Tags: Faculty


Bjørn Stillion Southard

Dr. Bjørn Stillion Southard is an Associate Professor and Director of Debate in Communication Studies. He holds a PhD and MA from the University of Maryland. Bjørn is interested in early U.S. Public Address, particularly in discourses concerning race and law. His first book, Peculiar Rhetoric: Slavery, Freedom, and the African Colonization Movement (University Press of Mississippi, 2019), explored the tenuous middle ground constructed and…


Roger Stahl

Roger Stahl (PhD, Penn State University) is Professor of Communication Studies at the University of Georgia.  He studies rhetoric, media, and culture, but in large part, his work has focused on understanding propaganda and public relations as they relate to state violence, conflict, and security.  His most recent book, Through the Crosshairs: War, Visual Culture, and the Weaponized Gaze (Rutgers UP, 2018), traces the…


Kristi Schaller

Dr. Schaller joined the department in 2005. She teaches interpersonal communication, Honors interpersonal communication, business and professional communication, and small group communication.  Her small group students, working in teams, have raised thousands of dollars and performed hundreds of hours of service for local charitable organizations.  She earned her M.S. degree at Illinois State University and her Ph.D. in…


Donald Rubin

Donald Rubin (PhD 1978, University of Minnesota) is emeritus professor in the Departments of Speech Communication and Language and Literacy Education and in the Program in Linguistics. He served as Head of the Speech Communication Department (1994-2000) and Faculty Fellow at the University System of Georgia (2000-2001). Rubin edited the National Communication Association journal Communication Education (2003-2006).  He has…


Edward Panetta

Edward Panetta does research in the area of argumentation studies. He publishes theory pieces that are intended to influence the practice of intercollegiate debate in the United States. A second element of his research is the assessment of public argument in political campaigns and in environmental controversies. He has served as the Instructor of Record for a number of  graduate and undergraduate classes in the Rhetorical Studies area…


Jaclyn Nolan


Jason D Myres

In 2016, Jason earned his Ph.D. from the University of Georgia with an emphasis in rhetoric and currently teaches undergraduate courses including: Introduction to Public Speaking, Honors Public Speaking, Advanced Public Communication, Argumentation, and Rhetorical Criticism. Jason's scholarship explores the articulation of knowledge and belief in contemporary democratic culture.  Specifically, he is interested in theories of public…


Jennifer Monahan

Jennifer Monahan came to UGA as an assistant professor in 1993 after completion of her Ph.D. at the University of Southern California. She teaches classes in theory development, research methods, message design, emotion, and intercultural communication. Her research interests are in health and interpersonal communication.  She studies social interactions and conversational behavior in a host of contexts including initial…


Cal Logue

I am Josiah Meigs Professor emeritus of Speech Communication, the University of Georgia. In the year 2000, I retired after teaching public speaking, history and Criticism of American Public Address, African American Public Address, rhetorical criticism, and other communication courses for over three decades. I taught at Birmingham-Southern College (in Alabama), Louisiana State University (as graduate assistant), University of Arkansas (one…


Thomas Lessl

Dr. Thomas Lessl (Ph. D. University of Texas at Austin) is a professor of Communication Studies at the University of Georgia.   He has written scholarly articles for many journals and books.  His research addresses the modern scientific identity, especially in relation to religion.   His work has been reported in many media outlets, including The New York Times,  National Public Radio, …
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