Discussions on Writing and Rhetoric

Episode 13: Dr. Laurie A. Pinkert - Artificial Intelligence Certificate & Writing Across the Curriculum

Transcript Episode 13
We are joined today by Associate Professor in the Department of Writing and Rhetoric and Director of Writing Across the Curriculum in the Center for Writing Excellence both at the University of Central Florida, Dr. Laurie A. Pinkert.  In addition to these positions, Dr. Pinkert also coordinates an interdisciplinary fellowship-writing initiative that is supported by the College of Graduate Studies. 
Dr. Pinkert's research aims to better understand relationships between writing and identity and to develop approaches to writing program design, development, and administration that can support writerly identity development. 
Most recently Dr Pinkert has been at the forefront of developing an AI undergraduate certificate program within the College of Arts and Humanities in addition to coursework surrounding AI and the teaching of writing.

Episode 12: Dr. Blake Scott and Professor Nathan Holic - Rhetoric of Health & Medicine / Comic Therapy

Transcript Episode 12
UCF Department of Writing and Rhetoric faculty members Blake Scott and Nathan Holic discuss their project "Strengthening Hospital Nurses’ Mental Health Resilience Through a Peer Support Training Program Using Comic Testimonials" which focused on introducing comic therapy to healthcare professionals. This won the 2021 Pabst Steinmetz Foundation Arts and Innovation Award. 

Episode 11: Knights Write Showcase 2023

Transcript Episode 11
At UCF, the Department of Writing and Rhetoric holds an annual event called Knights Write Showcase to celebrate the work of student writers. In this special episode we talk with several participants from the poster and panel presentations. The students and work featured in this episode are:
Jamie Salter “Learning to Keep Up” (0:00-19:04)
Megan Dever “Fabulation, or the Re-Education of Theatrical Literacies” and Parker Bowles “Who to Trust? Building Authority in Rhetoric” (19:06-36:53)
Madison Fernandes “The Marketplace of Ideas” (36:54-51:27)
Arielle Fedee, Mark McCleskey, and Mekenzie McElroy – University Writing Center Panel (51:30-1:13:20)
Natasha Odom “Main Suspect: Crime Dramas” and Riah Smith “The Exigence of Paradigms” (1:13:22-1:32:50)
Brendan Kelly “Rhetoric and Tragedy: An Exploration of Identification and Narrative in Sending Letters” (1:32:52-1:48:20)

Episode 10: Anthony Lince - Writing about Writing / Labor-Based Grading

Transcript Episode 10
Anthony Lince is a Latinx educator and scholar, and is currently a lecturer at University of California San Diego and other local institutions, teaching rhetoric and writing studies courses. His current work is focused on equitable assessment practices in higher education, which is the praxis in his courses where he utilizes labor-based grading. Anthony has published the journals California English and WPA Writing Program Administration, and has an upcoming chapter released in Effective Alternative Assessment Practices in Higher Education. 

Episode 9: Dr. Jeremy Carnes - Indigenous Rhetorics and Comics Studies

Transcript Episode 9
Dr. Jeremy Carnes is a Postdoctoral Scholar here at UCF specializing in Indigenous rhetorics, particularly visual and material rhetorics. He is working on his first book on comics by Indigenous creators and the rhetorical affordances of comics as a visual medium for considering land-based practices by Indigenous communities. In addition to indigenous rhetorics, Dr Carnes’ research interests include: Comics Studies, Media Studies, Fan Culture Studies, Translingualism, and the Digital Humanities. He is also currently working with Dr. Jamila Kareem, a past guest of ours on this podcast, on a grant funded by the Sam and Virginia Patz Foundation in partnership with the Seminole Tribe of Florida.

Episode 8: What Can You Do With a Degree in Writing? Featuring Jaclyn Gardiakos and Jessica Walters

Transcript Episode 8
In this episode we talk with Jaclyn Gardiakos and Jessica Walters, who work in the field of professional writing and are both UCF Alumni. Jaclyn Gardiakos is the communications and public relations manager for Universal Engineering Sciences, the fastest-growing AEC firm in the US, and previously worked for Tupperware as a communications manager. Jessica Walters is a Content Strategist for Deloitte US, and similarly held a position with Tupperware as a content strategist. Our conversation touches on writing in professional environments, what it was like to be a part of the first DWR cohort of UCF, and the types of careers possible with a degree in writing. 

Episode 7: Dr. Martha Brenckle - Professor and Author

Transcript Episode 7
In this episode, we interrogate writing with Dr. Martha Brenckle, a full professor and the Interim First-Year Writing Program Director at UCF. With the creation of her new class “Queer Rhetorics and Queer Writing,” we break down what it means to disrupt the status quo and question long held rhetorical beliefs. Beyond that, we consider the often overlooked digital rhetorics, the role that professors are meant to play in writing disciplines, and the arduous creative process.
Join us in becoming academic theorists as we question everything and queer our writing.
Time Stamps: 
Introduction – 00:00:07 
Meeting Dr. Brenckle – 00:00:46
History with UCF – 00:03:21
Queer Rhetoric and Queering Writing – 00:08:08
The Interrogative Writing Process – 00:18:32
Assignments to Queer Writing – 00:24:06
A Professor’s Role – 00:27:43
Identity and Digital Rhetorics – 00:36:47
The Creative Writing Process – 00:45:53
Exploring Memories – 00:53:24
Rhetorical Triangle through Centuring – 56:52
Plans for the Future – 00:59:28
Rhetorical Concepts: 
Queer Rhetorics and Queering Writing – 00:09:51
Foucault’s History of Sexuality  – 00:16:02
Lacanian Psychoanalysis – 00:22:30
Paulo Friere – 00:22:34
Kairos – 00:31:28
Stasis Theory – 00:31:39
Gamification – 00:37:42
Technopanic and Posthuman Potential – 00:37:46
Rudyard Kipling – 00:52:49

Episode 6: Olivia Solomon - Writing for Social Change

Transcript Episode 6
What does writing for social change entail? With Olivia Soloman, a junior at the University of Central Florida and a double major in Writing and Rhetoric and Political Science, we discuss using your writing to effect change, not just inspire awareness. Not only do we touch on courses such as ENC 4353 – Writing for Social Change and ENC 4354 - Writing with Communities and Nonprofits, but we also reflect on strategies to make your writing effective in the political sphere.
If you want to ensure your voice is heard or have a passion for politics, join us in this rhetorical inspection of activism.
Time Stamps: 
Introduction – 00:00:07 
Olivia’s Classroom Journey – 00:00:46
Initial Approach to Writing for Change – 00:05:56
Intersection of Motivation and Strategy – 00:08:51
Counterarguments and Opposition – 00:11:47
Vetting Sources – 00:14:14
Presenting an Analysis – 00:15:22
Humanizing Statistics – 00:17:04
Writing Process  – 00:22:20
Course Work – 00:24:20
Grant Writing – 00:25:29
Current Projects – 00:27:38
Writing that Inspires – 00:28:56
The “Don’t Say Gay” Piece – 00:32:32
Vetting Candidates – 00:41:46
Sustaining Energy in Activism – 00:45:17
When is an op-ed done? – 00:48:04

Episode 5: Sebastian Garcia -Knights Write Showcase & Stylus Author

Transcript Episode 5
Gaining insight from Sebastian Garcia, a senior undergraduate at UCF completing a double major in History and Biomedical Sciences, we explore what it takes to tackle research in ENC 1102. It can be difficult to find a way to transfer high school writing skills to the new challenges placed by college classes, but we cover everything you may need to know beginning with the very first step of finding passion and inspiration. Sebastian was selected as a panelist for UCF’s Knights Write Showcase in Spring of 2021 with his article “Is the Advanced Placement (AP) Program Really ‘Advanced”? A Critical Textual Analysis of an AP United States History Textbook” and was also published in the Spring 2022 issue of Stylus: A Journal of First-Year Writing.
To learn more about crafting a college-level research paper, join us in this exploration of one student’s journey.
Time Stamps: 
Introduction – 00:00:07 
Meeting our Guest – 00:00:45
Research Inspiration and Motivation  – 00:01:40
Methodology and Analysis – 00:09:15
Passion is Paramount!  – 00:17:27
Finding and Reading Literature – 00:20:30
Presenting Research  – 00:22:55
The Post-Graduation Future – 00:28:11
Finding Topics and Questioning Everything – 00:31:10
Transitioning from High School to College Writing – 00:36:44
Finding Gaps in the Research  – 00:42:58
Letting Context Inform Research  – 00:46:53
Looking Forward and Looking Back  – 00:50:47
Stylus Publication  – 00:53:08

Episode 4: Mekenzie McElroy and Lindsey Wright - Peer Tutors in the University Writing Center at UCF

Transcript Episode 4
With two University Writing Center, UWC, tutors, Mekenzie McElroy and Lindsey Wright, we discuss everything about the UWC from the process of becoming a tutor to the perceptions of the center itself. We offer a student-oriented perspective of what brought them to their roles and what it means to be a contributing member of the UWC, both in tutoring sessions and research. In this one-stop resource, we provide you with answers to many of your burning questions about the University Writing Center.
Whether you wish to contribute as a writer or tutor, join us in this discussion of the theory and practice associated with tutoring writing. 
Time Stamps: 
Introduction – 00:00:08
Becoming a Peer Tutor – 00:01:27
Seminar and the Tutoring Class – 00:06:15
Motivations for Tutors – 00:09:37
The UWC and Personal Changes – 00:17:04
UWC Website Revisions – 00:20:04
External Perceptions of the UWC – 00:21:54
Adaptability as a Value and Practice – 00:30:30
Improving Skills of Tutors  – 00:33:24
Presenting at Conferences – 00:36:32
Session Notes – 00:41:12
Fitting into the UCF Community – 00:45:03
Plans for the Future – 00:49:53