I am pleased to announce the recipients of the CASDW Award for Best Article or Book Chapter in Rhetoric, Writing Studies or Discourse Studies in 2013.

WINNER — BEST ARTICLE PRIZE
Kinsella, W. J., Kelly, A. R., & Autry, M. K. (2013). Risk, regulation, and rhetorical boundaries: claims and challenges surrounding a purported nuclear renaissance. Communication monographs, 80.3, 278-301.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS
Segal, J. (2013). Suffering and the rhetoric of care. In M. J. Hyde & J. A. Herrick (Eds.). After the genome: A language for our biotechnological future (219-234). TX:Baylor UP.

Spoel, P., McKenzie, P., James, S., & Hobberlin, J. (2013). Standards and stories: the interactional work of informed choice in Ontario midwifery care. Normes et narration: travail interactif autour des choix eclairs dans l’exercice des sages-femmes en Ontario. Healthcare Policy, 9, 71-85.

Andre, J.-A. D., & Graves, R. (2013). Writing requirements in nursing programs in Canada. Journal of nursing education, 52(2), 91-97.

Brent, D. (2013) The research paper and why we should still care? Writing program administration 37(1), 34-53.

Thanks from all of us to these talented scholars for adding to the breadth and depth of knowledge in our field. Thanks also to the members of the Research Awards Committee — Graham Smart, Sarah Banting, Margie Clow Bohan, Miriam Horne, and Natasha Artemeva — for their diligence in combing through databases in search of worthy contenders.

I am pleased to be able to announce the winners of this award..

For the Best Dissertation in Rhetoric, Writing Studies or Discourse Studies in 2013, the winner is Ghada Chehade. Honourable mention goes to Meaghan kittle Autry and Daniel Richards. The committee had this to say:

“As a committee, we reviewed five dissertations that together projected a very bright future for the the field of writing and rhetorical studies. The dissertations differed widely in subject matter and methodology but were uniformly strong. It was a difficult decision—the words “dead heat” were used several times— but in the end we have awarded the CASDW 2014 Dissertation Award to Dr. Ghada Chehade for her thesis, “Anti-Terrorism Discourse and the War on Dissent: A Critical Analysis.”

Dr. Chehade analyzed official documents surrounding terrorism in Canada using Critical Discourse Analysis, and ultimately argues that these anti-terrorism texts discursively criminalize dissent. Her challenging and important topic, sweeping scope, rigorous use of CDA and contemporary critical theory, and her sophisticated but very cogent prose, won the day.

We would also like to award honorable mentions to Dr.Daniel Richards and Dr. Meaghan Kittle Autry, in recognition of their excellent work.
Dr. Richards thesis, “Dead Man’s Switch: Disaster Rhetorics in a Posthuman Age,” brought a complex rhetorical philosophical frame to the rhetoric of risk and disaster around the Gulf Oil Spill, suggesting new paradigms for critically engaging with technical social discourses of environmental risk and disaster.

Dr. Kittle Autry’s thesis, “Genre Change Online: Open Access and the Scientific Research Article Genre” offered a synthesis of past frameworks, as well as an extensive analysis of the historical development of the genre of the scientific research article, building toward its current iterations within a dynamic genre eco system in Open Access venues. The thesis develops a qualitative framework that includes survey questionnaires of the authors and editors of 50 top published OA articles. This work, just like that of Chehade and Richards, is an excellent model for future studies.

In these three dissertations we saw three very unique and very different approaches to our shared field: In Chehades’ work we saw critical discourse analysis meeting critical theory, imbricated within the social mediation of texts. In Richards’ thesis we saw an applied conceptual rhetorical study of social texts. In Kittle Autry’s dissertation we saw very solid rhetorical genre studies theory used to reveal the disciplinary writing of a scientific genre, and we saw an empirical test of a traditional canonical frame in a new media situation. Together, these works bear evidence of the richness of writing and rhetorical studies, Canada’s future role in the discipline, and the strength and inter animation of diverse schools and strands of Writing Studies in North America.”

Thanks to these promising researcher for their additions to our field, and thanks also to the Dissertation Awards Committee, consisting of Kathryn Alexander, Jay Dolmage and Sarah King.

I am passing this along on behalf of Corey Owen at U Sask.

Doug
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I’m an assistant professor in the Ron and Jane Graham School of Professional Development at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Canada. As you may know, a centre for the study of rhetoric and communication was founded here, at our home in the College of Engineering, a few years ago. I’m contacting you because we have an endowed chair open, the D. K. Seaman Chair, which was previously held by Jennifer MacLennan. We are having some trouble finding a suitable candidate, so I thought I’d ask you whether you knew of an appropriate candidate we might encourage to apply for this position.

Here is a link to the position (the D. K. Seaman Chair; please disregard the closing date–the position is still open)
http://jobs.usask.ca/job_postings/jobs/usfa_chair_engineering-.php#.U3PRxtwQ6f0. We recently filled the Huff chair position listed on this site–Sean Maw from Mount Royal University will be joining us in July.

In short, we are looking for someone with a strong research background in rhetoric, but who could also liaise with industry. The School is currently offering PD courses to industry clients, so we need someone who is willing and able to lead us in designing and promoting these courses, but we also want a colleague who can contribute to the study of rhetoric.

Finding someone who has a solid academic background in rhetoric and who can do industry outreach has been quite a challenge so far, so we’d be very grateful for any suggestions!

UPDATE: see Version 5, posted May 12

Here is a minor update of the final program (short form). The long form with brief abstracts of each presentation will be available shortly.

V4 final CASDW 2014 preliminary conference program (April 21)

As of the AGM in May, Jo-Anne Andre will come to the end of her tenure as Vice President of CASDW and will go on to the position of President. At that point we will need to elect (or perhaps acclaim) a new VP.

The Vice President is elected to a two-year term officially beginning on the date of the AGM. The major duty is to organize the annual conference, including recruiting a selection committee to vet proposals, preparing the program, assembling a Proceedings if the decision is made to publish one, and co-ordinating matters such as venue, audio-visual equipment and other logistical matters with the assistance of the Local Arrangements Chair. The Vice President is also a member of the Executive Committee, which will consult with the President on the day to day running of the organization.

At the end of the two year term, the Vice President will normally serve a subsequent two-year term as President and another two-year term as Past President in a largely consultative role.

Duties are not oppressively onerous, but I suggest that no-one stand for this position who is actively pursuing tenure at the time.

If anyone is willing to volunteer for this position, or to nominate someone else (with their prior permission of course), could you please contact me at dabrent@ucalgary.ca before Feb. 15?

Thanks in advance.