Risa Applegarth

Risa Applegarth is a Professor and Director of College Writing in the Department of English at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG), with a cross-appointment in the Program in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Her work bridges rhetoric, writing studies, and feminist theory, with a focus on youth activism, public memory, and interdisciplinary scholarship.

• Education: Ph.D., M.A. (English, UNC Chapel Hill); B.A. (English, Carleton College)

Her research explores children’s rhetoric, environmental discourse, and the intersections of gender, sexuality, and disability. Notable projects include studies on youth activism’s rhetorical agency and the Children’s Peace Statue Project’s role in public memory.

Recent scholarship (2020–2024) emphasizes feminist connections across time and space, algorithmic culture’s impact on activism, and historical precedents in social movements like March for Our Lives. Earlier work (2011–2016) examines genre theory in anthropology, gendered writing practices, and rhetorical scarcity in disciplinary contexts.

No scientific awards explicitly listed. Teaching includes courses like Teaching College Writing and Women’s Rhetoric and Feminist Pedagogy.