Rhetoric/Writing Graduate Students Awarded

Joseph Robertshaw, rising fourth-year doctoral candidate in Rhetoric & Writing, presented at the national College English Association (CEA) conference in Hilton Head in late March. His presentation was selected for CEA’s Karen Lentz Madison Award for Scholarship, given by CEA to a contingent faculty member who contributes significantly to study in English. As the theme of this year’s conference was “Islands,” Joseph’s presentation framed contingency in Composition as being a castaway, with the title “Adjunct Island and the New Navigational Charts.” Along with receiving the award from CEA, Joseph’s published piece is forthcoming in The CEA Critic. Along with the national scope of this award, Joseph received a monetary prize of $250.

In addition, Joseph was selected as this year’s Graduate Student Senate (GSS) Executive Committee Member of the Year. GSS represents and governs the 3,000+ graduate students at BGSU. Joseph is serving as the Academic Affairs Representative on GSS, which works for a higher quality experience for graduate students at BGSU, striving for improvements in every area, from support for graduate assistants to social and cultural engagement. Congratulations, Joseph, for receiving both the Karen Lentz Madison Award and the GSS Executive Committee Member of the Year.

At the Eleventh Annual BGSU Teaching and Learning Fair, Stephen Raulli, rising fourth-year PhD candidate in Rhetoric & Writing, was presented with an Award for Pedagogical Recognition by the Center for Faculty Excellence and the Vice Provost for Institutional Effectiveness. The award recognizes exceptional service and dedication to BGSU students. Raulli has taught both General Studies Writing (GSW) and ENG 2070, “Argument Through Fictional Narrative.” When asked about his pedagogy, Raulli explained that,  “I think it is important to remember what a student’s life is like. They are busy, with many pressures, responsibilities, and obligations to face. Instructors should always be empathetic to their needs.” One piece of his pedagogy enacting these principles is frontloading work for the class. By placing the longest essay first, students will have less work and pressure during a very stressful finals week. Congratulations, Stephen!

Soha Youssef, rising fourth-year PhD Candidate in Rhetoric and Writing, won the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) 2017 Graduate Essay Contest with her activist digital project, “Sett bmit ragel “A Woman as Good as a 100 Men”: An Arab Woman’s Narratives on Discrimination in and outside Academia.” In addition to a monetary award of $125, Soha also presented her work on March 31^st, preceding a presentation from keynote speaker Roopika Risam, Assistant Professor of English from Salem State University. The event focused on the development of intersectional digital humanities projects that push back against the status quo, and create spaces for untold stories and unheard voices. Congratulations, Soha!