Oren A. Whightsel

Oren A. Whightsel is an Associate Lecturer of English at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, specializing in rhetorical theory, queer theory, and composition pedagogy. Since 2015 they have taught a wide range of courses including first-year composition, queer theory, feminist literary criticism, and writing for teachers, consistently emphasizing inclusive pedagogies and LGBTQ+ perspectives.

Education:

• PhD, Illinois State University, 2012 – English Studies/Rhetoric
• MA, University of South Florida, 2004 – Liberal Arts/Women’s Studies focus
• Graduate Certificate, University of South Florida, 2003 – Women’s Studies
• BA, Florida State University College of Music, 1993 – Music Therapy

Research & Teaching Interests:

Whightsel’s scholarship integrates queer rhetorics with feminist cultural studies, examining how marginalized identities negotiate hegemonic discourses. Their work on techne and queer identity highlights rhetorical strategies that resist normative fantasies. Teaching interests span composition theory, persuasion & propaganda, and writing beyond the academy, consistently foregrounding social-justice-oriented pedagogies.

Selected Scholarship:

Recent publications and conference presentations cluster around queer disidentification, transnational gothic representations of women’s bodies, and memetic epidemiology in medieval and contemporary texts. These projects collectively explore how rhetorical figures of monstrosity, grief, and visuality subvert dominant narratives.

Service & Leadership:

Whightsel has served as Non-Tenure-Track Senator-at-Large in the Faculty Senate (2021-24), chaired and joined multiple committees on composition, general education, diversity-equity-inclusion, and program assessment. They coordinate the Christ Church Episcopal Archives Project and advise student organizations such as Generation Action and Project Canterbury.

Campus & Community Engagement:

Beyond committee work, they judge local poetry and student writing competitions, facilitate public symposia like “Queering the Intersections” at the Hunter Museum of Art, and continually promote LGBTQ+ visibility and inclusive pedagogies across campus.