Sarah Kugler

Sarah Kugler is a Lecturer in the Department of English at The University of Kansas, holding a Ph.D. in English (Rhetoric and Composition) awarded in 2025. Her research examines how language functions at linguistic and social interaction levels, with emphasis on power dynamics, identity construction, and language ideologies in higher education contexts.

Her educational background includes:

• Ph.D. in English (Rhetoric and Composition), The University of Kansas, 2025
• M.A. in English (Rhetoric and Composition), The University of Kansas, 2019
• B.A. in Philosophy and Art, Northwestern College, 2013

Dr. Kugler's interdisciplinary work bridges linguistics, rhetoric, and composition to address pedagogical challenges, prioritizing practical applications for linguistic justice through heuristics and programmatic tools. Her research reveals how seemingly neutral discourse in academic settings perpetuates harmful ideologies, particularly regarding audience construction in writing centers.

Her scholarship demonstrates consistent focus on writing center practices, antiracism frameworks, and culturally sustaining approaches to language education, with recent work analyzing institutional statements on linguistic justice.

She has received significant recognition including the Bernstein Award for Future Faculty (2025) and multiple 2023 honors for teaching excellence and research from KU's English Department and Graduate Studies Office.

Dr. Kugler secured the International Writing Centers Association Dissertation Grant (2023) for her project on audience talk in graduate writing consultations and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Fellowship (2021). She teaches diverse courses including First-Year Writing, Technical Writing, and Introduction to Rhetoric and Composition using culturally sustaining pedagogy to empower student communicators.