Bonnie Jefferson, Ph.D.

Dr. Jefferson has a M.A from Ohio University and a Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh. Her areas are rhetorical studies, political communication and public address. Her primary research interest is the rhetoric of the Cold War, specifically American anti-communism, and the rhetorical forms used to teach anti-communist assumptions to a mass public. Dr. Jefferson has studied the anti-communist messages found in popular periodicals (such as The Readers Digest and the Hearst newspaper chain) political cartoons, as well as popular films of the Cold War era. Her most recent work has been an examination of anti-communist messages found in John Wayne films.

Dr. Jefferson teaches The Rhetorical Tradition, the first course in the communication major, Communication Criticism and a Great Speeches course.