Kenny Smith

Continuing Lecturer

Office Hours

Email for an Appointment (or check Gauchospace)

Office Location

Girvetz 1308

Specialization

Kenny Smith is co-chair of the Writing Placement Committee along with Madeleine Sorapure and Sarah Hirsch. He also teaches introductory composition (Writing 1 & 2), writing and the philosophy of language (Writing 105P), and scientific communication courses (Writing 1E & 2E, Writing 109ST, and Writing 105SW). His research focuses on how literacy skills transfer from the classroom to the outside world, particularly in regard to the interpretation of scientific texts and journalism. When not playing video games and reading all the things, he has been known to listen to a considerable amount of music, especially if it has synthesizers and a catchy beat. 

Education

Ph.D. English—Composition/Rhetoric, University of Louisville, December 2014
 
M.A. English—Composition/Rhetoric, Middle Tennessee State University, May 2007
 
B.A. English—Creative Writing, Minnesota State University Moorhead, May 2003

Research

“Cynical and Captivated Publics: Pedagogical Strategies for Navigating the Scylla and Charybdis of Audience Engagement in Science Communication.” National Council of Teacher’s of English (NCTE) Annual Convention. With Karen Lunsford, Amanda Stansell, Rebecca Chenoweth, and Doug Bradley. Anaheim, CA. November 17-20, 2022. (Forthcoming).
 
“Collaborative Writing Placement as a Model for Empowering Students and Fostering Equity.” College Composition and Communication Conference. With Sarah Hirsch, Leslie Hammer, and Madeleine Sorapure. Chicago, IL. March 9-12, 2022. 
 
“Truth, Propaganda, and Textual Power: A Pedagogy for Combatting Cynicism in the Post-Truth Era.” In Reading and Writing Instruction in the Twenty-First Century: Recovering and Transforming the Pedagogy of Robert Scholes. Edited by Ellen Carillo. Utah State University Press. 2021.
 
“Making Space for Equity with Placement: Collaborative Writing Placement Programs at UC Davis, Irvine, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz (Part Two)” With Tanner WouldGo, Sarah Michals, Trish Serviss, Jennifer Burke Reifman, Allison Dzuiba, Sarah Hirsch, and Daniel Gross. The UC Writing Programs Conference. Virtual. January 29-30, 2021.
 
“It’s All BS: Teaching Media Literacy in the Post-Truth Age.” USC Regional College Composition and Communication Conference. Virtual. December 18-19, 2020. 
 
“The Myth of the Conscious Writer: Embodiment, Transfer, and the Tacit Dimension of Practice.” The Conference on College Composition and Communication. Pittsburgh, PA. March 13-16, 2019.