Graduate Fellowship

The Graduate Fellowship in Interdisciplinary Rhetorical Studies offers unique opportunities for students looking to earn their MA in Communication Studies. The assistantship is shared between the Communication Department and the Baylor Interdisciplinary Core. A student who receives this award will work with both departments as a research and teaching assistant while taking graduate classes in the Communication Department and completing the requirements for their MA. In the first year of the program, a student awarded the fellowship will work with both BIC and Communication Department faculty in assisting with research projects. This provides students with a clear look at the article and book writing processes essential to a successful academic career. Additionally, the student will shadow either Dr. Sam Perry or Dr. Sarah Walden in the freshman BIC World of Rhetoric course for one year before teaching a section of the course in the second year of their MA program. The unique opportunity to teach a stand-alone section of a rhetoric course at this stage in graduate studies provides students with a clear idea of the connection between teaching and research.

A student awarded this fellowship will receive full tuition reimbursement and a stipend competitive with other MA programs across the country. We are excited to offer this program and encourage students who are interested to apply to the graduate program in Communication Studies. Students wishing to be considered for this particular assistantship should contact Dr. Sam Perry via email, indicating their interest in the program. If the student has additional information indicating ability to teach stand alone courses or prior research experience, they should include this information as an attachment in their email expressing interest in the program.

Graduate Fellows Alumni

Aya Farhat

Aya Farhat is from Waynesville, Missouri and graduated as a University Scholar from Baylor University in May 2016. As a University Scholar, Aya completed the pre-med track, taking multiple courses in both biology and chemistry. Additionally, she concentrated in feminist rhetorical criticism where her research interests included media studies and pedagogy. She is currently a Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Maryland. Her graduate work at Baylor primarily concerned the relationship between Roe v. Wade, rhetorics of privacy, and constructions of motherhood. She was also an Editorial Intern for Rhetoric and Public Affairs, Engagement Manager for a NYC-based social media agency, and a yoga and barre instructor at Waco Yoga Pod. In her free time, Aya enjoys practicing yoga, reading, traveling, channeling her inner creativity into cooking, and watching as much television as humanly possible.

Sam Watson

Sam Watson is originally from Sherman, Texas and graduated as a University Scholar from Baylor University in May 2016. As an undergraduate, Sam focused on environmental studies, beginning with an ecology track and spending two summers on the British Columbian coast researching whales. He shifted to a cultural perspective his final year, examining the rhetorical relationship between culture and environmental fiction. During his time as a graduate student in the Department of Communication, Sam worked with Dr. Samuel Perry and as an Editorial Intern for Rhetoric and Public Affairs. Sam enjoys running with his dog, watching movies, and adventuring whenever he can.

Randall Fowler

Randall Fowler was a full-time rhetoric lecturer in the BIC and is now a doctoral candidate at the University of Maryland College Park. His book is available here.

More Than a Doctrine : Nebraska Press (unl.edu)

John Moist

John Moist is from Altoona, Pennsylvania and graduated a Mercy Presidential Scholar with Honors from Mount Aloysius College with a degree in English. He has worked at the University of Maine at Presque Isle, on political campaigns, on radio, and on the stage. He has presented at the Southern Political Science Association Convention and the National Communication Association Convention, at which his work was selected as a top paper in Film, Theater, and New Multi-Media. He was a graduate student in the Department of Communication at Baylor, taught in the Baylor Interdisciplinary Core, and was an Editorial Intern for Rhetoric and Public Affairs. His research and writing focuses on media studies, public and social discourse, and how technological mediums shape discourse surrounding politics, labor, and identity. He enjoys film, gadgets, and audio.