Hi, I’m Kristin! I am an Assistant Professor of Technical and Scientific Writing in the English Department at the University of Oklahoma. Previously, I was an Assistant Professor of Technical Communication at Sam Houston State University. Originally from New Jersey, I graduated with a PhD in Writing, Rhetorics, and Literacies in the English Department from Arizona State University.
Analyzing the intersections of rhetoric, technical and professional communication, disability studies, rhetorics of health and medicine, artificial intelligence, writing studies, user-experience design, composition studies, and digital rhetoric, my research supports institutions and organizations in navigating discursive and design decisions in ways attuned to disability’s complexly embodied nuance. Across both my research and teaching, I help individuals and organizations promote more equitable understandings of access, inclusion, and care.
I have published peer-reviewed articles in Technical Communication Quarterly, IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, Technical Communication, the Journal of Business and Technical Communication, Composition Studies, and Teaching English in the Two-Year College, and ImageText. I also have a published chapters in Ross’s (2025) The Routledge Handbook of Ethics in Technical and Professional Communication Lancaster & King’s (2024) Amplifying Voices in UX: Balancing Design and User Needs in Technical Communication. Further, I have composed chapters for upcoming edited collections in the areas of disability studies and the teaching of writing, digital activisms, and ethics in technical communication.
While at the University of Oklahoma, I have taught graduate and undergraduate courses in teaching technical writing, rhetorics of health and medicine, disability rhetoric, user-experience design, and technical writing. During my time at Sam Houston State University, I taught both graduate and undergraduate courses including Introduction to Technical Writing, Introduction to Technical Communication, and Studies in Rhetoric. While at Arizona State University, I taught a range of courses in rhetoric and writing studies, including the Teaching First Year Composition (the Teaching Assistant training course), Writing in Context (a course for Writing, Rhetorics, and Literacies undergraduate majors), Business Writing, Writing for the Professions, Strategies of Academic Writing, Persuasive Writing About Public Issues, and First-Year Composition. I have taught across in-person, hybrid, synchronous online, and remotely online formats using both Canvas and Blackboard learning management systems.
Prior to completing my Ph.D. at Arizona State University, I received my B.A. and M.A. in English Language and Literature at The College of New Jersey. After graduating, I worked full-time managing a tutoring and mentoring program with Residential Student Services at Kean University in New Jersey. Through this position, I acquired a passion for mentoring and supporting graduate and undergraduate students from diversely intersectional backgrounds that has translated into my pedagogical work as an Assistant Professor.
When I’m not writing, teaching writing, or grading writing, I enjoy spending time outside at local parks or trails and finding new spots in Oklahoma. I also enjoy reading as a relaxing pastime. Passionate about theatrical performance, I perform with local community theater organizations when time allows. Having participated in the Graz International Summer School in Seggau, Austria during my doctoral program, I embrace opportunities for intercultural engagement and hope to travel more frequently in the future, as pandemic conditions allow. Finally, I love dogs and recently adopted a small schnauzer/terrier pup from a local rescue.
You can learn more about my research, teaching, service, and administrative background across this site. You may also contact me at Kristin.Bennett@ou.edu if you have any questions about my experience and qualifications.
Thank you for visiting!
Kristin C. Bennett, Ph.D. 