Susan Zaeske

Dr. Susan Zaeske is Professor of Rhetoric, Politics, and Culture at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with additional appointments as Associate Dean for Arts and Humanities and Interim Director of the Division of the Arts. Her scholarship examines intersections of rhetoric, gender, and political identity in historical contexts.

Education includes a PhD in Rhetorical Studies from UW-Madison (1997). She teaches courses in rhetorical criticism, public address, and gender studies.

Research focuses on:

• Historical feminist rhetoric
• Political petitioning movements
• Presidential discourse analysis
• Rhetoric of social reform
• Narrative strategies in activism

Honors include the National Communication Association's Winans-Wichelns Award and multiple Golden Anniversary Monograph Awards. Her book 'Signatures of Citizenship' received critical acclaim for its analysis of women's antislavery petitions.

Administratively, Dr. Zaeske leads campus-wide arts initiatives and humanities research programs.