This year, WBH's meetings looked a little different. In light of the pandemic, we could only meet through Zoom and we chose to make our meetings more intentional by meeting less often. In our WBH meetings this year, we focused first inward on self-care before turning to the world around us and considering diversity, equity, and inclusion in our classrooms. You will find a summary of our discussions below. Click on the image to go to our full discussion notes. Happy reading!

On Monday, February 24, 2020, WBH invited UT-San Antonio Professor and TCU PhD alumna Sue Hum to campus to lead a workshop and give a lecture. The workshop took place during lunch, and Hum led a discussion over applying for and winning grants for work in humanities disciplines. Having experience writing winning proposals herself, Hum offered helpful advice and introduced graduate students and faculty to institutional and national resources that many of us had not known about prior to the event.

​In the afternoon, Hum delivered a lecture on "The Racialized Gaze," a concept she has theorized to speak to the ways that visual structures network with race - and how individuals visually negotiate stereotypes. Hum demonstrated the significance of her concept through Anna May Wong's (1905 - 1961) negotiation against and contention with racial components of gazing.

WBH was honored to host Dr. Hum, and we are amazed at the wonderful work our alumni do in our field.

On Wednesday, October 23rd, rhetoric and composition students and faculty met at University Pub to discuss Jennifer Sano-Franchini's "Sounding Asian/America: Asian/American Sonic Rhetorics, Multimodal Orientalism, and Digital Composition." The discussion included an interesting conversation about Sano-Franchini's explanation of sounds and their effect on audience reception/perception of implicit biases. Although initially discussed as an article that draws together previously established notions of rhetoric, by the end of the discussion, students and faculty agreed that Sano-Franchini makes explicit a conversation and approach to rhetorical analysis that has been overlooked and/or taken for granted. Specifically, Sano-Franchini argues that sounds frequently used for a particular context or group, such as Asian Americans, form an association that viewers/listeners might not immediately recognize or be aware of. For example, a soundtrack often used during sad scenes in movies, when played, triggers an emotional response from viewers. Similarly, sounds have been used to perpetuate racist stereotypes and assumptions, which Sano-Franchini illuminates as an area of rhetoric that we must consider more critically in our use and analysis of digital media. 

Join us for our final RCRG meeting of the semester on November 13th at 3pm at the University Pub. We will be discussing "Disidentification, Disorientation, and Disruption: Queer Multimodal Rhetoric in Queer Comics" by Rachael Ryerson.

For their second meeting of the year, TCU's WBH group discussed the process of turning seminar papers and administrative work into publications. The group gathered from 11a-12p on Monday, October 7th to hear from Tim Ballingall and Sofia Huggins about their experiences publishing seminar papers during coursework and from Sarah Robbins, Meagan Gacke, and Whitney James about their experience working with Jackie Elliot to publish an article from their administrative positions with GlobalEx. The insights from each presenter led to lively conversations about timelines for publication, what to publish, how to integrate service and scholarship, and what to expect during the revision period. Attendees gained valuable information and were able to ask specific questions of the presenters, which led to a collaborative environment that invited additional experience and concerns to be shared with the group. 

Join us on Monday, December 2nd for our last meeting of the semester and our annual Draft-A-Palooza. Bring your seminar papers, conference papers, article drafts, or whatever else you might be working on for an hour of shared work time and support! 

TCU's Winifred Bryan Horner Rhetoric Society of America (WBH) hosted their first meeting of the 2019-2020 school year on Monday, Sept. 9 from 11a-12p. The focus of this meeting was integrating research into rhetoric and composition classrooms. Dr. Brad Lucas, Dr. Carmen Kynard, and Kayla Sparks shared their experiences as teacher-scholars, sparking engaging conversations about bringing research into teaching in an effort to elevate the classroom. Dr. Lucas spoke about his experience on the IRB Board and conducting IRB research, providing resources and insights for those interested in using students and/or student work in future research. Dr. Kynard explained her path as a teacher and a scholar, highlighting how the two continuously inform one another. In discussing her experience in K-12 education, Dr. Kynard urged us participants to critically consider the role of pedagogy in composition classes. Finally, Kayla Sparks discussed her fusion of critical digital literacy into her teaching, including how she introduces students to scholarship alongside digital composition. Great conversations and connections followed, and we look forward to more fulfilling meetings throughout the semester. 

At the next meeting (Oct. 7), we will hear from students and faculty who have published articles that began as seminar papers. Come learn from their experiences and gain encouragement for your own potential publications. 

Following the great success of Camp Rhetoric before the 2018-2019 school year, WBH organized its second annual back-to-school gathering. This year, rhetoric graduate students and faculty gathered at Game Theory Board Game Lounge in Fort Worth for an afternoon of games and community!

In the busy days before the semester begins, it can be hard to step away from endless to do lists,  so this year's Camp Rhetoric promoted fun, laughter, and connection! Students and faculty partnered for several rounds of a game during which teamwork and enjoyment were the only objectives. Sharing a meal and an afternoon gave TCU's rhetoric graduate students and faculty the opportunity to reconnect and recharge prior to diving into the start of the school year. 

For their final meeting of the year, TCU's Winifred Bryan Horner Rhetoric Society (WBH) held their annual Draftapalooza! At this beloved gathering, students and professors meet to work on projects together. The event cultivates a sense of camaraderie between students and professors who share in their similar struggle to get through all of the work on their plates at the end of the semester. Before the meeting starts, attendees share with the group what they are planning to work on for the hour. After the event, attendees then share what they accomplished and receive congratulations and support. It's a great time to work together and to celebrate the small victories that help us all get through our work for the year.

For their final meeting in Spring 2019, TCU's Rhetoric and Composition Reading Group met to discuss selections from Ann George's recent book Permanence and Change: A Critical Companion. Gathering at the University Pub near campus, TCU rhet/comp faculty and graduate students posed questions to Dr. George about the content of the book and the publication process itself. Asserting the importance of understanding Burke through both the archival fragments that make up his book and the process of an archival scholar dwelling with materials, people, and emotions, George's work (and Burke's, for that matter) challenges scholars to think of scholarship, theory, and even publication differently. The conversation helped participants understand Burke and his process better, and it opened doors for new lines of inquiry into what it means to write and how to effect change through words.