Dr. Lee M Pierce, PhD

Dr. Lee M Pierce (she/they) is assistant professor of rhetorical communication at the State University of New York (SUNY) Geneseo and an instructor for the Harvard Debate Council. Lee holds a PhD in Speech Communication from the University of Georgia.

As a researcher, Lee specializes in rhetoric, race, and U.S. political culture. Their research has appeared in the Quarterly Journal of Speech, Philosophy and Rhetoric, and Women's Studies in Communication, winning several awards from the National Communication Association. Lee is also a contributor for The Conversation and has been featured as an expert in ABC7 News, Hello Giggles, and Newsmax. Find Lee's TEDx Talks analyzing Beyoncé’s”Formation” and Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood” on YouTube.

Lee also hosts the RhetoricLee Speaking podcasts and the Channels in Language and Media & Communications for New Books Network.

Lee's first book titled Tense Times: Syntax and Surprise in U.S. Crisis Culture is forthcoming from the University of Alabama press.

Sub-specialities:
political rhetoric, political campaign rhetoric, protest speech, women's speech, Black speech, public controversy, debate and argumentation, interpersonal communication, relationship communication, film criticism, media criticism, rhetoric and popular culture