Carolyn Skinner

Carolyn Skinner is an Associate Professor at The Ohio State University, specializing in rhetoric and writing studies. She focuses on historical intersections of gender, science, and medicine in 19th-century U.S. contexts, with expertise in rhetorical reception and women's professional ethos. Her work bridges rhetorical theory, historiography, and pedagogy.

Education:

• PhD in Rhetoric and Composition, University of Louisville (2006)
• MA in English (Writing and Rhetoric), Virginia Commonwealth University
• BA in English, University of Evansville (2000)

Skinner's research investigates how 19th-century women physicians navigated medical and professional discourses to assert authority and advocate for social change. Her recent work examines rhetorical reception as a mechanism for understanding how texts inspire persuasive acts across generations.

Her publications span journals like Rhetoric Review, College English, and Technical Communication Quarterly, with a 2025 monograph on rhetorical reception. Key themes include gendered rhetorical constraints, medical arguments in suffrage debates, and the constitution of audiences in scientific texts.

Skinner actively contributes to pedagogical research, particularly studying how student placement methods impact success in first-year writing courses. She teaches courses on persuasion, health rhetoric, and methods in writing studies.