Lavinia Hirsu

Department of English
University of North Carolina at Greensboro

1306 MHRA Building (336) 501-6485
1111 Spring Garden Street l_hirsu@uncg.edu
Greensboro, NC 27412 https://laviniahirsu.weebly.com

Research Interests
Cultural and Multimedia Rhetoric Digital Literacies
Composition Theory and Pedagogy History and Theory of Rhetoric

Education
Ph.D., English, Indiana University, 2014
Major: Composition, Literacy, and Culture; Minor: Cultural Studies

M.A., English, Iowa State University, 2006
Major: TESL/Applied Linguistics; Secondary Area: Socio-Linguistic Anthropology

B.A., English and French, University of Bucharest, Romania, 2002

Academic Appointments
Assistant Professor, Department of English, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
(Fall 2014-present) Teach writing-intensive and rhetoric courses for English majors.

Assistant Director, Elementary Composition, Department of English, Indiana University
(Fall 2012-Spring 2014) Participated in curriculum design and pedagogy development.
Trained graduate instructors in an intensive orientation workshop. Supervised and trained
seven new instructors in a semester-long practicum.

Associate Instructor, Department of English, Indiana University (Fall 2007-Spring 2014)
Taught a variety of composition courses and worked with first-year, basic, advanced, and
multilingual writers.

Graduate Teaching Assistant, Department of Anthropology, Iowa State University
(Fall 2006-Spring 2007) Led seminar discussions, graded student work, and developed
applied exercises.

Research Assistant, Department of English, Iowa State University (Summer 2006)

Coordinated Life as a Second Language as part of the Enhancing and Advancing Science
for English Language Learners Program. Assisted with the training of 45 students.

Teaching Assistant, Department of English, Iowa State University (Fall 2004-Spring 2007)
Taught introductory composition courses.
Graduate Tutor, Academic Success Center, Iowa State University (Fall 2004) Mentored
non-native speakers of English enrolled in writing-based courses in various disciplines.

Publications
Refereed Articles
Hirsu, Lavinia. Tag Writing, Search Engines, and Cultural Scripts. Computers and
Composition 35 (2015): 30-40. Print.

Hirsu, Lavinia. Reflections on Accidental Testimonies and Spectacular Witnesses. Journal
of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning 18 (2012-2013): 40-55. Print.

Book Review
Hirsu, Lavinia. Review of The Available Means of Persuasion: Mapping a Theory and
Pedagogy of Multimodal Public Rhetoric. David M. Sheridan, Jim Ridolfo, and Anthony
Michel, Anderson, SC: Parlor Press, 2012. Computers and Composition 32 (2014): 19-21.

In Progress
Hirsu, Lavinia. Global Indifference: The Rhetoric of Moving Faces. (book manuscript)

Hirsu, Lavinia. Let the World Speak: Distributed Agency in Digital Environments.
(9,263 words, submitted to Rice and St. Amant. Communicating Globally: Applications for
International Communication Exchange)

Hirsu, Lavinia. An Overview of Digital Feminist Scholarship (2005-2014): Methods and
Methodologies.

Digital Contributions
Hirsu, Lavinia. Branching out and Staying in: Inviting a Transmedia Approach.
Sweetlands Digital Rhetoric Collaborative. October 23, 2014. Web.

Honors, Grants and Awards

Global Engagement QEP Course Development Award. Global Engagement QEP Office,
University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2015. ($1,000)

Scholars Travel Fund. Office of Research and Economic Development, University of North
Carolina at Greensboro, 2014. ($500)

Culbertson Associate Instructor Teaching Award, Department of English, Indiana
University, 2012.

Culbertson Dissertation Fellowship in Composition. Department of English, Indiana
University, 2012. ($12,000)

Nominated for Culbertson Associate Instructor Teaching Award, Department of English,
Indiana University, 2011.

Pass with Distinction. Ph.D. Qualifying Exam. Department of English, Indiana University,
2010.

Culbertson Associate Instructor Teaching Award, Department of English, Indiana
University, 2010.
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Conference Presentations
An Overview of Digital Feminist Scholarship (2004-2015): Methods and Methodologies.
Coalition of Women Scholars in the History of Rhetoric and Composition, Tampa, FL, March
18, 2015.

Viral Selfies: Taking Risks with Subjectivitiy. Conference on College Composition and
Communication, Tampa, FL, March 19, 2015.

The Spectacle of the Female Body: From Critique to Method. The Biennial Feminisms and
Rhetorics Conference, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, September 27, 2013.

Fighting over Visual Economies. Conference on College Composition and Communication,
Las Vegas, NV, March 14, 2013.

A Rhetorical Guide to Changing the Image of a Nation Online. The 9th Biennial Thomas R.
Watson Conference in Rhetoric and Composition, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY,
October 18, 2012.

Does the Frame Change the Picture? A Comic Corrective to Visual Identity Politics. 15th
Biennial Rhetoric Society of America Conference, Philadelphia, PA, May 25, 2012.

Burn or Love Thy Image: Teaching Productive Rhetorical Engagements with Images.
Conference on College Composition and Communication, St. Louis, MO, March 23, 2012.

An Incommensurate Proposal on Identity and Identification. 8th Triennial Conference of
the Kenneth Burke Society, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, May 27, 2011.

The Limits of Rhetorical Witnessing in the Composition Classroom. Conference on
College Composition and Communication, Atlanta, GA, April 9, 2011.

Visual Stasis and the Limits of Rhetoricity. Research Network Forum at the Conference on
College Composition and Communication, Atlanta, GA, April 6, 2011.

Identity and the Frozen Image. Who AM I-U? An Inclusive Conference on Identities, Indiana
University, Bloomington, IN, March 4, 2011.

Recuperating National Identity through (Trans)National Sites of Resistance. 14th Biennial
Rhetoric Society of America Conference, Minneapolis, MN, May 31, 2010.

The Epistemological Power of Case Studies in Literacy Research. National Council of
Teachers of English Assembly for Research, Pittsburgh, PA, February 20, 2010.

Is There a Place for Aesthetics in the Composition Classroom? Conference on College
Composition and Communication, New York, NY, March 13, 2009.

Teaching First-Year Composition Courses: A Model for Success. National Council of Teachers
of English Annual Convention, San Antonio, TX, November 22, 2008.

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Recuperating National Identity through Cultural Healing: The Transnational Identity

Romanian Crisis. 9th Annual Graduate Interdisciplinary Symposium, Purdue University,
West LaFayette, IN, March 29, 2008.

Identity Projections in Peer Review Interactions. Conference on College Composition and
Communication, New York, NY, March 24, 2007.

Using the Web for Teaching Visual Representations of Gender Roles in First-Year
Composition, with Anya Kosterina, 7th Annual Conference of the Great Plains Alliance for
Computers and Writing, Minnesota State University, Mankato, MN, April 15, 2006.

Workshops
Language Envelopes. UNCG Global Engagement Summer Institute. University of North
Carolina at Greensboro, May 13, 2015.

Complicated Relationships: Working Successfully with Peers, Teams, and Groups.
Communication Across the Curriculum Workshop. University of North Carolina at
Greensboro, March 24, 2015.

Teaching with <Marca>. Workshop for associate instructors on curriculum development
in an online environment. Department of English, Indiana University, December 17, 2013.

Designing Assignments in <emma>. Workshop for associate instructors on curriculum
development in an online environment. Department of English, Indiana University, May 2,
2012.

Developing and Teaching W170: Projects in Reading and Writing. Workshop for associate
instructors teaching topic-based writing courses. Department of English, Indiana University,
October 13, 2010.

Integrating Sources. Workshop for instructors teaching composition to multilingual writers.
Department of English, Indiana University, September 28, 2010.

Teaching Reading as a Lens. Workshop for instructors teaching composition to multilingual
writers. Department of English, Indiana University, September 22, 2009.

Challenges of Teaching First-Year Composition Classes. Orientation for new teaching
assistants. Department of English, Iowa State University, August 23, 2005.

Teaching Experience
Undergraduate Composition and Rhetoric Courses
Digital Rhetorics: The Rhetoric of Our Senses, University of North Carolina at
Greensboro (Spring 2015)
Upper-division course introduces students to digital rhetoric through the topic of human
senses in digital environments. Students gain technological and rhetorical expertise as they
learn about visual and sonic rhetoric, embodiment, kinetic, and haptic rhetoric. To apply
their knowledge, they compose multi-sensorial projects and develop a digital portfolio.

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Introduction to Rhetoric, University of North Carolina at Greensboro (Fall 2014)

Course for English majors that introduces theories and concepts in rhetorical history and
practice. Students acquire rhetorical knowledge while composing in a variety of genres and
media: tap essays, rhetorical analyses, and ecologies of artifacts.

Professional Writing, Indiana University (Spring 2014)
Applied course in which students plan, draft, and revise common forms of professional
writing, such as resumes, memos, letters, analytical reports, and project proposals.
Emphasizes the rhetorical nature of layout and document design, builds teamwork skills,
and prepares students for different professional experiences.

Argumentative Writing, Indiana University (Fall 2011)
Advanced course that introduces students to the art of argumentation. Helps students
determine argumentative positions, assess claims and reason, evaluate evidence, and
design compelling arguments. Culminates with a collaborative project in which students
research and produce artifacts that advocate for a social cause.

Introductory Writing Courses
Elementary Composition, Indiana University (Fall 2007, Spring 2008, Fall 2012, Spring
2013, Fall 2013) First-year writing course that emphasizes analysis as habit of mind and
writing practice. Introduces writing heuristics such as source as a lens, evolving thesis, and
uncovering assumptions. Students take a cultural approach to a wide range of texts: essays,
scholarly articles, photographs, video clips, and film.

Introduction to College Composition, Indiana University (Summer 2011, 2013)
Special Topic: The Impact of Digital Media. Course designed for first-generation, low-
income college students. Introduces academic habits of reading and writing: summary,
paraphrase, critical response, analysis, and synthesis. Combines classroom instruction with
sustained tutor-student and peer-to-peer feedback.

English Grammar Review, Indiana University (Spring 2013)
Intensive applied learning course in which students review and learn grammatical
structures and concepts to improve their writing and editing skills.

Projects in Reading and Writing, Indiana University (Fall 2009, Spring 2010, Spring
2011) Special Topic: Body Representations and the Beauty Myth. Theme-based course that
invites students to develop analytical and research skills. Students compose cultural
analyses on different media and genres, ranging from ads for beauty products to Toni
Morrisons The Bluest Eye and the movie Precious.

Elementary Composition for Basic Writers, Indiana University (Fall 2010)
Introductory course in which students learn about academic writing moves. Integrates
summary, paraphrase, concept explanation, and issue-based argumentation. Teaches
students how to engage with texts from a rhetorical perspective, paying attention to
rhetorical situations and audience exigencies.

Elementary Composition for Multilingual Writers, Indiana University (Fall 2008,
Spring 2009) Writing course designed for multilingual writers and writers of English as a
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Second Language. Students conduct academic inquiries and build cultural awareness and
rhetorical flexibility, moving from the identification of an issue to the production of a
synthesis report and a research-based comparative project.

First-Year Composition I and II, Iowa State University (Fall 2005, Spring 2006)
Composition course based on WOVE pedagogy (a written, oral, visual, and electronic
approach). Learning goals include the development of multimodal literacies in conjunction
with critical thinking, reading, and writing. Students compose brochures, visual arguments,
and rhetorical analyses of art pieces on campus.

First-Year Composition, Des Moines Area Community College (Fall 2006, Spring 2007)
Writing course for adult writers and first-year college students. Projects build on personal
experience, work in the community, and campus collaborations.

Graduate Training Course

Teaching of Composition in College, Indiana University (Fall 2012, 2013)
Semester-long required practicum for all new writing instructors of Elementary
Composition. Emphasizes the development of a coherent pedagogy and teaching portfolio,
informed by readings in composition studies and classroom practice.

Service
Profession
Reviewer, Journal of Global Literacies, Technologies, and Emerging Pedagogies
Panel Organizer, Visual Technologies and Culture: Past, Present, and Future, Conference
on College Composition and Communication, Las Vegas, NV, March 14, 2013.
Panel Chair, Audio-Visual Rhetorics, 8th Triennial Conference of the Kenneth Burke
Society, Clemson, SC, May 28, 2011.
Panel Organizer, The (Im)Possibilities of Rhetorical Witnessing: Theory, Methodology,
and Pedagogy, Conference on College Composition and Communication, Atlanta, GA,
April 9, 2011.
Panel Chair, Remixing First Year Composition: Using Traditional and Nontraditional
Resources, Conference on College Composition and Communication, Louisville, KY, March
18, 2010.

University
Member, Steering Committee, Digital Humanities Research and Teaching Network,
University of North Carolina at Grreensboro (Spring 2015-present)
Member, Global Engagement Faculty Group, University of North Carolina at Grreensboro
(Fall 2014-present)
Panel Moderator, An International Interdisciplinary Graduate Student Conference, Indiana
University (March 25, 2011)
Panel Moderator, An International Interdisciplinary Graduate Student Conference, Indiana
University (March 26, 2009)

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Department
Member, Undergraduate Studies Committee. University of North Carolina at Greensboro
(Fall 2014-present)
Member, Composition Committee. University of North Carolina at Greensboro
(Fall 2014-present)
Coordinator, Exemplum: Rhetoric and Composition Reading and Research Group. Indiana
University (Fall 2013)
Lecture Organizer, Guest: Professor Ilana Gershon. Indiana University (June 19, 2011)
Member, Culbertson Award Committee. Indiana University (Spring 2011)
Member, Composition Committee. Indiana University (Fall 2010)
Curriculum Developer, Project Leader: Professor Tarez Graban. Indiana University
(Summer 2010)
Listserv Coordinator, Ideas for Teaching Composition. Indiana University (Fall 2009-
Spring 2010)
Co-Founder, Exemplum: Rhetoric and Composition Reading and Research Group. Indiana
University (Spring 2008)

Professional Affiliations
National Council of Teachers of English
Conference on College Composition and Communication
Rhetoric Society of America
Modern Language Association

References
Christine R. Farris, Professor, Department of English, Indiana University
(812) 855-1430 crfarris@indiana.edu

John L. Schilb, Professor, Culbertson Chair of Writing, Department of English, Indiana
University, (812) 855-5029 jschilb@indiana.edu

Dana Anderson, Associate Professor of English, Director of Composition, Department of
English, Indiana University, (812) 855-6278 danaande@indiana.edu

Kathy O. Smith, Associate Chair, Composition Program Coordinator, Department of English,
Indiana University, (812) 855-8225 kosmith@indiana.edu

Risa Applegarth, Associate Professor, Department of English, University of North Carolina
at Greensboro, (336) 334-3967 risa_applegarth@uncg.edu

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