Jennifer Borda

Jennifer Borda is Professor of Communication at the University of New Hampshire's College of Liberal Arts, specializing in rhetoric, feminist studies, civil discourse, and democratic deliberation. She serves as Co-Director of the UNH Civil Discourse Lab (CDL), which trains students as neutral facilitators for contentious discussions through small-group processes emphasizing listening, shared values, and fundamental differences.

• Ph.D. in Speech/Theater Education, Pennsylvania State University
• M.A. in Speech/Theater Education, Pennsylvania State University
• B.A. in Communications, Villanova University

Her research spans feminist rhetoric, gender equality, film analysis, and democratic deliberation, with particular focus on maternal rhetorics, workplace organizing, and cinematic representations of social movements. Borda examines how discourse constructs ideologies around women, work, motherhood, and identity through mass media and online deliberation, often employing critical cultural studies frameworks to analyze power dynamics in public discourse.

Recent publications demonstrate evolving focus from historical labor movements and filmic counterhistory (2002-2010) to contemporary digital activism and maternal rhetorics (2015-2023), with increasing emphasis on discursive opening strategies for polarization mitigation. Her work consistently bridges feminist theory with practical civil discourse applications, particularly evident in CDL's facilitation methodology.

• Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award, UNH College of Liberal Arts (2021)
• UNH Center for the Humanities fellowship (2014)
• NSF ADVANCE IT grant "UNH Unbiased" fellowship

Borda has received significant research support including the NSF ADVANCE grant where she co-chaired career-life balance initiatives for women STEM faculty. She actively contributes to university governance through the President's Commission on the Status of Women and Grand Challenges Steering Committee, while extending impact through Kettering Foundation initiatives and SNF Ithaca summits. The Civil Discourse Lab represents her primary research-practice integration, training students in non-partisan facilitation techniques that prioritize process over content in contentious dialogues.