Christopher M. Duerringer

Christopher M. Duerringer, Ph.D.

Professor of Communication Studies
Area of expertise:  Rhetoric, Critical/Cultural Studies
Office: AS-363
Phone: (562) 985-1647

What are your Research interests?

I study political and economic rhetoric that circulates in the public sphere and in our mass media systems. I am especially interested in rhetoric that creates and maintains publics and counterpublics; rhetorical strategies used by powerful publics to silence dissent and enrich themselves; and rhetorical tactics that expand the identities, topoi, and modalities of appropriate public discourse. My work has been published in the Journal of Communication Inquiry, Communication Theory, Communication Monographs, the Journal of Family Communication, Social Media + Society, the Western Journal of Communication, Argumentation & Advocacy, the Southern Communication Journal, the Journal of Rhetoric and Health, the Journal of Contemporary Rhetoric, the Howard Journal of Communications, Communication Teacher, and Review of Communication.

What are your Teaching interests?

I love teaching about rhetoric, critical theory, and argument. My favorite classes to teach are always the ones that allow us to discuss the arguments, language, and ideology that circulates in popular culture and politics.

What courses have you taught?

During the course of my career, I have taught a number of courses:

  • Introduction to Communication Theory
  • Public Speaking
  • Small Group Communication
  • Business & Professional Communication
  • Critical Approaches to Popular Culture
  • Essentials of Argumentation
  • Argumentation & Debate
  • Persuasive Speaking
  • Rhetorical Theory
  • Rhetorical Criticism
  • Advanced Qualitative Methods
  • The Rhetoric of Social Movements & Dissent
  • Burkean Rhetorical Theory (special topics course)
  • Feminist Rhetorical Theory (special topics course)
  • Public Sphere Theory (special topics course)
  • Marxist Rhetorical Theory (undergrad special topics course & graduate independent study)

My favorite classes I teach at CSULB are the COMM300: Survey of Rhetorical Theory and COMM331: Argumentation & Debate.

How do you serve the department and the university and the community?

I serve as the director of argumentation research at the Center for First Amendment Studies. I advise our department’s graduate program, and serve on a number of different committees that help the department, college, and university. Finally, I review manuscripts for several Communication Studies conferences and publications.