Bonnie J. Williams-Farrier

Associate Professor/Writing Center Director

Biography

I earned my Ph.D. in rhetoric and composition from Michigan State University. My research focus is on critical studies in literacy and pedagogy. In addition to my scholarship and teaching, I have experience and training in Writing Program Administration.

Degrees

2013, Ph.D, Michigan State University

2008, M.A., The Ohio State University

2006, B.A, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Research Areas

My research centers on issues in composition studies including: theorizing African American literate and rhetorical traditions; understanding the intersections of gender & language in relationship to black female discursive practices; applying the perspectives from critical race studies and culturally relevant pedagogy to issues of teaching and learning; and highlighting new pedagogical approaches to literacy which underscore the importance of carving out space for the cultivation and support of students’ lived experiences and literacy traditions as essential aspects to empowering writing instruction.

Courses Regularly Taught

English/AFAM 410: Language and Power in African American Culture
English 402: Theories of Response in Composition and Tutor Supervision
English/LING 305: English Language in America
English 591: Methods of Research in Language, Learning, and Literacy

Publications

Collin, C., DeJoy, N., Williams, Lessner, S., & Williams, B. (Eds.). (2010) Reading and Writing Literacies, Pearson-Longman.

Jackson, A., & Williams, B. (2010) “Talkin’ ‘Bout A Revolution:” A Conversation With Dr. Geneva Smitherman on Language, Power, and Social Change. In Parks, S., & Kirklighter, C. (Eds.) Listening to Our Elders: Working and Writing for Change (pp. 87-121). Philadelphia, PA and Logan, UT: New City Community Press and Utah State University Press.

Williams, B. (2013) “Students’ ‘Write’ to Their Own Language: Teaching the African American Verbal Tradition as a Rhetorically Effective Writing Skill” Equity & Excellence in Education (Eds.) K.C. Turner & D. Ives, 46.3, pp. 411-429.

Williams, B. (2016) "Signifying, Narrativizing, and Repetition: Radical Approaches to Theorizing African American Language." Meridians. (Ed.) Karsonya Whitehead, 15.1, pp. 218-242.

Williams-Farrier, B. (2017) “Talkin' Bout Good & Bad” Pedagogies: Code-Switching vs. Comparative Rhetorical Approaches” College Composition and Communication (Ed.) Jonathan Alexander, 69.2, pp. 230-259.

Williams-Farrier, B. & Gibbs, T. (2017) “ #SIPPINGTEA: Two Black Female Literacy Scholars Sharing Counterstories to Redefine Our Roles in the Academy” Journal of Literacy Research (Ed.) Misty Sailors.

Office Hours

Fall 2024

To Be Announced

Contact Information