Bernard J. Armada

Bernard J. Armada is a Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at the College of Liberal Arts, University of St. Thomas. He joined the university in 1997 and teaches courses including Public Speaking, Building Communication Skills through Improvisation, High-Impact Storytelling, and Persuasion & Social Influence. His scholarship focuses on rhetoric, improvisational communication, and storytelling.

Professor Armada's research examines the rhetoric of race, cultural construction, and public memory through multidisciplinary lenses. Key interests include:

• The relationship between agency and structure in cinematic narratives
• Material transformations in cultural spaces
• Memorialization practices in civil rights contexts
• Improvisation as communicative methodology
• Narrative identity formation

His publications demonstrate consistent focus on spatial rhetoric and cultural representation, with recurring examination of museums and memorials as sites of collective memory negotiation. Research methodologies blend rhetorical criticism with cultural studies approaches.

Honors include:

• Distinguished Educator Award from University of St. Thomas
• Gerald R. Miller Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award from National Communication Association