Faculty Q & A with Bjorn Stillion Southard

August 05, 2009

Bjorn Stillion Southard, Instructor in Communication 

Education
Ph.D. 2009 (expected September), M.A. 2004 University of Maryland; B.A. 2002, cum laude, Willamette University

Dissertation
The Rhetorical Origins of the African Colonization Movement in America

Research and Teaching Interests
19th Century American Public Address, Argumentation, and Legal Rhetoric

What most excites you about joining the LC community?
I’m excited to work with motivated students in the classroom and on the forensics team.

What kinds of hobbies/special activies do you enjoy outside of work?
I enjoy running, playing/watching soccer.

What were your childhood goals/aspirations?
I wanted to argue cases in front of the Supreme Court. Now, one area of scholarship I pursue is rhetoric in Supreme Court cases and I coach speech and debate. Not too far off, I guess.

What are you listening to in your car right now?
NPR, Muse, Radiohead.

What was your favorite childhood story?
Where the Wild Things Are.