CV
Education
August, 2012 (expected): PhD, Communication, Rhetoric & Digital Media | North Carolina State University | Raleigh, NC
- Dissertation: "Rhetoric, Memes, and the Serious Implications of Trivial Content." Committee: Carolyn Miller (chair), Jason Swarts, Ken Zagacki, Adriana de Souza e Silva
August, 2008: M.A., Rhetoric, Composition & Professional Communication | Iowa State University | Ames, IA | summa cum laude
- Thesis: "Composition 2.0: Rethinking Web Literacy for the 21st Century Classroom." Committee: Lee Honeycutt (chair), Barb Blakely, John Hagge
May, 2005: B.A., History/Political Science, English (minor) | Simpson College | Indianola, IA | magna cum laude
Academic Positions
2008-present:Graduate Instructor | English Dept., NC State University
2009-2011: Research Assistant | English Dept., NC State University
2007-2008: Graduate Instructor | English Dept., Iowa State University
2006-2007: Teaching Assistant | Speech Communications Dept., Iowa State University
Courses Taught
S '12 | Eng 317: Designing Web Communication
F '11 | Eng 101: Academic Writing and Research
F '10 | Eng 331: Communicating for Engineering and Technology (online)
S '10 | Eng 101: Academic Writing and Research
F '09 | Eng 216: Technologies for Texts
S '09 | Eng 101: Academic Writing and Research
F '08 | Eng 101: Academic Writing and Research
S '08 | Eng 250: Written, Oral, Visual and Electronic Composition
F '07 | Eng 150: Critical Thinking and Communication
Su '07 | SpCm 212: Fundamentals of Public Speaking
S '07 | SpCm 212: Fundamentals of Public Speaking
F '06 | SpCm 212: Fundamentals of Public Speaking
Publications
Morain, M. & J. Swarts. (2012). YouTutorial: A framework for assessing instructional online video. [Special issue]. Technical Communication Quarterly, 21(1).
Morain, M., Frith, J., Cummings, C. & D. M. Berube. (2011). Review Essay: Understanding Digital Media and Society. Journal of Communication, 61(3), E12-E14.
Frith, J., Morain, M., Cummings, C. & D. Berube. (2011). Reviews of the books: The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr and You Are Not a Gadget: A Manifesto by Jaron Lanier. Journal of Communication, 61(1), E9-E12.
Gaffney, D., Pearce, I., with M. Morain & A. Leavitt. (Sept. 2010). The data your data could smell like: Twitter analytics report. Web Ecology Project 140kit Field Reports.
Refereed Conference Presentations
Morain, M., (2012, March). From Greek to geek: Classic rhetoric for the modern web. South by Southwest Interactive. Austin, TX.
Morain, M. (2011, April). Internet culture and the rhetori---IMMA LET YOU FINISH!: What kairos can tell us about Internet memes and viral media. Presented at the Conference on College Composition and Communication. Atlanta, GA.
Morain, M. (2011, March). Know your genre: A case study of genre classification strategies within a discourse community of Internet meme culture. Poster session presented at the North Carolina State University Graduate Student Symposium
Morain, M. (2010, December). Ragin’ contagion: Viral media and the social amplification of risk. Presented at the annual conference of the Society for Risk Analysis. Salt Lake City, Utah.
Morain, M. (2010, May). i'm in ur head, shapin’ ur interwebz: Internet memes, user agency, and rhetorical transmission. Paper presented at the biannual conference of the Rhetoric Society of America. Minneapolis, MN.
Morain, M. (2010, March). Body movin': Turning students into websites. Presented at the annual Conference on College Composition and Communication. Louisville, KY.
Morain, M. (2010, February). i'm in ur head, shapin’ ur interwebz: Rhetorical transmission, Internet memes, and the problematic application of an a-rhetorical neologism. Paper presented at the annual conference of the Carolina Rhetoric Conference. Raleigh, NC.
Morain, M. (2009, March). Yellow lights ahead: Technological determinism and the composition classroom. Presented at the annual Conference on College Composition and Communication. San Francisco. CA.
Morain, M. (2009, February). Cleaving meaning from the ether: Virtual identity as cyberplace. Paper presented at the annual Southwest/Texas Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association. Albuquerque, NM.
Morain, M. (2009, January). Digital dispositio? Information architecture, arrangement, and argument on the WWW. Paper presented at the annual English Graduate Student Association (UNC-Charlotte). Charlotte, NC.
Morain, M. (2007, November). Authority 2.0: Wikipedia and information literacy in the FYC classroom. Paper presented at the annual Great Plains Alliance for Computers and Writing. Madison, SD.
Invited Presentations and Workshops
Morain, M. (2011, November). "Kairos and viral culture: How the rhetorical situation affects your zeitgeist." Invited lecture for COM 257 (Media History and Theory) for Dr. Adriana de Souza e Silva. NCSU
Morain, M. & Swarts, J. (2010, October). "More needles, less haystack: A framework for the assessment of instructional online video." Invited presentation for NCSU CHASS/SAS Lunch and Learn Seminar. Raleigh, NC.
Morain, M. (2010, September). "Corporate applications for social media." Invited presentation at the SAS Institute, Publications Division. Cary, NC.
Morain, M. (2010, March). "Social bookmarking in the classroom." Invited presentation for NCSU Campus Writing and Speaking Program. Raleigh, NC.
Morain, M. & Clark, L. (Co-hosts). (2010, February). "CRDM social media roundtable." Part of NCSU Communication Department’s annual Communication Week. Raleigh, NC.
Morain, M. (2009, November). "Making the move to Moodle." Invited workshop for NCSU English Dept. Raleigh, NC.
Morain, M. (2009, February). "Digital natives or digitally naive? Gauging technological literacy among FYC students." Invited workshop for NCSU English Dept. Raleigh, NC.
Relevant Professional Experience
2009-2011: Social Media Analyst | Center for Emerging Technologies, LLC | Raleigh, NC
2007-2008: Technical Writer | Murray5.net | Ames, IA
2007-2008: Speechwriter | Iowa State University Extension | Ames, IA
2006-2008: Writer & Editor | Freelance | Ames, IA
2005-2006: Outreach Coordinator | Office of Governor Thomas J. Vilsack | Des Moines, IA
Honors and Awards
2008: Aubrey E. Gaylon Award for Academic Excellence | ISU English Dept. | Ames, IA
2008: Richard R. Wright Award for Expository Writing | ISU English Dept. | Ames, IA
Professional Associations
2009-present: Rhetoric Society of America (RSA)
2007-present: National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)
Administrative and Volunteer Service
North Carolina State University
2008-present: Faculty Learning Community: New Approaches to the Curriculum | Member
2009-present: CRDM Blog Administrator
Iowa State University
2007-2008: GPACW ’08 Executive Board | Member
2006-2007: Graduate Studies Committee | Master’s Representative
2006: Engineering Leadership Program | Invited Panelist, “Advising and Influencing Public Policy”
Community
2008: Gilbert Academy Public Speaking Workshop, Glibert, IA | Guest Judge