Dr. J.

Michael Rifenburg (updated 4/2017)

Assistant Professor of Rhetoric and Composition
Director of First-Year Composition, Department of English
Center for Teaching, Learning, and Leadership Faculty Fellow for Scholarly
Writing
University of North Georgia
Michael.rifenburg@ung.edu / mrifenburg.wordpress.com / @jmrifenburg

Education

Ph.D. University of Oklahoma, Composition/Rhetoric/Literacy, 2013

M.A. Auburn University, 2009
B.A. Georgia College & State University, 2005

Academic Employment

Assistant Professor of Composition and Rhetoric. University of North

Georgia. Fall 2013-present

Program Assistant. University of Oklahoma Writing Center. Spring 2012-

Spring 2013

Instructor/Graduate Teaching Assistant, Department of English, University

of Oklahoma, Fall
2009-Spring 2012

Instructor, Department of English, Columbus State University, Spring 2009

Instructor/Graduate Teaching Assistant, Department of English, Auburn

University, Fall 2007-
Spring 2009

Young Americans Christian School, High School English Teacher, 2006-2007

Administrative Appointments

Director of First-Year Composition. University of North Georgia. Fall 2015-

present

Reviewing and revising course outcomes, template syllabi, and course

descriptions
Conducting instructor observations

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 Overseeing course needs and assessment reports to Assessment
Coordinator

Center for Teaching, Learning, and Leadership, Faculty Fellow for Scholarly
Writing. University of North Georgia. Fall 2015-present

Establishing multifaceted faculty development programs across five

campuses that enrich scholarly productivity through a focus on
research and writing skills

Program Development Coordinator, Athletic Academic Services, University

of Oklahoma. Spring 2010-Spring 2013

Constructing weekly English tutoring lessons for student-athletes

Facilitating monthly practicum for English and writing tutors
Developing assessment reports for College Reading and Learning
Association accreditation
Leading joint training sessions between athletics and academic
departments

Recent Juried Publications

Cadets Conceptions of First-Year Composition at a Senior Military College

co-authored with MAJ. Brian Forester. Teaching & Learning Inquiry.
Forthcoming.

The Performance of Literate Practices: Rhetoric, Writing, and Stand-up

Comedy. Journal for the Assembly of Expanded Perspectives on Learning.
Forthcoming.

Student-Athletes, Prior Knowledge, and Threshold Concepts. Teaching

English in the Two-Year College 44.1 (September 2016): 32-48.

Supporting the Student-Athlete Writer: A Case Study of a Division I

Athletics Writing Center and NCAA Academic Mandates. The Writing
Center Journal 35.2 (2016): 61-87. Print.

The Literate Practices of a Division II Mens Basketball Team. Grassroots

Writing Research Journal 6.2 (Spring 2016). 55-63. Print.

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The Woven Body: Embodying Text in Performance Art and the Writing
Center. Co-authored with Lindsey Allgood. Across the Disciplines 28 (Dec.
2015). Web.

Student-Athletes and the Rhetorical Consequences of Naming. Present

Tense: A Journal of Rhetoric in Society 4.2 (2015). Web.

Writing as Embodied, College Football Plays as Embodied: Extracurricular

Multimodal Composing. Composition Forum 24 (Feb. 2014). Web.

Getting All Interdisciplinary: A Guiding Business Principle for Writing

Center Practice. Southern Discourse 18.1 (Fall 2013): 4-7. Print.

Converting the Center: Considering Christianity in the Writing Center. Co-

authored with Michael Mohon. Dangling Modifier 19.2 (Spring 2013). Web.

Fleshing Out the Uniqueness of Student-Athlete Writing Centers: A

Response to Alanna Bitzel. Praxis: A Writing Center Journal 10.1. (2012).
Web.

Contracted and In-Progress Books

The Embodied Playbook: Writing Practices of Student-Athletes. Under

contract with Utah State University Press, an imprint of the University
Press of Colorado. (63,000 words). In-press.

Contemporary Perspectives on Cognition and Writing. Co-edited with

Patricia Portanova and Duane Roen. 20 contributions. Under contract with
WAC Clearinghouse, Colorado State University Open Press, and University
Press of Colorado. First round of revision due to publisher May 2017.

Teaching on the Intersection of Cognition and Composition. Co-edited with

Patricia Portanova and Duane Roen. 16 contributions. Seeking publisher.

Drilled to Write: A Longitudinal Study of a Cadets Development as a Writer.

With IRB approval, I study how one cadet develops as a writer over the
course of four years. I have completed two of four years of planned
research. 35,000 words.

Contributions

Chapter on Visual Rhetoric & Multimodality. Contribute a Verse: A

Guide to First-Year Composition. Ed. Tanya Long Bennett. University of
North Georgia Press. 2015. Print.
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Bibliographic entry. The Bedford Bibliography for Teachers of Basic Writing.
4th ed. Eds. Chitralekha Duttagupta and Robert Miller. 2015. Print.

Publications in Progress

Performing Text & Performing Art co-authored with Lindsey Allgood.

Writing In and About the Performing and Visual Arts: Creating, Performing,
and Teaching. Eds. Steven J. Corbett, Teagan E. Decker, and Betsy Cooper.
Under contract with WAC Clearinghouse, Colorado State University Open
Press, and University Press of Colorado.

Recent Non-Juried Publications

Student-Athletes and Writing Transfer. Literacy & NCTE. blogs.ncte.org. 9

March 2017. Web.

Web list aiming to expose radical professors raises familiar red flags.
Gainesville Times. 24 December 2016.

Safety, the NCAA and a Cloudy Future. Academe Blog Academeblog.com.

9 June 2016. Web.

What it Means to be Connected. Center for Teaching, Learning, and

Leadership. University of North Georgia. 2 February 2015. Web.

The Value of Connection. Literacy & NCTE. blogs.ncte.org. 11 Dec. 2014.

Web.

Student-Athletes at UNG Represent What is Good about College Athletics.

Dahlonega Nugget 10 Dec. 2014.

Global Collaboration Around Education. Literacy & NCTE. blogs.ncte.org.

12 Nov. 2014. Web.

Automated Essay Scoring Could Lead to High-Tech Ways to Fool it.

Gainesville Times 28 Aug. 2014. Print.

Transfer Learning the Latest in Teaching Writing Skills. Vanguard

Dahlonega (student newspaper). 16 April 2014. Web.

Turnitin.coms Tentacles Keep Growing and Growing. Vanguard-

Dahlonega (student newspaper). 6 March 2014. Web.

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Openly Gay Athletes Should Be Accepted. Vanguard-Dahlonega (student
newspaper). 27 February
2014. Web.

People of Dahlonega are Central to Academic Success of UNG Students.

Dahlonega Nugget. 25 December 2013. Print.

Transitioning from a Research-Focused R1 to a Teaching-Focused Masters

L. Center for Teaching, Learning, and Leadership. University of North
Georgia. 2 December 2013. Web.

Introverts and the Teaching of Writing. Center for Teaching, Learning,

and Leadership. University of North Georgia. 6 November 2013. Web.

Honors & Awards

Emerging Leader. Fall 2017.

This award recognizes faculty who have assumed leadership roles
within the last five years. These awardees exemplify UNGs
commitment to shared governance and effective leadership

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award. Fall 2015.

This award recognizes faculty whose research demonstrates valuable
work in the scholarship of teaching and learning. The awardee
engages in a systematic examination of student learning and the
instructional conditions that promote learning.

Presentations

Co-chair, Special Interest Group. Creating and Maintaining

Interdisciplinary Research Relationships. Conference on College
Composition and Communication. Portland, OR. March 2017.

Embodied Play Literacy in an Auburn University Defensive Football Play.

With Kevin Roozen as Respondent. Conference on College Composition and
Communication. Tampa, FL. March 2015.

Co-chair, Special Interest Group. A Conversation with Duane Roen: The

Eight Habits of Mind. Conference on College Composition and
Communication. Tampa, FL. March 2015.

A Literacy Audible: The Embodied Literate Practices of Big-Time College

Football. Biannual Thomas R. Watson Conference. Louisville, KY. October
2014.

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If Only Merlin Worked Here: The Sword and the Stone and Traveling
Writing Support for Student-Athletes. International Writing Center
Association/National Conference on Peer Tutoring of Writing. Orlando, FL.
October 2014.

Co-chair, Special Interest Group. Cognition and Writing: A Conversation

with John Hayes: Contemporary Perspectives on Cognitive Science and
Writing. Conference on College Composition and Communication.
Indianapolis, IN. March 2014.

Penalties, Fouls, and Errors: Student-Athletes and the Trouble of Open

Access. Conference on College Composition and Communication.
Indianapolis, IN. March 2014.

Badges? We Dont Need No Stinkin Badges: How Interdisciplinary

Relations Legitimize Writing Center Work. The Future of Writing Centers:
20th Anniversary Symposium. Austin, TX. February 2013.

Syncopated Relations: Athletics and Academics in American Higher

Education. Dissonant
Discourses: An Interdisciplinary Conference. Norman, OK. January 2013.

Co-chair. Special Interest Group. Rhetoric, Sport, and Student-

Athletes. Conference on College Composition and Communication. Las
Vegas, NV. March 2013.

Co-chair. Workshop. Expanding the Conversation: Graduate Students,

Contingent Faculty, and the Future of Basic Writing. Conference on College
Composition and Communication. Las Vegas, NV. March 2013.

Striving to Improve: Student-Athlete Writing Tutoring Under the Auspices

of NCAA Academic Compliance Mandates. International Writing Center
Association Conference. San Diego, CA. October 2012.

Offloading the Mind onto Sofa Cushions: Distributed Cognition and

Learning College Football Plays. Language and Linguistic Student
Conference. November 2012.

(Dis)placing Collegiate Football Players: Challenges of Incorporating

Student-Athletes in the Writing Classroom. Conference on College
Composition and Communication. St. Louis, MO. March 2012.

From Classical Rhetoric, to Student-Athletes, and Back Again: Tracing a

Recursive Relationship Between the Past and Present. Teaching Scholars
Initiative Colloquium. Norman, OK. October 2011.
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Sophists and Sports: Competitive Scaffolding in Student-Athlete Tutoring
Sessions. Conference on College Composition and Communication. Atlanta,
GA. May 2011.

Pens, Paper and Football Plays: A Case Study of Student-Athlete

Literacy. Expanding Literacy Studies. Columbus, OH. April 2009.

Invited Speaker

Revising the CCCC Guidelines for Ethical Conduct of Research in

Composition Studies. Skype. Lee Nickosons English 7260: Research
Methods in Rhetoric and Writing. Bowling Green State University.
September 2015.

Collaboration and Capacity Building: Moving Beyond Random

Connections. Webinar. Connected Learning and National Center for
Literacy Education. December 2014. http://tinyurl.com/kehcgov

Facilitating Lines of Communication Between the Athletics Department and

the English Department. Workshop for Incoming Graduate Teaching
Assistants, Department of English. University of Oklahoma. Summer 2012.

Aristotles Uses for Writing Tutor Training. Inaugural Forum of the

Institute of Writing, Rhetoric and Technology. Facilitated by Kathleen Welch.
University of Oklahoma. Fall 2011.

Contemporary Theories of Audience and Aristotles On Rhetoric. Kathleen

Welchs English 3103 Topics in Advanced Composition: Writing and
Audience. University of Oklahoma. Fall 2011.

Workshops

Peer Review. Anthropology 5893: Archaeology of Households and

Communities. College of Arts and Sciences, University of Oklahoma. April
2013.

Presenting Research at a Conference. Undergraduate Research

Initiatives, University of Oklahoma. April 2013.

Creativity in the Writing Center with Devin Siaosi. Okie Tutor Summit,
Writing Center, University of Oklahoma. April 2013.

Writing a Literature Review. Construction Science 5523: Design Build

Contracting. College of Architecture, University of Oklahoma. February
2013.

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Co-chair. Expanding the Conversation: Graduate Students, Contingent
Faculty, and the Future of Basic Writing. Conference on College
Composition and Communication. Las Vegas, NV. March 2013

Critical Reflection in the Language Narrative Unit. Workshop for

Returning Graduate Teaching Assistants, Department of English. University
of Oklahoma. Summer 2012.

Encountering Student-Athletes in First-Year Composition. Workshop for

Returning Graduate Teaching Assistants, Department of English. University
of Oklahoma. Spring 2012.

Learning from Classroom Evaluations. Workshop for Incoming Graduate

Teaching Assistants, Department of English. University of Oklahoma.
Summer 2011.

Courses Taught

Post-Secondary Education

University of North Georgia (Dahlonega, GA)

English 1101: English Composition I

The first in a two-part required composition sequence, this
course invites students to engage with the level of scholarly
writing expected at the university level. Wardle and
Downss Writing About Writing focuses students attention to
who they are as writers.

English 1102: English Composition II

The second in a two-part required composition sequence, this
course invites students to engage with the level of scholarly
writing expected at the university level. Wardle and
Downss Writing About Writing focused students attention to
who they are as writers.

Honors English 1101: English Composition I

Similar content and syllabus as non-honors section of 1101;
however, this course includes collaborative group presentations,
a co-authored research paper, and more scaffolding and
encouragement for undergraduate research through conference
presentations and submitting to undergraduate research
journals.

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 Honors English 1102: English Composition II
Similar content and syllabus as non-honors section of 1101;
however, this course includes collaborative group presentations,
a co-authored research paper, and more scaffolding and
encouragement for undergraduate research through conference
presentations and submitting to undergraduate research
journals. Additionally, students in this course engage in service-
learning. During the Fall 2016, students wrote content for the
Dahlonega-Lumpkin County Chamber of Commerce and Visitor
Bureaus website.

English 2230: Intermediate Composition, Classical Rhetoric &

Its Contemporary Uses
Using Crowley and Hawhees Ancient Rhetorics for
Contemporary Students as well as primary readings by rhetors
such as Gorgias, Plato, and Quintilian, this course invites
students to engage with elements of ancient western rhetoric
which still resonant with us today, such as how best to teach
rhetoric and the role of women in the public sphere. Students
write three essays and present a final project while crafting
their writing to meet conventions of their discipline.

English 2230: Intermediate Composition, Writing for an Online

Audience
Engaging with Felders Writing for the Web and key readings
from Cindy Selfe, Adam Banks, and Jonathan Alexander,
students explore the constraints and affordances of various
digital writing platforms such as Twitter, Wikipedia, and tumblr.
Students wrote press releases for the Holly Theater, the local
Dahlonega theater company, and authored sections of the UNG
Wikipedia page.

English 3130: Advanced Composition, Introduction to Grant

Writing
Using Clarkes Storytelling for Grantseekers and Brownings
Perfect Phrases for Writing Grant Proposals, students developed
a portfolio which included letters of inquiry, proposal, follow-up,
and thank-you letter. Guest speakers from the Dahlonega
community presented on the challenges and opportunities in
writing grants.

English 3120/6120 Introduction to Rhetorical Theory

Through focusing on key readings in Bizzell and Herzbergs The
Rhetorical Tradition and supplemental readings, students
explore various theories of language and language use from 5th
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 century Athens and rhetoricians such as Aristotle and Gorgias to
21st century America and rhetoricians such as Malea Powell,
Adam Banks, and Damian Baca.

English 4110: Introduction to Eastern Rhetorics

This course used Lipson and Binkleys edited Ancient Non-
Greek Rhetorics to consider ancient understandings of how
language works. By countering the dominant western, Greco-
Roman conceptualizations of rhetoric, this course offered
student an opportunity to gain a richer picture of the
development of rhetorical theories and practices. Mindfulness
practices and a guest-speaker on Mandarin character writing
complemented a 1600 word essay and presentation.

English 4880: Senior Seminar English Writing: Researching

Writing
As the final course in the Writing & Publication track, upper-
division students learn the conventions of writing research
methods and methodologies through engaging with Creswells
Research Design, Blakeslee and Fleischers Becoming a Writing
Researcher, and Heath and Streets On Ethnography. Guest-
researchers appearing via Skype and a seminar paper served as
additional methods of instruction. Finally, students assembled a
portfolio encapsulating their undergraduate work at UNG.

English 4810/6810: Rhetoric and the Graphic Novel

This course addresses the communicative power of images by
considering graphic novels. By engaging with key texts such as
Mazzucchellis Asterios Polyp and Wares Jimmy Corrigan, this
class explored how graphic novelists balance multiple modes in
the construction of text. Students presented and authored a
1600 word essay and practiced graphic novelist skills such as
inking, coloring, and lettering.

University of Oklahoma (Norman, OK)

English 1113: English Composition I

English 1113: English Composition I, Computer-Mediated-

Classroom

Honors English 1213: English Composition II, Appropriating

Classical Rhetoric for Contemporary Uses

English 1213: English Composition II

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 Pilot English 1213: English Composition II

Expository Writing 1213/1223.014: Sports and the University

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (Norman, OK). The Osher Lifelong

Learning Institute at the University of Oklahoma is dedicated to
promoting lifelong learning and personal growth of older adults, age
50+, through a variety of noncredit courses.

Issues Surrounding College Sports.

Auburn University (Auburn, AL)

English 1100: English Composition I

English 1120: English Composition II: Sustainability

Co-teacher, University 1050: Success Strategies

Columbus State University (Columbus, GA)

English 1101: English Composition 1

Secondary Education

Young Americans Christian School (Conyers, GA)

10th grade World Literature

11th grade American Literature

12th grade British Literature

Mentoring

Biddulph, Scott. Rhetoric and Human Liberty: A Look at the

Connections between Freedom of Speech, Democracy, Human Rights,
and the Negatives of Political Correctness. Queen City Writers.
Accepted pending revisions. Revised in ENGL 4880: Senior Seminar
English Writing.

Chamberlin, London. Creating a Lexical Universe: Redefining

Burkes Dramatic Pentad Through the Language of Finnegans Wake.
Papers and Publications: A Southeastern Interdisciplinary Journal of

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 Undergraduate Research 3 (2014). Written in ENGL 3120:
Introduction to Rhetorical Theory.

Franklin, Cheyenne. Quintilian Education and Additive Bilingualism.

Queen City Writers. 4.1 (2015). Written in ENGL 3120: Introduction to
Rhetorical Theory.

Henderson, Sawyer. Looking Right Now: A Rhetorical Analysis on

Gay Mens Diction Relative to Grindr. National Council for
Undergraduate Research. University of North Carolina, Asheville.
April 2016. Forthcoming NCUR Proceedings. Spring 2017. Paper
written in ENGL 2230: Writing for an Online Audience.

Price, Laura. Native American Rhetoric: How and Why Its

Important. Queen City Writers. 5.1 (2016). Written in ENGL 3120:
Introduction to Rhetorical Theory.

Regeski, Julia. An Ethical Rhetorical Question. Sigma Tau Delta

2016 National Convention. Minneapolis, MN. March 2016. Written in
ENGL 3120: Introduction to Rhetorical Theory.

Yarbro, Caleb. In Preservation of Dignity: Censorship Before

Catastrophe. Award-winning essay published in The Chestatee
Review. Written in Honors ENGL 1101. Fall 2014.

Service

National

Member, Working Group to revise Conference on College Composition

and Communication Guidelines for the Ethical Conduct of Research in
Composition Studies. Spring 2015

Member, Collaboration and Capacity Building Curation Team Member,

Connected Educators Month, National Council of Teachers of English.
Fall 2014, Fall 2015

Member, Newcomers Orientation Committee, Conference on College

Composition and Communication

Reviewer, Writing Center Journal, Composition Studies, and Queen

City Writers, a refereed journal for undergraduate composition

University of North Georgia

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 Department

Director, First-Year Composition. Fall 2015-present

Chair, Search Committee for two tenure-track Assistant

Professors of Composition and Rhetoric, Department of English,
Fall 2015-Spring 2016. Filled both positions.

Co-chair, Search Committee for Assistant Professor of

Composition and Rhetoric, Department of English, Fall 2013-
Spring 2014

Member, Writing & Publication Committee, Fall 2013-present

Faculty reviewer, The Chestatee Review, Fall 2013

University

Honors Program Advisory Council, Fall 2017-present

Chair, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award Committee,

Spring 2017

Reviewer, Annual Research Conference, Spring 2017

Faculty Fellow for Scholarly Writing, Center for Teaching,

Learning, and Leadership. Fall 2015-present

Athletic Committee, Fall 2015-present

Member, Teaching Awards Committee, Fall 2014

Member, Transfer and Transitions Work Group, Spring 2014

External member, Search Committee for Assistant/Associate

Professor of Business Communication, Mike Cottrell College of
Business, Spring 2014

Faculty judge, Annual Research Conference, Spring 2014

Professional Development

Faculty Academy on High-Impact Practices. University of North Georgia.

2015-2016

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UNG Grants Academy. University of North Georgia. 2014-2015

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Academy. University of North

Georgia. 2014-2015

New Faculty Institute. University of North Georgia. 2013- 2014

Facilitating Learning in an Online Classroom. Distance Education and

Technology Integration. University of North Georgia. Fall 2013

Consulting

Essay assessment consulting. American Junior Golf Association (AJGA)

Transamerica Scholastic Junior All-American Team. Designed and
implemented a rubric to assess over 100 essays written by applicants for
the All-American Team. Summer 2014, 2015, 2016.

Professional Affiliations

Conference on College Composition and Communication

Council of Writing Program Administrators
National Council of Teachers of English

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