Language Studies Concentration
Language Studies is a rich, interdisciplinary concentration in which students learn to interrogate texts of all sorts.
Language Studies is a rich, interdisciplinary concentration in which students learn to interrogate texts of all sorts. This program of study combines four disciplines: composition studies, rhetoric, linguistics, and technical communication. Students learn how people make choices about the texts they produce and those they consume. In language studies, we value text in the broadest sense of the word—any language produced for any given audience, purpose, or activity. At the end of their program of study, students will be accomplished critical thinkers, readers, and writers.
View Language Studies Concentration Requirements
Concentration Highlights
- Travis Adams, PhD; Writing Center Director, Composition Theory and Pedagogy
- Tammie Kennedy, PhD; Feminist Rhetorics, Rhetorical Theory and History, Writing Pedagogies
- Kay Siebler, PhD; Composition Theory and Practice, Contemporary Pop Culture Rhetoric, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Rhetorics of Traditionally Marginalized Populations
- Sarah Osborn, PhD; Language Lab Director, TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) Director, Introduction to Linguistics, Structure of English, and L2 Composition Pedagogy
- Tracy Bridgeford, PhD; Director of Graduate Certificate in Technical Communication; Digital Literacies, Information Design, Technical Writing and Editing
For more information and bios, please visit our Faculty & Staff Directory.
Oxbow Writing Project
Participants in the Oxbow Writing Project join a passionate cohort of teachers empowered to improve their teaching of writing and the use of writing at all grade levels and across all content areas. Their desire to expand their personal writing life as well as their skills as a teacher of writing are supported through an intensive summer institute, monthly writing workshops, retreats, and conferences.
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Service-Learning Courses
Language Studies Concentration courses regularly offer the opportunity for students to earn service learning transcript designation Through service learning courses, students in our concentration have collaborated with community partners such as the Generation Diamond, Restoring Dignity, Omaha Home for Boys, Grief’s Journey, and more.
Students who participate in Service Learning may be interested in UNO's Community Engaged Scholars Transcript Designation. Learn more today!
- Technical Communication
- Writing Center, Theory, Pedagogy and Research
- The Rhetoric of Women’s Suffrage: Study Abroad to London
- The Susan Naramore Maher Best Research Essay Awards were established in 2017 in honor of a previous department chair, Susan Naramore Maher, who established the English Honoring Fund. The selection committee consisting of departmental faculty has selected student work worthy of recognition for the past six years. Students are awarded up to 700 dollars that they may use towards their tuition or books.
- Our department annually recognizes outstanding undergraduate students (overall and concentration-specific) with awards as well as Helen Basler Anderson, Marian Basler, and Horsch Scholarships for Excellence in the Major and Outstanding Writing in the Major. These awards and scholarships are the department’s way of recognizing student academic achievements and engagement.
- Our faculty have been active with conference presentations and similar creative and scholarly activities. These 248 and counting presentations underscore the depth and breadth of academic scholarship within our department. From conference presentations exploring Indigenous Wisdom and Scientific Knowledge to seminars on anti-LGBTQ+ speech, from post-screening talk-back sessions at the Film Streams, our faculty members are at the forefront of shaping conversations in their respective fields.
Publications
- Dr. Tracy Bridgeford’s edited volume, Teaching Professional and Technical Communication: A Practicum in a Book (2018) & Teaching Content Management in Technical Communication (2020)
- Dr. Owen Mordaunt’s co-authored book, Phrasal Verbs for English Language Learners (2020)
- Dr. Kay Siebler’s book, Black Women Shattering Stereotypes: A Streaming Revolution (2021) - Language
Student Research
In just 2023-24, our students presented their research at the...
- Nebraska Writing Center Consortium
- National Conference on Peer Tutoring in Writing
Grants
Internal Grants- Between 2018 and 2024, several faculty members received numerous internal grants for various educational initiatives, such as developing online courses and curricular innovation. The trend shows a strong focus on digital learning and dual-enrollment course development, with substantial funding for enhancing course offerings in English.
- In terms of external funding, Dr. Tammie Kennedy led a significant project funded by the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, totaling $3 million from 2020 to 2023.
Awards
- Outstanding Teaching and Instructional Creativity Award (OTICA), NU
- Dr. Tammie Kennedy