Heather Adams

Assistant Professor of English

University: University of North Carolina Greensboro

Description of Work:

I am a scholar who is, little by little, determining my connections to the RHM community. I am a feminist historiographer who examines discourses, practices, and cultural logics related to reproduction. My monograph project explores recent histories of unwed pregnancy in the United States in order to more fully theorize rhetorical shame as a private and public rhetorical phenomenon. A recent publication in Quarterly Journal of Speech reflects my interest in recent histories of oral contraceptives and my current work to develop a digital exhibition of birth control pill ads from the 1960s. The work that I am sharing at this year’s symposium relates to a current project; I am co-editing a collection on rhetorics of reproduction that engages with reproductive justice and rhetorical methodologies. I am also beginning to collaborate with a public health scholar at my institution on an advocacy-based project related to decision making options and stigma/shame related to perinatal substance use. My next (small) project might examine discourses of shame related to mask use/non-use. I am finding it helpful to think through shame and stigma in the contexts of health, medicine, and related policy and public practices—even if such instances do not relate to gender and/or reproduction.

In terms of pedagogy, I am currently teaching an undergraduate course on Rhetorics of Health, recently taught a graduate course on RHM, and am developing a lower-level course that might fulfill a new “health and wellness” competency as part of my university’s newly revised General Education program.

Socials:

@HeatherBAN