Madeleine Sorapure

Dr. Madeleine Sorapure is a Teaching Professor and former Director of the Writing Program at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), and currently serves as Associate Dean in the Division of Undergraduate Education. She specializes in digital rhetoric, multimedia communication, and data visualization pedagogy. Her research explores the intersection of technology, writing, and design, with a focus on how data visualization shapes public understanding and educational practices.

Education: PhD in English from Binghamton University (1990), MA in English (1984), and BA in English from the University of Notre Dame (1982).

Affiliations:

• Member of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)
• Editor of the Inventio section of Kairos
• Co-Director of the Professional Writing Minor at UCSB

Research Interests: Her work spans data visualization practices, multimodal composing, and the integration of digital tools in education. Notable projects include studies on pandemic data dashboards, Dear Data pedagogy, and the rhetoric of information visualization.

Awards:

• UCSB Distinguished Teaching Award (2021)
• Kairos Best Webtext Award (2005) for Between Modes: Assessing Student New Media Compositions
• Fulbright Lecturer (Joszef Attila University, 1995–96)

Teaching & Service: She has designed courses in document design, digital portfolios, and responsive web design. Her administrative roles include leadership in the UCSB Writing Program and BOARS (Board of Admissions and Relations with Schools).

Key Contributions: Authored widely used textbooks like Common Culture and pioneered innovative assignments such as the Dear Data project, blending personal data collection with visual storytelling.