Karen P Shea (she/her)
Professor College of Arts & Sciences English Providence
Biography and Expertise
Karen Shea has enjoyed teaching English at Johnson & Wales University for thirty years. After teaching English in Japan for four years, she joined the ESL faculty at JWU, teaching writing, grammar, and communication skills courses to international students. In September 2016, she joined the English department, where she teaches courses focusing on composition, communication and rhetorical theory.
In 2017, Shea graduated with a Ph.D. in Rhetoric & Composition from the University of Rhode Island, where she studied the histories, theories and practical applications of writing and rhetoric, ultimately focusing her dissertation research on multiculturalism and comparative rhetoric. She is particularly interested in conducting research related to open-mindedness, experiential education, writing in the disciplines, and high vs. low context communication styles.
Helping JWU students gain confidence in their communication skills by encouraging them to consider every act of writing or speaking as a distinctive rhetorical situation has been both rewarding and educational, and Shea is honored to have the opportunity to contribute to their postsecondary academic and personal growth.
Education
PhD
University of Rhode Island
MEd
Rhode Island College
BA
Connecticut College
Credly Badge: Blackboard Ultra Foundations
JWU Center for Teaching & Learning
Educational Effectiveness Envoy
Johnson & Wales University Center for Teaching & Learning
Generative Artificial Intelligence Digital Badge
JWU Center for Teaching & Learning
Instructional Design Technology Informational Series Certificate
JWU Center for Teaching & Learning
Mental Heath First Aid USA Certification
National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Experiential Learning Foundations Certificate
Institute for Experiential Learning
Neurodiversity Microlearning Series Digital Badge
JWU Center for Teaching & Learning
Academic Integrity Workshop Series Badge
JWU Office of Community Standards & Conduct
30-Year JWU Celebration of Service Award
JWU
JWU Game Changer
JWU
The Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education
Shea, K. & Renault, R.
The Interrupted Eclipse
Shea, K. & Manke, K.
Living Pragmatism: Alice Dewey’s Open-Minded Approach to Experiential Education and Cross-Cultural Immersion
Palgrave Macmillan
Shea, K.
John Dewey’s Letters from Asia: Implications for Redefining “Openness” in Rhetoric and Composition
REAL Certificate Program, Session 1: Advancing Your REAL Practice
Panel Presentation
JWU REAL Certificate Program
JWU Center for Teaching & Learning
Providence
RI
Overcoming Your Fear of Public Speaking
Oral Presentation
Portsmouth Public Library
Town of Portsmouth, RI
Portsmouth Public Library
Portsmouth
RI
Supporting Diverse Teaching Styles by Creating Multiple Master Course Shells
Roundtable Discussion
University Scholarship & Best Practices Expo
JWU Center for Teaching & Learning
Friedman Center, JWU Harborside Campus
Providence
RI
United States
Supporting Adjunct Faculty Through the Center for Teaching & Learning
Oral Presentation
POD 2024 Conference
Professional and Organizational Development in Higher Education (POD)
Hyatt Regency McCormick Place
Chicago
IL
United States
Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Conceptualizing “Rules” in Graphic Design and Writing
Oral Presentation
University Scholarship and Best Practices Expo
Johnson & Wales University
Friedman Center, JWU
Writing in the Disciplines: A Workshop for Creating Effective WID Assignments
Workshop at the Center for Teaching & Learning
JWU Center for Teaching & Learning
JWU Center for Teaching & Learning
Providence
RI
Engaging graphic design students in writing through collaborative learning
Oral Presentation
University Scholarship and Best Practices Expo
JWU
Freidman Center
Providence
RI
United States
Visual Essays: When Design Theory and Practice Meets Rhetoric and Composition
Poster
University Scholarship and Best Practices Expo
Johnson & Wales University
Friedman Center – Harborside Campus
Providence
RI
United States
Ethos, Logos, & Pathos: The Relevance of Rhetorical Appeals Across the Disciplines
Oral Presentation
Atlantic Center for Learning Communities (ACLC) Conference
ACLC
West Hartford
Living Pragmatism: Alice Dewey’s Open-Minded Approach to Experiential Education and Cross-Cultural Immersion
Poster
Faculty Showcase
JWU
JWU
Providence
RI
Cultivating Engagement Through Open-Mindedness, Hospitality, and Intercultural Dialogue in Basic Writing Classrooms
Oral Presentation
Conference on College Composition & Communication (CCCC)
CCCC
Portland
OR
Topic: Using Rhetorical Reading Strategies to Help Oral Communication and Writing Students Read Scholarly Articles
Oral Presentation
Northern New England Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (NNETESOL) Conference
NNETESOL
Gorham
ME
Not Only in Words: Multimodality and Prezi in Postsecondary ESL
Oral Presentation
MATSOL Conference (Massachusetts Association of Teachers to Speakers of Other Languages)
MATSOL
Framingham
MA
Reading Workshop: Pedagogies, Processes, Purposes, Practices
Half Day Workshop
Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC)
CCCC
Houston
TX
’I Never Did This in My Country’: Easing Post-Secondary ESL Writers out of Their Comfort Zones by Introducing Them to Rhetorical Reading and Prezi
Oral Presentation
Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC)
CCCC
Tampa
FL
Writing About Writing and Speaking About Speaking: ESL Topics Renewed
Oral Presentation
MATSOL Conference
Massachusetts Association of Teachers to Speakers of Other Languages (MATSOL)
Framingham
MA
United States
Interpretations and Interactions: Creating Opportunities for Critical Reflection on the Social Development of Language through Literacy Narratives and Literacy Event Analyses in the Democratic Writing Classroom
Oral Presentation
Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC)
CCCC
Indianapolis
IN
United States