Sara VanderHaagen

Sara VanderHaagen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM). Her work focuses on how public rhetoric shapes narratives of the past, particularly through lenses of race, gender, and age. She holds a PhD in Communication Studies from Northwestern University, alongside MA and BA degrees from Northwestern and Calvin College, respectively.

Her research explores African American rhetoric, public discourse on race and gender, and rhetorical theory. Key projects include analyzing 19th-century women’s oratory at the 1893 World’s Fair, children’s biographies of African American women, and the rhetoric of public memorials like the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. She also critiques how cultural memory is constructed through texts like historical fiction and children’s literature.

VanderHaagen’s publications span journals such as Quarterly Journal of Speech, Women’s Studies in Communication, and Criticism. Her book Children’s Biographies of African American Women (2018) examines how these narratives shape agency and identity. She frequently reviews works on memory, rhetoric, and race, contributing to scholarly debates on cultural representation.

No scientific awards are listed in the provided text. Her advising and grant activities are not detailed here, though her academic profile suggests involvement in interdisciplinary projects related to history, rhetoric, and education. She is affiliated with UWM’s Communication Department and may collaborate with research centers focused on race, gender, and public memory.