Rhetoric and Writing Studies: Not What I Intended

Last updated on July 26, 2026

I came to the University of Minnesota because the Department of Rhetoric was not within English and was not a “college composition” department. I wanted to study the relationship between technology and writing. I wasn’t focused on autism or disabilities in general. I wanted to study online writing spaces, work I began during my master’s degree.

My dissertation still deals with technology and writing, but the direction changed as the department changed.

My doctoral committee is meeting next week as I head towards completion of my dissertation in the coming months. The focus of my final dissertation revision is changing slightly to accommodate my new plans in life.

Originally, my dissertation focus was on language acquisition, especially written language, among individuals with autism. Note that this is a distance from my interest in technology, but I was trying to align to the direction of what is now the Department of Writing Studies. I adjusted my research to study secondary and post-secondary students with autism and their struggles with written language.

Now, I’m going to shift away from that emphasis to focus more on creative writing.

I am fascinated by fMRI images and studies of neurolinguistics. I have immersed myself in the science and theory of linguistics, from neural network theories to combination theories. The brain is an amazing thing. But, it is time to leave such things behind for my own sanity.

My Ph.D is going to be in “Rhetoric, Scientific and Technical Communication,” I have added a specialty in general writing pedagogy so I might teach creative writing and other university-level writing courses. I already have an M.A. in “English Composition and Rhetoric,” as well as degrees in English education and journalism.

I love science and did earn clearance to teach high school science. I was a “general sciences” major at one time, but ended up wanting to write about science instead of being the researcher. The four units I had remaining for the B.S. should have been completed — I made a mistake, definitely. I should have completed a science or technology degree.

Within six months or so, I should be “professor” and know where I will be teaching and researching next school year.

It is a good change for me. I’ll be updating this blog as I meander through the last months of my dissertation and into the job market.

I might research something related to autism and language in a few years, but now is not the time. Instead, I am hoping to delve into theatre, poetry, and other forms of creative expression, as they intersect with technologies.

Someone has already said that “people like you” aren’t creative. Should be fun proving that wrong.