Academic Appointments
Assistant Professor of English/Writing Studies, Department of English, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Fall 2014 – Spring 2018.
Affiliate Faculty, Women’s & Gender Studies Program, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Fall 2014 – Spring 2018.
Affiliate Faculty, Digital Humanities Center, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Spring 2016 – Spring 2018.
Education
Ph.D., English with Rhetoric and Composition concentration, Georgia State University. Dissertation Title: “Comic Convergence: Toward a Prismatic Rhetoric for Composition Studies.” Committee: Mary Hocks (chair), Michael Harker, George Pullman, and Greg Smith. July 2014.
M.A., Women’s Studies, Georgia State University, Thesis Title: “I Blog Therefore I Am: Identity, Text, and Context in Self-Expressive Media,” August 2005.
B.A., English and Psychology, Lakeland College, Honors English Thesis Title: “The Voices of Jane Eyre and Wide Sargasso Sea: A Literary and Psychological Exploration of Development.” Honors Psychology Thesis Title: “Dysphoria, Self-Esteem, Social Support, and Self- Construal: Implications for College Adjustment,” summa cum laude, December 2002.
Research Interests
Visual Culture/Rhetoric, Intersectional Feminist Theory, Comics Studies, Writing Studies, Digital Writing, Critical Pedagogy, and Digital Archival Method/ologies
Publications
Articles
Siegel Finer, Bryna; Emily Wendel; Oriana Gatta; and Daniel J. Weinstein. “The Threshold Concept Map: Plotting the Liminal Space of Students’ Struggle to Learn to Write in College.” Currents (Aug 2019): 79-95.
Siegel Finer, Bryna; Lynn Buncher Shelly, Oriana Gatta, Maha Alawdat, and Rachel Warmington. “Lo-tech Tools as Episteme: Rethinking Student Engagement in the Writing Process and Beyond.” Journal of Pedagogic Development. 6.1 (Winter 2016) 54-60.
Gatta, Oriana. “From Analysis to (Re)Composition: A Prismatic Pedagogy.” Works and Days. Special Issue on Comic Books, Graphic Novels, Education and Culture. Spring 2015.
Gatta, Oriana. “Connecting Logics: Data Analysis and Keyword Visualization as Archival Method/ologies.” Peitho Journal. 17.1 (Winter 2014): 89-103.
Gatta, Oriana. “Course Design for English 3135: Visual Rhetoric.” Composition Studies. 41.2 (2013): 78-97. Print.
Book Reviews
Gatta, Oriana. “Review of Teaching Comics and Graphic Narratives: Essays on Theory, Strategy and Practice.” ImageTexT 7.3 (2014): n. pag. Department of English, University of Florida. 31 October 2014. Web.
Other Publications
SHOCK of the FEMME. 2018. Sherrie Caudill, Ed. 2019.
“Pink is My New F*ck You.” Digital Print.
“The Girl Is So Dangerous.” Digital Print.
“Louhi.” Digital Print.
“Atwood’s Iris.” Digital Print.
Gatta, Oriana. “Resurfacing.” Sequentials, vol. 1, no. 1, 2017.
Gatta, Oriana. “WinGS.” IUP Women’s and Gender Studies. Sticker Design.
Gatta, Oriana. “Second Story.” Red Flag Poetry. Digital Print. February 1, 2017.
Gatta, Oriana. “IUP English Internship Opportunities” WordPress Edublog. Department of English. Indiana University of Pennsylvana. Fall 2016 – 2018.
Gatta, Oriana. “Feminisms 101.” Pamphlet. Women’s and Gender Studies Program. Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Summer 2016. Print.
Gatta, Oriana. “Publication as Critical Reflection.” Anecdote. Scholarly Publication in a Changing Landscape: Models for Success. Eds. Lyneé Lewis Gaillet and Letizia Guglielmo. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2014. Print.
Gatta, Oriana. Digital Media Program Archive. 2013.
Web Design for Diana Yildiz’ Review of No Caption Needed: Iconic Photographs, Public Culture, and Liberal Democracy, by Robert Hariman and John Louis Lucantes. Kairos: A Journal of Rhetoric, Technology, and Pedagogy. 15.1.
Web Design for Journal of Middle East Media. 2009.
Conference Presentations
International
“Lessons (yet to be) Learned: A Comparative Analysis of 200 Undergraduate Digital Media Programs.” HASTAC 2013. The Storm of Progress: New Horizons, New Narratives, New Codes. York University, Toronto, Canada. April 25-28, 2013. 26 April 2013.
National
“Feminist Historiographic Research Method/ologies: A History in Peitho.” 2017 Feminisms & Rhetorics Conference. University of Dayton. Dayton, Ohio. October 2017. Abstract Submitted.
“Give Me Liberty’s Conflicting Histories.” Popular Culture Association National Conference. San Diego, CA. 12 April 2017.
“(Un)McClouded Conflict: Comics and/as Critical Pedagogy.” Conference on College Composition and Communication. Portland, OR. 16 March 2017.
Gatta, Oriana. “Epic Reinterpretation in the Life and Times of Martha Washington in the 21st Century.” Comics and/as Rhetoric: (Anti)Static Narratives. 2017 Pennsylvania College English Association Conference. Indiana, PA. 10 March 2017.
“Adaptation as Archive/Archive as Adaptation: The Graphic Canon’s (Re)Visionist Histories.” 2017 EGO/PCM (English Graduate Organization/Popular Culture Methodologies) Conference. Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Indiana, Pennsylvania. 28 Feb. 2017. Abstract Accepted.
“Sea Inside Her: Intertextuality as Rhetorical Invention Strategy for Transmedia Adaptation.” Popular Culture Association Conference. Seattle, WA. April 2016.
“Choosing and Sharing Adventures: Knowledge Making with/in a Digital Archive of Suffrage Cartoons.” With Shirley K. Rose and Jacqueline McLeond Rogers. Feminisms and Rhetorics Bi-annual Conference. Tempe, AZ. October 2015.
“Adaptation, Intertextuality, Invention, and Ursula: Writing Oceanic, A Memoir.” Popular Culture Association-American Culture Association Conference 2015. New Orleans, LA. April 2015.
“Open to Question: The Digital Media Program Archive and What’s (Not) Being Said about Pedagogy.” Conference on College Composition and Communication. Indianapolis, IN. March 2014.
“(Un)McClouded Visions: A Feminist Approach to Understanding Comics in the Composition Classroom.” Feminisms and Rhetorics Conference. Stanford University. 27 September 2013.
“Digital Comic Composition: Beyond Comic Life.” Computers & Writing 2013. Frostburg State University. Frostburg, MA. 8 June 2013.
“(Un)Conventional Narratives: Visual Rhetorical Pedagogy and The Unwritten.” Popular Culture and American Popular Cultural Associations Conference. Washington, D.C. 30 March 2013.
“Frame by Frame: A Keyword Exploration of Composition Studies’ Inter/Disciplinarity.” Conference on College Composition and Communication. Las Vegas, NV. 15 March 2013.
“Visualizing Critical Pedagogy: Comic Convergence in the Composition Classroom.” Conference on College Composition and Communication. St. Louis, MO. 22 March. 2012.
“Epic Reinterpretation in The Life and Times of Martha Washington.” Popular Culture and American Popular Culture Associations Conference. Boston, MA. 11 April 2012.
“Taking Another Look: Toward a Theory and Practice of Feminist Visual Rhetoric.” Feminisms and Rhetorics Conference. Mankato, MN. 13 October 2011.
“(Little) Five Points: Navigating the Boundaries of Graduate Student Administrative Experience” 2011 IWCA@CCCC Collaborative, Atlanta, GA. With: Dr. Burmester, Andrew Davis, Jennifer Forsthoefel, Juliette Kitchens, and Alice Myatt. Workshop. 6 April 2011.
“Forging International Communities as Assistant Director-Communications of the Center for International Media Education.” 2011 Writing Program Administrators Conference. Baton Rouge, LA. 15 July 2011.
“Metaphor, Technology, and Reality: Differential Consciousness as a Productive Cyberfeminist Metaphor.” Computers and Writing Conference. St. Louis, MO. 21 May 2010.
“Remixing Myth and Legend as Rhetorical Power: A Cultural Studies Approach to Teaching Composition.” College Composition and Communication Conference. Louisville, KY. 18 March 2010.
“Lowering the Drawbridge: Connecting Teacher and Tutor in Picture and Words.” 2009 IWCA@CCCC Collaborative, San Francisco, CA. With: Dr. Elizabeth Burmester and Jennifer Foershthoefel. Workshop. 17 March 2009.
“Burning Down the House: Spatial Reinterpretation in Deepa Mehta’s Fire.” National Women’s Studies Association Conference, Milwaukee, WI. 18 June 2004.
“The Journal Writing Culture: Feminist Practice and Gendered Self-Exploration.” Women and Creativity VI Conference, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI. March 2004.
“The Voices of Jane Eyre and Wide Sargasso Sea.” Women and Creativity V Conference, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI. March 2003.
Regional
“Pedagogies of Multiliteracies: Using 21st Century Literacies and Multimodal Composition to Teach Writing and Critical Thinking.” 2013 South Atlantic Modern Language Association Confererence. With Mary Hocks, George Pullman, Pete Rorabaugh, and Lauri Goodling. 8 November 2013.
“Sex, Blood, and Girl Power: Junko Mizuno’s ‘New’ Take on Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, and the Princess Mermaid.” 31st Annual Southwest Texas Popular and American Culture Association Conference. San Antonio, TX. 20 April 2011.
“Historical Development of Improvisation in Writing Center Pedagogy and Practice.” SWCA: The Southeastern
Writing Center Association Conference, University of Alabama-Tuscaloosa. With: Andrew Davis, Sarah Dyne, Jennifer Forsthoefel, Tristan Towne, and Ashley Whelan. Panel Presentation. 18 February 2011.
“Reading Lessons: Give Me Liberty as a Primer for Differential Consciousness.” South Atlantic Modern Language Association Conference. Atlanta, GA. Paper Presentation. 7 November 2009.
“Writing Center Pedagogy in the Classroom: Secondary and Post-Secondary Perspectives on Student Success.” SWCA: The Southeastern Writing Center Association Conference, North Carolina A&T University, Greensboro, NC. With: Nic Alarcon, Andrew Davis, and Jennifer Foershthoefel. Panel Presentation. 27 February 2009.
“The Structure of Possibility: An Analysis of LiveJournal’s Visual Rhetoric.” Merging Word and Image: Hybridity and Reimaging (New) Literacy through Media. The 15th Annual Mardi Gras Conference, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA. Paper Presentation. February 2005.
“Dysphoria, Self-Esteem, Social Support, and Self-Construal: Implications for College Adjustment.” Midwestern Psychological Association Conference, Chicago, IL. Poster Presentation. 9 May 2003.
Local
“Who’s Laughing Now? Humor and Improvisation in Writing Center Practice.” Graduate English Association Conference, New Voices 2010: Always Look on the Bright Side of Life, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA. With Dr. Beth Burmester, Andrew Davis, Jennifer Forsthoefel, Tristan Towne, and Ashliegh Whelan. Panel Presentation. 8 October 2010.
“Transitioning National Boundaries: Studies and Degrees Abroad.” Graduate English Association Conference, New Voices 2008: Transitioning (through)Traditions, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA. With: Damian Schlarb (chair), Bastian Balthasar Becker, Patricia Coloma, Estefania Olid Pena, Michael Ogletree, and Flavia Zah. Roundtable. 26 September 2008.
“Lessons and Evaluations for Enhancing Speaking Ability in English.” Mie Prefecture JET Program Assistant Language Teacher Mid-Year Seminar, Tsu City, Japan. Panel Presentation. January 2008.
Teaching
Assistant Professor, English Department, Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
- ENGL 493 (Internship) – Fall 2016, Spring 2017
- ENGL 420 (Writer’s Studio) – Fall 2015, Fall 2016
- ENGL 360 (Editing and Publishing) – Spring 2015, Spring 2016
- ENGL 220 (Advanced Composition I) – Fall 2014, Spring 2015, Spring 2016
- ENGL 202 (Composition II) – Spring 2015, Spring 2016
- ENGL 122 (Introduction to English Studies) – Spring 2017
- ENGL 101 (Composition I) – Fall 2014, Fall 2015, Fall 2016
Affiliate Faculty, Women’s & Gender Studies, Indiana University of Pennsylvania
- WMST 200 (Introduction to Women’s Studies) – Spring 2018; Fall 2015
Mentor, Composition & TESOL Mentoring Program, English Department, Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Spring 2016; Fall 2016, Spring 2017.
Mentor, Literature & Criticism Mentoring Program, English Department, Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Spring 2016.
Graduate Teaching Assistant, English Department, Georgia State University.
- English 3135 (Visual Rhetoric) – Fall 2012.
- English 3130 (Business Writing) – Spring 2014.
- English 1102 (Freshman Composition II) – Fall 2014, 2013 and 2008, Spring 2011 and 2010.
- English 1101 (Freshman Composition I) – Fall 2010; Spring, Summer, Fall 2009.
- Regents Writing 099 (Standardized Writing Test Preparation) – Spring 2010.
Graduate Learning Assistant, The Writing Studio, Georgia State University, January – August 2004, August 2008 –May 2011.
Guest Lecturer
- “Multimodal Presentations,” in Dr. Mary Hocks’ ENGL 3115 Document Design, Georgia State University. 22 October 2013.
- “Writing Program Administration: A Brief Introduction,” in Dr. Lyneé Gaillet’s ENGL 8195 Composition Pedagogy, Georgia State University. 26 September 2012.
- “Comic Convergence: Martha Washington, Rhetoric, and Interdisciplinarity,” in Dr. Mary Hocks’ ENGL 8900 Special Topics in Visual Rhetorics, Georgia State University. 13 March 2012.
- with Dr. Beth Burmester, Andrew Davis, and Jennifer Forsthoefel, “Introduction to Graduate-level Writing,” in EPY 7975: Seminar for Educational Psychology Graduate Assistants, Georgia State University. 8 and 12 November 2010.
- “Visual Rhetoric in a Composition Classroom: A Course Model,” in Dr. Mary Hocks’ ENGL 8900 Special Topics in Visual Rhetorics, Georgia State University. 17 May 2010.
- with Diana Sullivan, “Writing a Rhetorical Précis and Constructing a Critical Literature Review,” in Dr. Amy R. Lederberg’s EPY 8010 Professional Studies of Educational Psychology course, Georgia State University. 5 October 2009.
Foreign Language Teacher, Tsu Board of Education, Tsu City, Japan, July 2006 – July 2008.
Writing Lab Tutor, Shorter College – Riverdale Campus, September 2004 – June 2005.
Teaching Assistant, PC 381 Counseling Methods and Ethics, Lakeland College, May 2002.
Administration
Internship Coordinator, Department of English, Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Fall 2015 – Present.
Associate Director, The Writing Studio, Georgia State University, Fall 2010 – Spring 2011.
Assistant Director of Communications, Center for International Media Education (CIME), Georgia State University, Fall 2009 – Summer 2011.
Graduate Teaching Assistant Mentor, Department of English, Georgia State University, Fall 2012 – Spring 2013.
Co-organizer, with Melanie McDougald, 2CI New & Emerging Media Monthly Colloquium Series. Fall 2011 – Spring 2012.
Web content developer, with Lindsay Byron, 2CI New & Emerging Media website, Fall 2011 – Spring 2012.
Webmaster, Journal of Middle East Media, CIME and Arab-U.S. Association of Communication Educators (AUSACE), Fall 2009 – Summer 2011.
Webmaster, AUSACE, Fall 2009 – Summer 2011.
Graduate Research Assistant, Women’s Studies, Georgia State University, August 2003 – August 2005.
Editor-in-chief, Lakeland College Mirror, 2001 – 2002.
Co-editor, Farrago Literary Magazine, Lakeland College, 1999 – 2002.
President, Global Student Association, Lakeland College, 2001.
Editor, Arts & Entertainment Section, Lakeland College Mirror, 2000 – 2001.
Secretary, Mortar Board National Honors Society Gold Key Chapter, Lakeland College, 2001 – 2002.
Grants
“Writing Track Speaker Series: Erica Wright.” College of Humanities and Social Sciences Special Project Funding. Indiana University of Pennsylvania. March 2016. $1,000.
Service
Department
Member, English Leadership Counsel, Spring 2017 – Spring 2018.
Member, English Department Recruitment Committee, Fall 2016 – Spring 2018.
Member, BACPC Committee, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Fall 2015 – Spring 2018.
Member, LSE Committee, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Spring 2015 – Spring 2018.
Member, LSE Reflective Practice Teaching Circle, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Fall 2014 – Spring 2018.
Presenter, “Group Projects in English 101/LSE Courses.” With Nicholas Katsiadas. 2017-18 LSE Orientation. 24 Aug. 2017.
Invited Speaker, Coffee with EGO: Faculty Speaker Series, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, 15 Feb. 2017.
Workshop Leader, “Feature Writing,” IUP Sigma Tau Delta Workshop Series. 29 April 2015.
Guest Speaker, with Carolyn Wisniewski, Melanie Holm, and Usree Bhattacharya, “Preparing for the Job Market.” IUP English Department Colloquium Series. 3 March 2015.
Guest Speaker, “Transitioning from Graduate Student to New Faculty,” in Dr. Tanya Heflin’s English 753/853: Literature as a Profession, Indiana University of Pennsylvania. 18 November 2014.
University
Member, Women’s & Gender Studies Steering Committee, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Fall 2016 – Spring 2018.
Co-Facilitator, Service Learning Reflective Practice Teaching Circle, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Fall 2014 – Spring 2016.
Panelist, B.L.E.N.D. Session: “Want to be a 21st Century Teacher-Scholar?” with Tony DiMauro and Melissa Calderon. 18 Apr. 2017. Stabley 201.
Attendee, 2-Day Type I Writing Professor Workshop. Indiana University of Pennsylvania. 10 & 11 May 2016
Attendee, 1-Day Writing Retreat Reflective Practice Teaching Circle, Indiana University of Pennsylvania. 5 March 2016.
Attendee, Reflective Practice Workshop: Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. 19 September 2015. 8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Attendee, Writing Retreat Reflective Practice Teaching Circle, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, 22 November 2014, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
On-Campus Curriculum Committee, Student Representative, Lakeland College, 2001 – 2002.
Undergraduate Excellence in Teaching Underkofler Award Selection Committee, Student Representative, Lakeland College, 2001-2002.
Faculty Search Committee, Graduate Student Representative, Women’s Studies Institute, Georgia State University, 2005.
Field
Editorial Board Member, Sequentials. University of Florida. Sprint 2019 – Present.
Visual Scholarship Reviewer, Sequentials. University of Florida. Fall 2017 – Present.
President, Pennsylvania College English Association. Spring 2017 – Spring 2018.
Conference Organizer, Pennsylvania College English Association Conference. Indiana University of Pennsylvania. March 10 & 11, 2017.
Manuscript Reviewer, Composition Forum, Fall 2014.
Conference Organizer, Southern Writing Center Association’s State Conference in Georgia, Agnes Scott College, February 12 – 13, 2010.
Technical Support, Graduate English Association Conference, New Voices: Transitioning (through) Traditions, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA. September 2008.
Community
Panel Moderator, “Don’t Tread on Us: Women’s Reproductive Rights, Health Care, and Education.” With Dr. Cybil Peoples-Moore and Terra Setzler. Hosted by the Indiana County Federation of Democratic Women. 11 Oct. 2017. 6:30-9:00 p.m.
Activity Facilitator, Pangaea NPO, a program incorporating educational software for the purpose of creating communication among children living in Japan, Korea, Kenya, and Austria, http://www.pangaean.org, Tsu City, Japan. October 2006 – July 2008.
Scholarships and Awards
New and Emerging Media Fellowship, The College of Arts and Sciences, Georgia State University, 2011-2012 and 2012-2013. Accepted.
Advanced Teaching Fellowship, Lower Division Studies, Department of English, Georgia State University, 2011-2012. Offered. 2013-2014. Accepted.
Teaching Award, Most Effective Feedback on Student Writing, Lower Division Studies, Department of English, Georgia State University, 2010.
Volunteer of the Year, Pangaea NPO, 2008.
Valedictory Scholarship, Lakeland College, 1998 – 2002.
Mortar Board National Honors Society Gold Key Chapter Member, Lakeland College, 2001 – 2002.
English Department Outstanding Student Award, Lakeland College, 2002.
Psychology Department Outstanding Student Award, Lakeland College, 2002.
Mari Lee Minahan English Scholarship, Lakeland College, 2001 – 2002.
Outstanding Student in Student Publications, Lakeland College, 2001.
Awards conferred while editor-in-chief of the Lakeland College Mirror:
- Best of the Midwest Associated Press Student Publications Conference Award for Best Four-Year Non-Weekly Student Newspaper.
- Lakeland College Outstanding Student Organization.