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University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Department of Communication Studies

Staff Pages

R. Lee Photo

Ronald Lee, Ph.D.

Professor of Communication Studies
Rhetorical Theory, Political Communication, and Critical Study
of Contemporary Public Discourse

437 Oldfather Hall
(402) 472-2255
rlee1@unl.edu

Education

Ph. D. @ University of Iowa, 1981
M. A. @ Wayne State University (Detroit), 1976
B. A. @ Wayne State University (Detroit), 1974
B.A. @ Illinois State University, 1973

Research Specialties

  • Contemporary political discourse
  • Rhetorical theory and criticism
  • Argumentation

Current Projects

  • The rhetorical negotiation of presidential legacies.
  • Myth, memory, and political ideology
  • Political discourse and religious ritual
  • Michael McGee, the ideological turn, and rhetorical criticism

Recent Activities

  • Lee, R., & Click, K. (In press). Clinton, William Jefferson. Encyclopedia of Political Communication. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
  • Clasen, P. R. W., & Lee, R. (2006). Teaching in a sanitized world: An exploration of the suburban scene in public communication pedagogy. Communication Education, 55, 438-463.
  • Lee, R. (2005). Ideographic criticism. In James Kuypers, Art of Rhetorical Criticism. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
  • Lee, R., & Barton, M. H. (2004). September 11, 2001 and the rituals of religious pluralism. In R. E. Denton, Jr. (Ed.), Language, symbols, and the media: Communication in the aftermath of the World Trade Center attack., Somerset, NJ: Transaction.
  • Lee, R., & Barton, M. H. (2003). Clinton's rhetoric of contrition. In R. E. Denton & R. L. Holloway (Eds.), Images, scandal and communication strategies of the Clinton presidency(pp.219-246). Westport, CN: Praeger.
  • Lee,R. (2002). The force of religion in the public square. Journal of Communication and Religion, 25, 6-20.
  • Lee, R., & Patterson, R. (2002). The genealogy of social-conservative argumentation: Demonstrating the family resemblance among three influential discourses. In G. T. Goodnight (Ed.), Arguing communication and culture: Selected papers (Vol.2) (pp.247-495). Washington, DC: National Communication Association
  • Lee, R. (2001). Justifying Preparing Future Faculty programs. Liberal Education, 87(2), 46-51.
  • Lee, R. (2000). Images, virtues, and political structure: A framework for judging the ethics of campaign discourse. In R. Denton (Ed.), Political communication ethics: An oxymoron? (pp. 23-50), Westport, CT: Praeger.
  • Lee, R, & Lee, K.K. (2000). Argumentation and identity: a critique of the "culture" premise in the transracial adoption controversy. IN T.A. Hollihan (Ed.), Argument of century's end: Reflecting on the past and envisioning the future (pp. 133-142). Annandale, VA: National Communication Association.
  • Lee, R., & Seiler, W. (1999). Protecting communication departments: Reflecting on the Nebraska experience. Journal of the Association of Communication Administration, 28, 137-144.
  • Lee, R., & Lee, K.K. (1998). Multicultural education in the little red schoolhouse: A rhetorical exploration of ideological justification and mythic repair. Communication Studies, 49, 1-17.
  • Heinz, B., & Lee, R. (1998). Getting down to the meat: Associational clusters and symbolic alignments in the discourse of animal consumption. Communication Studies, 49, 86-99.
  • Lee, R., & Lee, K.K. (1998) Myths of blood, property, and maternity: Exploring the public argumentation of anti-adoption advocates. In J. F. Klumpp (Ed.), Argument in a time of change: Definitions, frameworks, and critiques (pp. 256-261). Annandale, VA: National Communication Association.
  • Lee, R. (1997). Governing without passion: Willard's call for a rhetoric of competence, Argumentation and Advocacy, 33, 135-146.
  • Patterson, R., & Lee, R. (1997). The environmental rhetoric of "balance": A case study of regulatory discourse and the colonization of the public. Technical Communication Quarterly, 6, 25-40.
  • Lee, R., & Spano, S.J. (1996). Technical discourse in defense of public virtue: Ronald Reagan's explanation of the Iran/Contra affair. Political Communication, 13, 115-129.

Service/Administrative Activities

  • Director, Preparing Future Faculty Program, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
  • Member, Academic Planning Committee, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
  • Member, Research Council, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
  • Fellow and Board Member, Humanities Center, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
  • Member, American Forensic Association Research Committee

Classes Taught at UNL