Jason Huber

Biography

All roads lead to Western Carolina University. I started my academic career at WCU as an undergrad over a decade ago. I was in a major that made sense at the time, but was always drawn to English classes, so much so that I changed my major and haven’t looked back since. A bit of wanderlust brought me to New Mexico where I attained my degree in creative writing. However, the Organ Mountains of Las Cruces didn’t have the same appeal as our own Blue Ridge Mountains, so I moved back as soon as the ink was dry on my diploma. WCU’s Composition and Rhetoric program called to me. After earning my MA, I taught in and around Asheville for a couple of years before applying to teach at WCU. Now, I’m glad to have once again found a home in the mountains of Cullowhee. I joined the English department in the fall semester of 2018 and have come to realize that there’s nothing that quite compares to our Catamount community. I’m proud to help students develop their own individual writing and research processes as a part of WCU’s Writing Rhetoric and Critical Studies Program.

Education

• MA, Western Carolina University, Composition and Rhetoric/English
• BA, New Mexico State University University Park, Creative Writing/English

Teaching Interests

One of my primary interests is community building in the classroom. I firmly believe in a pedagogical approach that focuses on discussion and student led exploration. Rhetoric matters. Institutions are not monoliths. Words can move mountains and change rhetorical ecologies. I often ask my students to put themselves in the driver’s seat and argue for the interventions they see fit. My pedagogical practice begins with the assumption that my students are intelligent, capable adults with personal experiences different from my own. We all bring something to the table. We are all teachers and students alike.

Research Interests

My fields of research are rhetorical theory and institutional rhetorics. I have studied and presented on the rhetorical strategies of for-profit probation systems, prisons, and rehabilitation facilities. I’m also interested in pedagogical practices and the rhetorical ecologies of the classroom. My most recent research revolves around the uses of performative rhetoric and shared metaphors in the college composition course. I’m a bit of a conference nerd, so I relish opportunities to share research with other scholars. I also serve on the board of the South Eastern Association of Cultural Studies and help coordinate their annual conference.