Katherine DeLuca

Katherine DeLuca is an Associate Professor in the Department of English & Communication at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, where she teaches courses on writing, rhetoric, and digital media. Her academic appointment resides within the College of Arts & Sciences, contributing significantly to undergraduate programs in English and Professional Writing & Communication, as well as graduate certificate and MA programs in Professional Writing & Communication.

Dr. DeLuca earned her PhD in Rhetoric, Composition, and Literacy Studies from The Ohio State University in 2015, following an MA from the same institution in 2010 and a BA from Louisiana State University in 2007. Her educational trajectory has positioned her at the intersection of rhetorical theory, composition studies, and digital media scholarship.

Her research program critically examines the intersections of digital media studies, composition studies, and rhetorical theory, with particular focus on performative identity rhetorics and ethos construction in online spaces. Dr. DeLuca investigates how digital citizens engage in everyday rhetorical and composing practices, analyzing what these practices reveal about contemporary communication. Her current research projects explore the complex relationships between online communities, ethos formation, and writing pedagogy, contributing valuable insights to understanding how digital environments shape communication practices and identities across social, professional, and civic contexts.

Dr. DeLuca's scholarly work has been published in prominent journals including Computers and Composition, Kairos: A Journal of Rhetoric, Technology, and Pedagogy, the Journal of Teaching Writing, and WLN: A Journal of Writing Center Scholarship. Her co-edited volume The Rhetoric of Participation: Interrogating Commonplaces In and Beyond the Classroom represents a significant contribution to discourse about pedagogical approaches and classroom dynamics in writing instruction.

Dr. DeLuca teaches a diverse range of courses including ENL 256: Soc Iss & Eng in Rhet & Comm, which examines social justice and engagement in rhetoric and communication across interpersonal, professional, and civic contexts; ENL 372: Writ about Popular Cult, which involves critical analysis of popular culture elements; ENL 623: Web Development & Design, focusing on front-end and back-end web technologies; and several internship courses (ENL 707, ENL 709, ENL 701) that connect classroom learning with professional writing experiences in business, industry, and nonprofit settings. Her ENL 631: Teach Tech Profess Writ course provides supervised teaching experience for graduate students. Her teaching philosophy emphasizes developing students' abilities to recognize and respond to rhetorical, ethical, and social implications across diverse communication situations.