Kate Natishan

Assistant Professor, General Faculty

134 Bryan Hall

Degrees
Ph.D., Rhetoric and Writing, Virginia Tech, 2020
M.A., Medieval Literature, Virginia Tech, 2012
B.A., English, McDaniel College, 2009
 
Research and Teaching
I am a rhetorical scholar with specific interests in policymaking, cultural and institutional rhetorics, queer studies, rhetorics of gender and sexuality, and fan studies/popular culture. I am working on projects that examine the ways in which purity policy and censorship impact queer communities in online spaces, as well as the ways that our communities are defined internally and externally. Past research includes work that examines the history of gender-based regulations and sexual assault policies in the U.S. military and the impact high-profile scandals have had on the creation and implementation of new policies.
 
My teaching focuses on critical engagement with all aspects of community and culture through writing. I believe that providing opportunities and guidance for this kind of engagement helps students – and myself – develop cultural and political literacies that will help us become more deliberate in our actions as community members, content creators, citizens, and consumers.
 
 
 
Recent Presentations
Session Number: 944, “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and Questions of Adaptation and Authenticity: A Round Table Discussion.” International Medieval Congress. Leeds, England, United Kingdom. July 4, 2023.
 
“Disclosing Truth and Trauma: Parasocial Relationships, Entitlement, and The Magnus Archives.” Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association Conference. Virtual. June 2021.
 
“UnQueering the Internet Archive: Labeling and Censorship in Online Spaces” on the (In)hospitable Archives: Queerness and Visibility in Archival Traditions Panel. Rhetoric Society of America Conference: Rhetoric/Hospitality. Portland, Oregon. May 2020.
 
“April 30th 2019: Epideictic Outcry Against Title IX and Sexual Assault Policies at Virginia Tech.” Blue Ridge Corridors Conference. Rhetoric and Writing Studies: Dappled Discipline/Dappled Methods/Dappled Pedagogies. Blacksburg, Virginia. September 21, 2019.
 
“Regulated Bodies: Defining Gender in the U.S. Military.” Gender, Bodies, Technology Interdisciplinary Conference: TechnoLogics: Power and Resistance. Roanoke, Virginia. April 26, 2019.
 
“Renaissance Faires and Fairy Festivals: Rhetorics of Interactive Fantasy.” Glasgow International Fantasy Conference. Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom. March 29, 2017.