Jay P. Childers CV


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Jay P. Childers

Department of Communication Studies
Phone: 785-864-1474
1440 Jayhawk Boulevard
Email: jaychilders@ku.edu University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS 66045

Academic Appointments

University of Kansas, Associate Professor and Chair, 2017 – present; Associate Professor and Interim Basic Course Director, 2015 – 2017; Associate Professor 2013 – 2015; Assistant Professor, 2006 – 2013

University of Texas, Graduate Instructor, 2003 – 2006; Research Assistant, 2001 – 2003 University of West Georgia, Instructor, 1999-2001

Education

Ph.D. in Communication Studies, University of Texas at Austin, July 2006Specialization: Rhetoric and Political Communication

M.A. in English, University of West Georgia, August 1998 Specialization: American Literature

B.A. in English, Minor in Communications, Georgia State University, August 1996

Research

Books

Hart, Roderick P., Childers, Jay P., & Lind, Colene (2013). Political Tone: How Leaders Talk and Why. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Reviewed in Quarterly Journal of Speech, Rhetoric & Public Affairs, Perspectives on Politics, Political Communication, Presidential Studies Quarterly, and Political Science Quarterly.

Childers, Jay P. (2012). The Evolving Citizen: American Youth and the Changing Norms of Democratic Engagement. University Park: Penn State University Press.

Reviewed in Quarterly Journal of Speech, Rhetoric & Public Affairs, Rhetoric Society QuarterlyContemporary Sociology, and Perspectives on Politics.

Essays and Chapters

Childers, Jay P. (forthcoming). “Constructing the Politics of the Absurd.” In K. R. Phillips & C. E. Morris (eds.), The Conceit of Context (New York: Peter Lang).

Childers, Jay P., and Bird, Cassandra. (2019). “The Rise of Comforter-in-Chief: Presidential Responses to Violence Since Reagan.” In S. J. Heidt & M. E. Stuckey (eds.) Reading the Presidency: Advances in Presidential Rhetoric (New York: Peter Lang): 106-125.

Childers, Jay P. (2016). “Transforming Violence into a Focusing Event: A Reception Study of the 1946Georgia Lynching,” Rhetoric & Public Affairs 19(4): 571-600.

Childers, Jay P., (2015). “Defining the Right Sort of Immigrant: Theodore Roosevelt and American Character.” In E. Johanna Hartelius (ed.), Defining Communities: Identity and Otherness in the Rhetorics of U.S. Immigration(University Park: Penn State University Press).

Childers, Jay P., & Stangler, McKay (2015). “Defining Fairness in the Economic Rhetoric of the 2012 Presidential Election.” In Dianne G. Bystrom et al. (eds.), Alienation: The Divide and Conquer Election of 2012 (New York: Peter Lang), 97-115.

Childers, Jay P., (2014). “Fearing the Masses: Gustave Le Bon and Some Undemocratic Roots of Modern Rhetorical Studies.” Advances in the History of Rhetoric 17(1): 76-87.

Childers, Jay P., & Wonnacott, Mark (2013). “Imagining U.S. Democratic Values in Commencement Addresses.” In Roderick P. Hart (ed.), Communication and Language Analysis in the Public Sphere (Hershey, PA: IGIGlobal), 81-97.

Childers, Jay P. (2013). “The Democratic Balance: President McKinley’s Assassination as Domestic Trauma.” Quarterly Journal of Speech 99: 156-179.

Childers Jay P., & Meserko, V. (2013). “Critical Pedagogy as Public Modality: Glenn Beck’s Undemocratic Defensive Citizenship.” Western Journal of Communication 77: 34-53.

Childers, Jay P. (2013) “A Lighthouse at the Crossroads: Barack Obama’s Call for Agonistic Democracy,” In Jennifer R. Mercieca and Justin Vaughn (eds), Obama’s Burden: Rhetoric, Politics, and the Obama Phenomenon (College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press).

Childers, Jay P. (2010). “The Decider and The Debater: George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Two Very Different Democratic Styles.” In Barry Brummett (Ed), The Politics of Style and the Style of Politics (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield).

Childers, Jay P. (2010). “Talk about Talk: The Conversational Metaphor in the 2008 Presidential Primaries.”         American Behavioral Scientist 54: 337-354.

Childers, Jay P. (2010). Paternalistic Rhetoric and the American People. In Michelle Smith & Barbara Warnick(Eds). The Responsibilities of Rhetoric Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press.

Childers, Jay P. (2009). Going All In on the Global Market: The Rhetorical Performance of Neoliberal Capitalism on ESPN’s World Series of Poker. In Barry Brummett (Ed.) Cultural Rhetorics of Performance in Sports and Games.

Childers, Jay P. (2008). Deliberating Rhetoric: Review Essay. Quarterly Journal of Speech, 94(4). Hart, Roderick P., & Childers, Jay P. (2005). The Evolution of Candidate Bush. American Behavioral Scientist 48, no. 3: 1-18.

Hart, Rodderick P., & Childers, Jay P. (2004). “Verbal Certainty in American Politics: An Overview and Extension.” Presidential Studies Quarterly 34, no 3: 516-535.

Minor Publications

Childers, Jay P. (forthcoming). Homeless Advocacy and the Rhetorical Construction of the Civic Home. By Melanie Loehwing. Rhetoric & Public Affairs.

Childers, Jay P. (2014). Rhetorical Citizenship and Public Deliberation, eds. Christian Kock and Lisa S. Villadsen. Quarterly Journal of Speech 100(4): 495-498.

Childers, Jay P. (2014). “Teenage Citizens: The Political Theories of the Young, Constance A. Flanagan.” Contemporary Sociology 44: 59-61.

Childers, Jay P. (2008). “Rhetoric and Media Studies.” In The International Encyclopedia of Communication, edited by Wolfgang Donsbach, 4272-4276. Malden, MA: Blackwell, 2008. Invited.

Childers, Jay P. and Jaime Doyle. (2007). “Understanding the Power of Language.” In Fundamentals of Communication edited by Anna Young and John Daly, 195-218. Boston, MA: Pearson.

Invited Presentations

Childers, Jay P. Constructing the Politics of the Absurd. Invited response at The Conceit of Context: 2016 Public Address Conference, Syracuse University, September 2016.

Childers, Jay P. The Violence of Rhetoric and the Rhetoric of Violence: The Call for Civility following the 2011 Tucson Shooting. Plenary Speaker at the Civic Dialogue and Leadership Conference at Texas A&M University, April 2014.

Childers, Jay P. Reshaping Democratic Norms following the 1946 Quadruple Lynching in Georgia. Seminar on Situated Discourses of Citizenship at the National Communication Association, Washington, D.C., November 2013.

Childers, Jay P. The Evolution of Youth Citizenship.    Presented in Soo-Hye Han’s graduate seminar, Kansas State University, May 1, 2012.

Childers, Jay P. The Rhetorics of Occupy Wall Street. Special Panel at Central States Communication Association, Cleveland, OH, March 2012.

Childers, Jay P. Agonistic Democracy and the Realities of Rhetoric. Spotlight panel at the Rhetoric Society of America Biannual Conference, Minneapolis, MN, May 2010.

Convention Presentations  

Childers, Jay P. The Rhetorical Possibilities and Limitations of Violence. Paper to be presented at the Rhetoric Society of America Biennial Conference, Portland, OR, May 2020.

Childers, Jay P. The Middle Path of Agonism: Democracy, Rhetoric, and Violence. Paper to be presented at the Rhetoric Society of America Biennial Conference, Portland, OR, May 2020.

Childers, Jay P. The History of Race and the Rhetorical Tradition. Panel participant at the Southern States Communication Association Annual Convention, Nashville, TN, April 2018.

Childers, Jay P. The Rhetoric of Violence: Facing Trauma through the Act of Witnessing. Paper presented at the Southern Colloquium on Rhetoric, Fayetteville, AR, October 2017.

Childers, Jay P. Arguing Against Partisanship: Towards a Conceptualization of Hermeneutical Networks. Paper presented at the ALTA Argumentation Conference, Snowbird, UT, July 2017.

Childers, Jay P. The Rhetoric of Violence. Paper presented at the Rhetoric Society of America Biennial Conference, Atlanta, GA, May 2016.

Childers, Jay P. The Troubling Legacy of Osawatomie John Brown: A Reception History of Violence. Paper presented at the Rhetoric Society of America Biennial Conference, Atlanta, GA, May 2016.

Childers, Jay P. Political Rhetoric and Violence: Agonistic Hermeneutics and the Topos of Non- Intentionality. Paper presented at the National Communication Association Convention, Las Vegas, NV, November 2015.

Childers, Jay P. Witnessing as Public Modality. Paper presented at the Rhetoric Society of America Biennial Conference, San Antonio, TX, May 2014.

Childers, Jay P. The Rhetoric of Security and Surveillance Following the 1920 Wall Street Bombing. Paper presented at the Rhetoric Society of America Biennial Conference, San Antonio, TX, May 2014.

Childers, J.P. & Young, A. M. The Political Bystander Effect and Its Antidote: Some Thoughts on the Public Modality of Witnessing. Paper presented at the National Communication Association, Washington D.C., November 2013.

Childers, J.P. Lines in the Sand: The Taxpayer Protection Pledge and Congressional Civility. Paper presented at the Central States Communication Association, Kansas City, MO, April 2013.

Childers, J.P. The Rhetoric of America’s Democratic Values in University Commencement Addresses, 1935-2012. Paper presented at DICTION Conference, Austin, TX, February 2013.

Childers, J.P. Unfit for Democracy: Theodore Roosevelt’s Right Sort of Immigrant. Paper presented at the National Communication Association, Orlando, FL, November 2012.

Childers, J.P. Defining Democracy Following Domestic Crisis: McKinley’s Assassination and the Productive, Sober-Minded Citizen. Paper to be presented at the Rhetoric Society of America Biannual Conference, Philadelphia, PA, May 2012.

Childers, J.P. Gustave Le Bon and Early Twentieth Century Rhetoric.    Paper to be presented at the American Society for the History of Rhetoric Conference, Philadelphia, PA, May 2012.

Childers, J.P. Inciting Violence trough Rhetoric in the Weak-Minded Foreigners: The Narrative Explanation of Leon Czolgosz’s Assassination of President William McKinley. Paper presented at the Symbolic Violence Conference, Bryan, TX, March 2012.

Childers, J.P., and Meserko, V. Teaching Defensive Citizenship: Glenn Beck’s Paranoia and Pedagogical Style. Paper presented at the National Communication Association Annual Conference, New Orleans, LA, November 2011.

Hart, R. P., and Childers, J.P. George W. Bush Wasn’t so Bad: An Empirical Study. Paper presented at the National Communication Association Annual Conference, San Francisco, CA, November 2010.

Childers, J.P. ‘By All Means, Let Us Argue,’ John McCain and the Problem of Agonistic Democracy. Paper presented at the Rhetoric Society of America Biannual Conference, Minneapolis, MN, May 2010.

Childers, J. P A Lighthouse at the Crossroads: Barack Obama’s Agonistic Rhetoric at Notre Dame.     Paper to be presented at the Obama Phenomenon Conference, Texas A&M University, March 2010.

Childers, J. P. Democratic Imaginaries: A Brief Theoretical Justification.     Paper presented in the Rhetorical and Communication Theory Division, NCA, Chicago, 2009.

Childers, J. P. Talk about Talk: Calls for Conversation in the 2008 Presidential Election. Paper presented in the Political Communication Division, CSCA, St. Louis, MO, 2009.

Hart, R. P., and Childers, J. P. The Misunderstood Presidency of George W. Bush: A Stylistic Analysis. Paper presented at the International Society for Political Psychology, Paris, France, 2008.

Childers, J.P. Paternalistic Rhetoric and the American People.    Paper presented at the Rhetoric Society of America Conference, Seattle, WA, 2008.

Childers, J.P. Paternal Rhetoric: George W. Bush’s Political Style. Paper presented in the Rhetorical and Communication Theory Division, NCA, Chicago, 2007.

Childers, J.P. Citizens at the Kid’s Table: George W. Bush’s Paternal Rhetoric of Exclusion. Paper presented in the Public Address Division, NCA, Chicago, 2007.

*Childers, J.P. A New Generation of Removed Volunteers: The Changing Civic Identity of Adolescents in the United States. *Top Paper presented in the Political Communication Division, CSCA, Minneapolis, MN,2007.

Childers, J.P. Paternal Rhetoric versus Communal Discourse: The Rhetorical Framing of War on Terror in the2006 General Election.           Paper presented in Political Communication Division, CSCA, Minneapolis, MN, 2007.

Childers, J.P. Civic Identity: Understanding Today’s Citizenship Through Rhetorical Praxis. Paper presented at the Rhetoric Society Association Conference, Memphis, TN, 2006.

Childers, J.P. Civic Identity: A Research Construct for Reassessing Community Involvement and Political Engagement.       Paper presented in the Political Communication Division, NCA, Boston, MA, 2005.

Childers, J.P. From Citizen to Consumer: A New Civic Identity for American Youth. Paper presented in the Applied Communication Division, NCA, Boston, MA, 2005.

Childers, J.P.    Creating a Society of Addicts: The Dangers of a Simulated Political Rhetoric.     Paper presented in the Rhetorical and Communication Studies Division, NCA, Boston, MA, 2005.

Hart, R.P., and Childers, J.P. George W. Bush and the Language of Command: A Daily Diary. Paper presented in the Political Communication Division, APSA, Washington, DC, 2005.

Childers, J.P.    Cosmopolitan Flaneurs: How Television is Creating a Democratic Void. Paper presented at the National Communication Association’s Doctoral Honors Conference, Norman, OK, 2005.

Childers, J.P.    The Strauss Institute for Civic Participation: A Research Trajectory for Political Communication Centers. Invited presentation in the Political Communication Interest Group, ECA, Pittsburgh, PA,2005.

*Childers, J.P.    Assessing the Democratic Void: The Effects of Cosmopolitanism and Communitariansim on the Political Participation of Young Adults.”            *Top Paper presented in the Political Communication Interest Group, CSCA, Kansas City, MO, 2005.

Childers, J.P.    Talking His Way to Power: A DICTION Analysis of George W. Bush’s First 1,000 Days. Paper Presented in the Political Communication Division, NCA, Chicago, IL, 2004.

*Sawyer, J.K., and Childers, J.P.    Bush Rhetoric on the International Stage: A Comparison of Style Between Global Leaders. *Top Paper presented in the Political Communication Division, NCA, Chicago, IL, 2004.

Childers, J.P.      Global Cosmopolitan, Local Flaneur: New Youth Political Attitudes. Poster Presentation at NCA, Chicago, IL, 2004.

Hart, R.P., and Childers, J.P.    The Evolution of Certainty in Presidential Discourse.     Paper presented at the Researching the Presidency Conference, College Station, TX, 2004.

Funded Research Experience  

National Focus Group Coordinator for the Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Participation’s Young Voter Initiatives II and III. Roderick P. Hart and Sharon E. Jarvis Co-Principal Investigators. Funding for the Evaluation of the Campaign for Young Voters, a project aimed at increasing the involvement of young people in the democratic process. The national campaign was sponsored by Council for Excellence in Government and funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts. $340,000.

Research Reports

Childers, J.P., & Hart, R.P. (2003). “Interviews about Toolkit Reaction.” Report Prepared for the Council for Excellence in Government.

Childers, J.P, & Hart, R.P. (2003) “Focus Group Study of Youth and Politics.” Report prepared for the Council for Excellence in Government.

Awards and Fellowships

General Research Fund Grant, $11,184, 2016 Sabbatical, Paid, Fall 2014
Outstanding Professor in Communication Studies, 2010

New Faculty Grant, University of Kansas, $8,000, Summer 2007 Top Paper, CSCA, Political Communication Division, 2007 National Communication Association, Doctoral Honors Conference, Summer 2005

Auer Award for Top Graduate Student Paper, CSCA, Political Communication Interest Group, 2005 Top Four Paper, National Communication Association, Political Communication Division, 2004

Jesse H. Jones Fellowship, $5,600, College of Communication, University of Texas at Austin, 2004-2005. University Tuition Fellowship, $5,300, Graduate School, University of Texas at Austin, 2005-2006 Teaching/Research Experience

Assistant/Associate Professor, Communication Studies, University of Kansas (2006-present)

Courses Taught: Communication and Violence (COMS 460); Rhetoric, Politics, and Mass Media (COMS335/POLS521); Modern Presidential Rhetoric (COMS 560); Rhetoric and Popular Culture (COMS 560);Presidential Rhetoric (COMS 930); Rhetoric, Politics, and Mass Media (COMS 930); Rhetoric and the Public Sphere (COMS 930); Rhetoric and Agency (COMS 930); Rhetoric, Democracy, and Citizenship (COMS930); Rhetoric and Hermeneutics (COMS 930)

Assistant Instructor, Communication Studies, University of Texas, Austin (2003-2006).

Courses Taught: Speechmaking & Society (CMS 317C); Language, Culture and Communication (CMS 314L);Professional Communication Skills (CMS 306M)

Research Assistant, Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Participation, University of Texas (2001-2003) Projects worked on: Campaign for Young Voters, Voices of Citizenship Symposium

Instructor, Department of English, University of West Georgia, Carrollton, GA (1999-2001).

Courses Taught: Introduction to Text-Based Writing (E 1101), Introduction to Literature (E 1102) Doctoral Students Directed

Steven Melling, University of Kansas, 2012 McKay Stangler, University of Kansas, 2015.

Vince Meserko, University of Kansas, 2016. Cassandra Bird, University of Kansas, 2017. Nick Labinski, University of Kansas, 2018. Allie Chase, University of Kansas, 2019.

Ian Beier, University of Kansas, In Progress, Dissertation. Sean Kennedy, University of Kansas, In Progress, Dissertation.

Amy Schumacher, University of Kansas, In Progress, Dissertation. Tyler Kimbrell, University of Kansas, In Progress, Program.

Talya Slaw, University of Kansas, In Progress, Program. Master’s Students Directed  

Tony Venturella, University of Kansas, 2009 Carl Walz, University of Kansas, 2009.

Vince Meserko, University of Kansas, 2010 Tyler Kimbrell, University of Kansas, 2014.

Amanda Turk Schapiro, University of Kansas, 2016. Talya Slaw, University of Kansas, 2019.

Alaina Walberg, University of Kansas, In Progress.

Service

For Department  

Advisory Committee, 2013-2016; 2017-present Basic Course Director Search, Chair, 2016 Interim Basic Course Director, 2015-2017 Advisory Committee, 2013-2016

Awards Committee, 2012-2017

Undergraduate Affairs Committee, 2008-present

Students in Communication Studies Faculty Advisor, 2008-2013 Organizational Communication Search Committee, 2008 Organizational Communication Search Committee, 2007

Library Resource Committee member, 2001-2003, Chair 2001-2002

For College and University  

University Committee on Sabbatical Leaves, 2016-2017

CLAS Committee on Graduate Studies, Special Development Committee, 2016-present University/Faculty Senate, 2013-2016

KU Core Curriculum Transition Committee, Spring 2012

Committee on Undergraduate Studies and Advising, 2010, 2011 to present Faculty Mentor, University of Kansas Football Team, 2006 to 2013

Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools Masters Thesis Judge, 2007, 2008 Students Advancing in Magazine Media Faculty Advisor, 2006-2008

For Discipline  

Editorial Board, Rhetoric & Public Affairs, 2020-present Editorial Board, Quarterly Journal of Speech, 2012-present Editorial Board, Communication Quarterly, 2008-2016

Editorial Board, Western Journal of Communication, 2012-2016 Editorial Board, Southern Communication Journal, 2014-2017

Executive Committee (Elected), Political Communication Division, National Communication Association, 2012-2016

Conference Paper Reviewer: National Communication Association, 2005-2009; Central States Communication Association, 2006-2009

Conference Panel Respondent: National Communication Association, 2008, 2009; Central States Communication Association, 2008, 2011

Nominating Committee (Elected), Political Communication Division, National Communication Association,2008-2009

Executive Committee (Elected), Political Communication Interest Group, Central States Communication Association, 2007-2010

Program Planner, Political Communication Interest Group, Central States Communication Association, 2008-2009

Secretary (Elected), Political Communication Interest Group, Central States Communication Association, 2005-2007

Membership  

National Communication Association, 2001 – present. Rhetoric Society of America, 2006 – present.

Central States Communication Association, 2004 – 2013.