Stephen King

Dr. Stephen King is a Professor and Chairperson of the Department of Communication at St. Edward's University's School of Arts and Humanities, with nearly thirty years of teaching experience across institutions including Eastern Illinois University and Delta State University. His academic journey includes leadership roles as department chair at Eastern Illinois University (2013-2018) and coordinator at Delta State University (2000-2013).

• Ph.D. in Speech Communication, Indiana University (1997)
• M.A. in Communication, University of New Mexico (1990)
• B.A. in Communication, Boise State University (1987)

Dr. King's research merges rhetoric, public memory, and cultural tourism, focusing on social movements and musical genres like blues, reggae, and country. He has published extensively on how Mississippi promotes blues and civil rights heritage, examining authenticity, mythmaking, and racial reconciliation. His 2023 book Terror and Truth: Civil Rights Tourism and the Mississippi Movement (co-authored with Dr. Roger D. Gatchet) expands this work.

His scholarship has earned multiple Top Paper Awards from the National Communication Association and Southern States Communication Association, the William Winter Scholar designation (2007), and the Mississippi Humanities Council Teaching Award (2010-2011). As a Research Fellow at the University of the West Indies (1994), he explored reggae's rhetorical role in Jamaican identity. He serves on the editorial board of Rock Music Studies and reviews for journals including Popular Music and Society.

Dr. King's teaching spans rhetorical theory, communication research methods, and public speaking. He has volunteered with Habitat for Humanity and coached youth soccer, demonstrating commitment to both academic and community service.