Paige Hermansen

Biography

Professor Wyatt Paige Hermansen (they/them) joined the faculty at WSU in 2016. Specializing in rhetoric, writing studies, and composition pedagogy, Professor Hermansen teaches writing courses and courses developed for students in the English education track at WSU. Professor Hermansen’s research interests include the transition from high school to college writing, the rhetoric of education policy, and discourse analysis. They enjoy supervising undergraduate research projects, particularly projects that focus on ELA pedagogy. Professor Hermansen also serves as the Coordinator of the Composition Program.

As a proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community, Professor Hermansen is enthusiastic about mentoring LGBTQIA+ educators and promoting the inclusion of LGBTQIA+ issues in teaching practices. They also believe that ELA teachers should play a role in promoting racial justice and anti-racist pedagogy, fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for all students.

Professor Hermansen also teaches dual enrollment courses in the Westfield Promise program, an early college program that allows students at nearby high schools to earn college credit. They have taught composition courses at Westfield Technical Academy, Westfield High School, and Springfield High School of Commerce, and they have loved the opportunity to work with high school students as they develop college-level writing skills.

Education

  • B.A. in English, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX (2006)
  • M.A. in English Literature and Creative Writing, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA (2009)
  • Ph.D. in English and Rhetoric and Composition, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR (2016)

Courses Taught

  • ENGL 101: Composition 1

  • ENGL 201: Composition 2 – Rhetoric and Research

  • ENGL 206: Principles & Applications of Grammar

  • ENGL 303: Persuasive Communication

  • ENGL 383: Issues in the Teaching of Writing

  • ENGL 634: Special Topics in Rhetoric and Writing

Areas of Research

Composition pedagogy
Discourse analysis
Rhetorical criticism
History and theory of rhetoric
Queer theory
The rhetoric of education policy

Publications

Hermansen, P. “‘There Was No One Coming with Enough Power to Save Us”: Waiting for ‘Superman’ and the Rhetoric of the New Education Documentary.” Rhetoric & Public Affairs 17.3 (2014): 511-539.
Hermansen, P. “'It Is Essentially Her Own': Authenticating Discourse, Institutional Authority, and Narrative Agency in The History of Mary Prince." In Representations of Internarrative Identity, edited by Lori Way. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2014.

Professional Service

  • Member, Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC) Lavender Rhetorics Award for Excellence in Queer Scholarship Selection Committee.
  • Member, CCCC James Berlin Dissertation Award Selection Committee.
Headshot of Wyatt Hermansen, Associate Professor in the English Department