Professor in Literary Criticism. University of Houston. (Feb. 2013)
Invited Panelist
“Pedagogy and Trust in the Age of AI,” w/ Deanna Fassett. H&A / CoSS AI Workshop,
San José State University. (27 Apr. 2026)
“RSA Remote: In the Swamp: Coping Strategies for Researching and Teaching about Violence, Brutality, & Hate,” w/ Peter Ehrenhaus, Susan Owen, and Cindy Tekobbe. Rhetoric Society of America. (26 Mar. 2026)
“Beyond Tenure: Thriving as an Associate Professor at SJSU,” Momentum: Navigating the Path to Full with Purpose and Peers workshop series, Center for Faculty Excellence and Teaching Innovation, San José State University. (17 Oct. 2025)
“Digital Literacy Showcase,” Adobe x Japan, School of Journalism, San José State University. (7 Oct. 2025)
“General Education Assessment Mapping,” GE Committee, San José State University. (23 Sept. 2025)
“Impact of GenAI on Writing Programs,” AI Workforce Acceleration Board, CSU System, , San José State University. (May 12, 2025)
“Teach AI to Support Writing Instruction,” AI Research Cluster, San José State University. (Mar. 26, 2025)
“Antisemitism and Anti-Democracy” panel, Campus Climate Initiative, Hillel International, UCLA (Mar. 24, 2025)
“On Cabaret and Racial Bias,” School of Music and Theater Arts Program, San José State University (Nov. 15, 2024)
“Writing, Assessment, and AI,” Writing Task Force, Lucas College of Business, San José State University (Nov. 4, 2024)
“RSA Remote: Rhetoricians Engaging the Public,” w/ Jennifer Mercieca and Matthew Pavesich. Rhetoric Society of America. (Oct. 4, 2024)
“AI in the Humanities and Social Sciences,” AI Research Cluster, San José State University. (Mar. 15, 2024)
“College Writing—What It Is and Isn’t.” San Jose Area Writing Project, San José State University. (Apr. 1, 2023)
“The Erosion of Democracy and the Rise of Authoritarianism” PechaKucha. HonsX: Ideate for Change Hack-a-thon. Honors X Program. San José State University. (Mar. 16, 2023).
Panelist, “General Education Town Hall: A Campus Conversation.” General Education Program. San José State University. (Mar. 2023)
“Grad School 101 Series: How to Prepare a Personal Statement.” College of Graduate Studies. San José State University. (Nov. 2021)
Mock Review Panelist, “National Endowment for the Humanities Grant Opportunities and Resources,” with NEH Senior Program Officer, Dr. Beauty Bragg. San José State University. (Oct. 2021)
“What To Do Before Sparta Camp and Why It Matters.” Admitted Spartans Day Webinar. San José State University. (Apr. 2021)
“Critical Media Literacy in English Language Arts: A Report from the NCTE Task Force.” National Council of Teachers of English, online. (Mar. 2021)
“Trump’s Rhetoric.” Synapse Synopsis #55, via Zoom. (May 2020)
“Networking Begins Now!” College of Graduate Studies. San José State University. (Mar. 2020)
“Launching and Sustaining a RSCA Agenda.” UNIV 101: New Faculty Orientation Program. San José State University. (Sept. 2019)
“Launching and Sustaining a RSCA Agenda.” UNIV 101: New Faculty Orientation Program. San José State University. (Aug. 2018)
“RSA Preconference Workshop on Leadership Alumni Panel.” Rhetoric Society of America. Dir. Victoria Gallagher & David Kaufer. Minneapolis, MN. (May 2018)
“2nd Year Experience Panel.” UNIV 101: New Faculty Orientation Program. San José State University. (Apr. 2018)
“Wherefore Art Thou, Rhetoric?” “Rhetoric’s Histories, Theories, Pedagogies” Special Interest Group. Conference on College Composition & Communication. Kansas City, MO. (Mar. 2018)
Respondent, “Interrogating History in the Interspaces: Rhetoric, Composition, & Metadata Tools.” Conference on College Composition & Communication. Portland, OR. (Mar. 2017)
Respondent, “Cultivating a Public Voice: Entering Public Discourse as Public Intellectuals, Experts, Activists, & Digital Citizens.” Conference on College Composition & Communication. Portland, OR. (Mar. 2017)
“Why Studying Writing Matters.” International Conference on Social Sciences & Humanities. National University of Modern Languages-Islamabad, via video. (Oct. 2015)
“A Discussion on ‘Getting Published as a Graduate Student: From Conference Paper to Publication.’” Rhetoric Society of America. Philadelphia, PA. (May 2012)
“Juggling Roles: Blending Parenthood & Graduate Studies.” ASU Graduate College. Arizona
State University. Tempe, AZ. (Apr. 2010)
Workshop Speaker/Facilitator
Co-facilitator w/ Jennifer Clary-Lemon and Table Leader, “Rhetoric Underground,” Rhetoric
Society of America. Portland, OR. (May 2026)
Co-facilitator w/ Anne Walker, “Annual and Cumulative Review Info Session and Workshop,” Department of English & First-Year Writing Program, San José State University. (16 Apr. 2026)
Facilitator, “Interpreting SOTES and Preparing ASAs (and Cumulatives!),” First-Year Writing Program, San José State University. (21 Jan. 2026)
Co-facilitator w/ Colton Saylor and Amanda Smith, “Direct Teaching Observation Training,” Department of English & First-Year Writing Program, San José State University. (Apr. 18, 2025)
“College Writing Workshop,” for “Empowering Students to Succeed in Engineering and Computer Science,” NSF S-STEM summer seminar for rising seniors, San José State University (June 13, 2024)
“What’s Signal? What’s Noise? Misinformation, Disinformation, and the Teaching of Writing,” Stokely Conference, Univ. of Tennessee-Knoxville, Knoxville, TN (all-day workshop, Jun. 5, 2024)
Co-facilitator w/ Amanda Smith, “Direct Teaching Observation Training,” Department of English & First-Year Writing Program, San José State University. (Mar. 15, 2024)
Table Leader, “Town Hall // ChatGPT: It’s the End of Teaching as We Know It.” College of Humanities & the Arts, Center for Faculty Development, eCampus, Writing Across the Curriculum, and the Office of the Provost, San José State University. (Feb. 21, 2023)
Module Facilitator. “Responding to CFPs, Submitting Your Work, and Working with Editors and Reviewers.” Write@SJSU. Writing Across the Curriculum Program, San José State University. (Jul. 2020).
Speaker. “Academic Assignment, or Teaching+.” RTP@SJSU Jump Start. Center for Faculty Development, San José State University. (Jul. 2020).
Facilitator. RSCA Reassign Time Information Session. College of Humanities & the Arts. San José State University. (Mar. 2020) *Conducted via Zoom due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Facilitator. RSCA Reassign Time Information Session. College of Humanities & the Arts. San José State University. (Mar. 2019)
Facilitator. “Radical Archival Work: Expanding, Creating, and Linking Archives.” CCCC pre-convention workshop. Kansas City, MO. (Mar. 2018)
Speaker/Facilitator. “Teaching with Portfolios.” SJSU First-Year Writing Program. San José State University. (May 17, 2017)
Speaker. “Opening the Archives: Considering Questions of Access, Space, & Connection(s).” CCCC pre-convention workshop. Indianapolis, IN. (Mar. 2014)
Speaker. “The Private & Public Work of Archival Research: Considering Physical & Digital Archival Spaces.” CCCC pre-convention workshop. Las Vegas, NV. (Mar. 2013)
Speaker. “Negotiating Archival Spaces: Exploring Existing Archives & Building New Ones.” CCCC pre-convention workshop. Atlanta, GA. (Apr. 2011)
Speaker. “Charting Historical Waters: Articulating Strategies for Archival Research.” CCCC pre-convention workshop. San Francisco, CA. (Mar. 2009)
Interviews
“Rhetoric Before and Beyond Post-Truth: Afterwords.” Interview w/ James Ball, Barbara
Biesecker, Eric Detweiler, Omedi Ochieng, & Robin Reames for the Rhetoricity podcast, Spring 2025.
“Dr. Ryan Skinnell.” Jewish Studies Program, San José State University, Fall 2024.
“The Accidental Geographer – Season 4, Episode 1: Ryan Skinnell.” Interview w/ Vincent Del Casino for The Accidental Geographer podcast/videocast, 2023.
“Episode 118: Rhetoric and Guns.” Interview w/ Charles Woods, Rosa Eberly, Nate Kreuter, Trish Roberts-Miller, Brad Serber, & Lydia Wilkes for The Big Rhetorical Podcast. 2022.
*Young Rhetoricians’ Conference, “Rhetorician of the Year.” Interview w/ Amber Sylva, Monterey, CA. 18 Jun. 2021. *Conducted online due to COVID-19.
“Episode 44: The Big Political Special with Drs. Jennifer Mercieca, Donnie Johnson Sackey, & Ryan Skinnell.” The Big Rhetorical podcast. Aug. 2020.
“Ryan Skinnell on Trump, Demagoguery, and Frank Speech.” Interview with Yasemin Elrabaa and Brett Glasscock for UT Austin’s The Parlor, DRW/DWRL podcast. Summer 2020.
“Episode 18: Ryan on Fascism Research, Truth, and Rhetoric.” Interview with Bryan Hoffer for the Pass Your Passion podcast, Summer 2020.
“Episode 12: Dr. Ryan Skinnell.” Interview with Charles Woods for The Big Rhetorical Podcast. Fall 2019.
“A Tale of Two Demagogues: An Interview with Ryan Skinnell and Jennifer Mercieca.” Interview with Cassie Wright & Christopher Kamrath for Stanford’s Rhetorically Speaking podcast. Spring 2019.
“Trumped-Up Rhetoric: An Interview with Ryan Skinnell.” Interview with Eric Detweiler for Rhetoricity podcast. Jan. 28, 2019.
Alumni Spotlight: Ryan Skinnell. Department of English. California State University, Northridge. Fall 2018.
“Spotlight on Alumni: Ryan Skinnell.” Interview with Sarah Snyder for Writing Notes. ASU Writing Programs. Arizona State University. Spring 2018.
“Episode 4: Conceding Composition with Ryan Skinnell.” Interview with Joel Heng Hartse for the Language U podcast. Centre for English Language Learning, Teaching, & Research, Simon Fraser University. Feb. 24, 2017.
“Three Questions with Ryan Skinnell, Assistant Professor at San José State University.” Unique Collections at UNT Libraries. University Libraries, University of North Texas. Nov. 19, 2015. Web.
“An Interview with Dr. Ryan Skinnell, by Khadija Maleeha, Urooj Sheeza, & Zirwa Gulzar.”
Rawal Chronicle, 2013-2014. Government Post Graduate College for Women, Satellite Town, Rawalpindi,
Pakistan. (Jun. 20, 2014): 12-8.
Media Appearances
Interview for "Donald Trump met en scène ses 80 ans au rythme de combats de MMA sur les pelouses de la Maison-Blanche," Bertrand Morain, Ouest France, 6/15/2026
Interview for “Strengthening the Digital Pulse: CSU and Adobe’s Vision for the Future of Literacy,” Khushali Patel, SJSU News, 5/12/2026
Interview for “Haro sur Washington,” by Bertrand Morain, La Tribune du Dimanche, 18 Jan. 2026, p. 12.
Interview for “San José State reacts to AB 715,” by Ashley Kang, Spartan Daily, 9 Oct. 2025.
Interview for “L’obsession de Donald Trump pour le prix Nobel de la paix : « Au fond, c’est un spécialiste du marketing »,” by Bertrand Morain, Le Soir, 8 Oct. 2025.
Interview for “Donald Trump court après son Nobel de la paix,” by Bertrand Morain, La Tribune du Dimanche, 5 Oct. 2025.
Television interview (pre-recorded) for “Charlie Kirk Assassination Sparks Concern over Online Political Rhetoric,” Tara Campbell, ABC 7 KGO-TV, 9/11/2025.
Interview for “Charlie Kirk Dead; SJSU Responds,“ by Shinju Kang and Norah Sheppard-Hutchins, Spartan Daily, 9/11/2025.
Interview for, “Aux Etats-Unis, le déploiement de la Garde nationale dans les bastions démocrates inquiète,” by Bertrand Morain, Le Soir, 8/25/2025.
Interview for “États-Unis: depuis les manifestations contre Donald Trump, « cette fois-ci, c’était trop important »,” by Bertrand Morain, Ouest France, 6/15/2025.
Interview for “Trump réalise son rêve d’un défilé militaire à la française le jour de son anniversaire,” by Bertrand Morain, Le Soir, 6/13/2025.
Interview for “Comment Trump (dé)fait la loi,” by Veronica Lamquin, Bertrand Morain, Maurin Picard, and Déborah Laurent, Le Soir, 6/13/2025.
Television interview (live) for Trump-Musk relationship unraveling in public,” Deutsche Welle, The Day with Phil Gayle, 6/6/2025
Appearance for SJSU Library’s “Book Roulette” episode on Rhetoric & Guns, 4/18/2025
Testimonial for “National Humanities Advocacy Day 2025.” College of Humanities & the Arts, San José State University, 2/27/2025
Interview about the CSU’s partnership with OpenAI for “Update News February 27, 2025” by Isabella Dandoy. Update News, San José State University, 2/2/2025
Interview for “Futurism and Fascism’s Enduring Legacy in the Modern Technological World,” Alex Cotterel and Alexandra Wu. The Epic, 12/9/2024
Interview for, “Taylor Swift and the History of the Celebrity Endorsement,” by Addie Mahmassani. New Lines Magazine, 10/23/2024
Interview for “Marco Rubio-Linked Thinktank Produces Anti-LGBTQ+ Conspiracy Theory Videos,” by Jason A. Wilson. The Guardian, 10/4/2024
Interview for “The Meaning, History and Political Rhetoric Surrounding the Term Abortion ‘Ban,’” by Samantha Putterman. Politifact, 5/15/2024
Interview for “Why Israeli Consulate in San Francisco Invited Journalists to Witness New Harrowing Footage of Hamas Attacks,” Elissa Miolene, San Jose Mercury-News, 11/7/2023
Television interview (pre-recorded) for “Reactions Pour in Over Paul Pelosi Attack,” Jesse Gary, KTVU FOX 2, 10/28/2022
Television interview (live) about January 6th rhetoric, Stephanie Lin, KRON 4 News at 3:00, 6/9/2022
“The Role Language Played Leading to the January 6th Insurrection,” Radio interview (live) with Patti Reising and Jeff Bell, KCBS All News 106.9FM and 740AM, 6/9/2022
“Demagoguery, Authoritarian Politics, and Public Discourse,” Rotary Club of San Jose, 4/27/2022
“Experts Dissect Beijing Olympics Boycott.” Evan Reinhardt, SJSUNews, 2/17/2022
“Two Truths and a Big Lie: The ‘Honest’ Mendacity of Fascist Rhetoric,” University Scholar Series lecture, San José State University, 9/22/2021
Television interview (live) for ”Analysis: What the Ruling on Trump’s Facebook Suspension Means,” Darya Folsom and James Fletcher, KRON 4 News, 5/5/2021
Television interview (pre-recorded) for ”Prof. Ryan Skinnell Discusses Facebook Oversight Board Upholding Ban on Donald Trump,” Anser Hassan, Black News Channel (BNC), 5/5/2021
Television interview (pre-recorded) for “Facebook’s Oversight Board Upholds Decision to Ban Trump,” Mark Niu, China Global Television Network (CGTN), 5/5/2021
Featured interview for “The Future of Politics on Twitter,” by Jessica Zimmer, The Rally, 3/12/2021
Radio interview (pre-recorded) about conspiracy rhetoric, Rebecca Corral, KCBS All News 106.9FM and 740AM, 1/16/2021
“Ask an Expert” radio interview (live) for “Political Rhetoric Comes Under Scrutiny,” Rebecca Corral, KCBS All News 106.9FM and 740AM, 1/11/2021
Television interview (pre-recorded) for “Apple Removes Parler From App Store in Wake of U.S. Capitol Riot,” Sergio Quintana, NBC Bay Area News, 1/9/2021
Radio interview (pre-recorded) for “Survey Estimates 1 in 4 Americans Won’t Get Vaccinated for COVID-19 as Anti-Vaxxers Sow Doubt,” Matt Bigler, KCBS All News 106.9FM and 740AM, 12/18/2020
Television interview (pre-recorded) for “With Multiple Vaccines in the Mix, Herd Immunity Could Come by Summer,” Andrea Nakano, KPIX CBS 5, 12/17/2020
Television interview (pre-recorded) for “Health Experts Stress Importance of Bolstering Vaccine Confidence for Communities of Color,” Jesse Gary, KTVU FOX 2, 12/17/2020
Interview, “Dictionary.com: Noun. Oakland Company, Master of Trolling Trump et al.,” Levi Sumagaysay, San Jose Mercury-News, 7/4/2018
Featured interview, “SJSU Prof Takes on Trump in ‘Faking the News’,” Wallace Baine, Silicon Valley Metro, 5/23/2018