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Writing

is an exploration. You start from nothing and learn as you go.

E.L. Doctorow

Dr. Knopf studies rhetoric of the popular arts. With a foundation in political communication, rhetorical studies, and cultural sociology, her scholarship is broadly concerned with banal politics and militarism, focusing on the intersections of art, identity, communication, and representation. Heavily interdisciplinary, her work recognizes the “multivocal” aspect of political discourse and contributes to the growing scholarship that seeks a more complete understanding of U.S. political processes and institutions by attending to rhetoric that contributes to cultural meaning beyond traditional or legacy venues. Frequently interested in verbal-visual rhetoric, it is particularly concerned with matters of inclusion and democracy. Specifically, her scholarship considers:

  • Politics in a converged media environment: campaign politics, gender politics, and media politics in visual rhetoric, especially comics and film.

  • Discourses related to war and the military, with particular attention to warriors’ narratives - principally in epistolary and art, expressions of banal militarism and anti-militarism, and military social media strategy.  

  • Representations of gender and race, especially in political and/or military contexts broadly defined, which may encompass spectral or "freak" positionality.

  • Socio-political discourses of health, trauma, and death.

Her research contributes to an understanding of how popular culture and our entertainment choices shape, and are shaped by, our attitudes, beliefs, and values, how they participate in collective memory processes, and the ways in which they support or challenge cultural myths and discourses. 

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As a scholar-teacher, Dr. Knopf knows that students versed in popular culture studies may pursue careers in media, entertainment, museums, and other fields. Her scholarship inspires her teaching, and vice versa. Her familiarity with political campaigns and media shapes her courses in political communication, social movements and social change, and media studies and media literacy. Her background in presidential rhetoric informs her public speaking and gender communication courses. Her  explorations of gender and difference enlivens her courses in gender communication, women's rhetoric, social movements, and media and cinema studies. And her interests in “genre” media contribute to offering courses in comics and horror, which act as thematic gateways to rhetorical critique and media ecology.

Research Skills

  • Rhetorical criticism

  • Visual analysis

  • Narrative sociology

  • Qualitative crystallization

  • Content analysis

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  • ​Trained on SPSS (1998-2001), SAS (2002), & R/R-Studio (2014)

  • Practiced focus group facilitator (Fall 2000) & interviewer (Fall 1999-Spring 2000, Winter 2004)

  • Experienced survey writer (Fall 2000, Fall 2008, Fall 2016, Spring 2024)

flow chart showing connections between research topics

What Critics & Colleagues Say

"All of her works and their interrogations of rhetoric and representations display facility with current debates in multiple fields."

Publications

Authorized reviewers can use their password to access full-texts of published scholarship and copies of published reviews.

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No password?

Visit the Annotated Bibliography instead.

Also see works categorized by research area.

Magazine Page

Invited Talks

  • (2023, Jan). “Comics, covidity, and visualizing the invisible.” Schering Plough Executive Lectures Series, Fairleigh Dickinson University.

  • (2022, Nov). Military Humor Panel Discussion. A Microsoft Virtual Event, by Military at Microsoft.

  • (2022, Nov). “Veteran-created war comics and the workaday war.” Comics, Security, and the American Mission.The Ohio State University. Columbus, OH.

  • (2022, Oct). “Junctures and ruptures: COVID, comics, and visualizing the invisible.” Wilson Lunch Lecture, New York State Communication Association. Callicoon, NY.

  • (2021, Nov). Superheroes Smackdown. Comics/Screen Studies Round Table. Radford University.

  • (2017, Mar). The Military in Cartoon: Veteran Comic Creators Panel Discussion. Border Town Comic-Con. Ontario, OR.

  • (2016, Oct). “The comic art of war: Comedy, comics, and miltoons.” SOAR North Country. Potsdam, NY.

  • (2016, Aug). “Animating the war effort: Cartoons of World War II.” Spirit of Revolution on the Home Front, National Parks of Boston. National Parks Service Centennial Celebration. USS Constitution Museum. Boston, MA.

  • (2007, Feb). “The rhetorical myth-step in the 2005 inaugural address.” Pratt Colloquium Series. SUNY Potsdam.

Conference Attendance & Participation

NCA

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

ECA

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2017

2016

2012

2011

2010

​2009

2008

2007

2006

2004

2003

2002

NYSCA

2023

2022

2021

2020

​2019

​2018

​2008

​2007

2003

2002

RSA

2024

(2023)

2020

2014

(2011)

2010

​(2009)

​2008

(2007)

​CSS

2023

​2022

2021

2020

​2019

MEA

2024

2023

PCA

2018

ASA

2016

2015

2012

2011

​ESS

2016

2014

​ISA

2012

​APSA

2011

Academic Association Memberships

Communication Studies & Rhetoric, and related

  • National Communication Association: 2002–present [Life member]

    • American Studies, Basic Course; Communication & Military, Political Communication; Visual Communication; Women’s Caucus

  • Eastern Communication Association: 2001-present [Life member]

    • Political Communication, Rhetoric & Public Address, Media Communication

  • New York State Communication Association: 2002-2008, 2018-present [Life member]

  • International Communication Association: 2003–2004, 2010–2012, 2017-2019

    • Political Communication; Popular Communication, Communication History  

  • Rhetoric Society of America: 2007–2014, 2017-present [Life member]

  • Media Ecology Association: 2023-present

  • Institute of General Semantics: 2024-present

  • First Ladies Association of Researchers and Educators (FLARE): 2023-present

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Popular Culture & Comics

  • Comics Studies Society: 2016–present [Founding member]

  • Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association: 2016–2018, 2021-2023

  • Society for Cinema and Media Studies: 2021–2022

  • Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association, South: 2018-2019

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Social Sciences

  • American Sociological Association: 2002–2003, 2010-2018

    • Communication, Information Technologies, & Media Sociology; Peace, War and Social Conflict

  • Eastern Sociological Society: 2002–2003, 2014–2016

  • American Political Science Association: 2003–2004, 2012–2013, 2016-2018

    • Political Communication

  • International Studies Association: 2012–2014, 2016–2018

    • International Communication; International Security Studies; Peace Studies

  • International Studies Association, Northeast: 2013–2014

  • Society for the Study of Social Problems: 2014–2015

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Other Memberships

​The Rod Serling memorial Foundation

  • The Pritzker Military Museum and Library

  • The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund

Interviews, Media Coverage, & Popular Notice

Citations (Impact)

Selected Development Activities for Research

Desk Accessories
Development

​​Comics studies, pop culture, & visual communication

  • Hocus Pocus and the Magic of Comics in Research. University of Leeds. 13 May 2024: Zoom.

  • 1/6: The Graphic Novel - Imagining a Dark Alternate Outcome of January 6th. U.S. Capitol Historical Society. 9 May 2024: Zoom.

  • Framing Truth: Exploring Power Dynamics in Documentary Filmmaking. Rozanne M. Brooks Lecture Series. 10 April 2024: SUNY Cortland.

  • Banned Comics: Old Problems, New Forms, A Will Eisner Week event . New York Comics and Picture-story Symposium. 7 Mar. 2023: Zoom.

  • Before Comic Books: The Early Newspaper Comic Strip and American Culture. The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum, The Ohio State University. 7 Mar. 2023: Zoom.

  • Solve for X: How X-Men Comics Got a New Identity. Portland State University. 20 Apr. 2022: Zoom.

  • Afro-Futurism: From Funk to Black Panther Taking Back the Future. Sandwich Seminar SUNY Cortland. 17 Feb. 2022: WebEx.

  • Distinguished Lecture - Las Vegas, City of the Atomic Age: Pop Culture and Protest Art. National Atomic Testing Museum. 29 January 2022: Zoom.

  • Finding Pictures: New to See and Discover at the Library of Congress. Library of Congress, orientation. 11 January 2022: Zoom.

  • An Afternoon with Lucy Jane Santos, Author “Half Lives: The Unlikely History of Radium.” National Atomic Testing Museum. 25 Sep. 2021: Zoom.

  • Virtual Tour Premiere! Into the Swamp: The Social and Political Satire of Walt Kelly’s Pogo. Ohio State University, Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum. 2 Sep. 2021: Zoom.

  • Peculiar Pop: Genre Comic Books at the Library of Congress. John W. Kluge Center. 29 Jun 2021: YouTube.

  • Women in Comics: Early Innovators and Creators. ComixPlex. 12 May 2021: online.

  • “How Should We Index This Image?” Library of Congress, Double Take webinar series. 29 Apr. 2021: Zoom.

  • Ted Rall and Pablo Callejo: The Stringer. A Rain Taxi Event. 20 Apr. 2021: Crowdcast.

  • Women Artists Respond to Place. Because of Her Story. Smithsonian Institutes. 31 Mar. 2021: Zoom.

  • A Defeated Taxonomy of Superhero Excess. Routledge. 26 Mar. 2021: Zoom.

  • Art+Feminism Special Guest: MariNaomi. Wexner Center for the Arts, the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum, and The Ohio State University Libraries. 22 Mar. 2021: Zoom.

  • A Look into the Life of Sherlock Holmes. Division of Research in Action Webinar Series, Florida Atlantic University. 4 Mar. 2021: Zoom

  • “With Great Power…” - The Lessons of the Marvel Universe, with Dr. Randy Duncan. Central Arkansas Library System. 1 Mar. 2021: Zoom

  • Black Future Month: featuring Jerry Craft & Ariell Johnson. Graphic Novels and Comics Round Table of the American Library Association. 10 Feb. 2021: Zoom/YouTube.

  • Virtual Film Discussion: She Makes Comics. National First Ladies’ Library. 9 Feb. 2021: Zoom.

  • Speculative Fiction & the Black Experience: Displays of Race & Racism on Television. Sandwich Seminar, SUNY Cortland. 3 Feb. 2021: WebEx.

  • Make it Plain: Social Commentary Thru Comix. The Schomburg Center's 9th Annual Black Comic Book Festival. 16 Jan. 2021: Livestream.

  • The Comic Book Spectrum: Comics & Advocacy. The Schomburg Center's 9th Annual Black Comic Book Festival. 15 Jan. 2021: Livestream.

  • From Prose to Comics: Adapting Material into Comics Format. Library Con Live! 5 Nov. 2020: Online.

  • Speculative Adult Titles. Library Con Live! 5 Nov. 2020: online.

  • Freak Show Banners: A Visual History. Webinar by Howard Lerner. Getman’s Virtual Book & Paper Fair/Brooklyn Antiquarian Bookfair. 13 Sep. 2020: YouTube.

  • Votes for Women: The Battle for the 19th Amendment, Comic Anthology Artist Panel Discussion. Hosted by the Women’s Rights National Historic Park. 22 Aug. 2020: YouTube.

  • Challenges to the Comics Code Authority and a Glimpse into the Library’s Comic Arts Collection. Library of Congress Office Hours. 18 Aug. 2020: Webex.

  • Personal, Political, Fictional, and Factual. Comic-Con@Home. 25 Jul. 2020: YouTube.

  • LibraryCon Live! “A virtual festival for book nerds, librarians, and fans of graphic novels, SF, and fantasy. Hosted by Library Journal/School Library Journal. 6 Nov. 2019.

  • An Evening with Art Spiegelman. Keynote address & audience Q&A. “Questioning Identity” program, Rockwell Museum. 10 Sep. 2019: Corning NY.

  • Power and Responsibility: Doing Philosophy with Superheroes. MOOC through edX with the SmithsonianX and HarvardX. 23 Apr. 2019-11 Jun. 2019.

  • POPX3.1 Star Trek: Inspiring Culture and Technology. MOOC through edX with the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum. 1 Apr. 2019-14 Apr. 2019.

  • Rod Serling’s Planet of the Apes. Serling Fest 2018. 7 Jul. 2018: Binghamton, NY.

  • Hollywood: History, Industry, Art. MOOC through edX with the University of Pennsylvania’s PennX program. Nov. 2016.

  • POPX2.1 Rise of the Superheroes and Heroes of the Future. MOOC through edX with the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. 5 Jul.-26 Jul. 2016.

  • How to Make a Comic Book. MOOC through Coursera and the High Tech High Graduate School of Education. 29 Feb.-18 Apr 2016.

  • Comics: Art in Relationship. MOOC through Kadenze with the California College of the Arts. 16 Feb.-22 Mar. 2016.

  • Superhero Entertainments. MOOC through Coursera with the National University of Singapore. 28 Sep.-22 Nov. 2015.

  • From Superheroes to Vampires: The Hottest Graphic Novels and Manga of 2015. Webcast presented by Library Journal, with Marvel, Penguin Random House Library Marketing, and Viz Media. 9 Jun. 2015.

  • POPX1.1x The Rise of Superheroes and Their Impact on Pop Culture. MOOC through edX with the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. 5 May-9 Jun. 2015.

Military sociology & civil-military relations

  • Cold War Tech: Spies, Cameras, & Incredible Images. Sponsored by the Pritzker Military Museum and Library and the Spy Museum. 10 Ma. 2021: Zoom. 

  • Talk with a Curator: Soldiers in Skirts: How to Join WAAC during World War. National First Ladies Library. 19 Aug. 2021: Zoom.

  • Elizabeth Becker: You Don’t Belong Here, How Three Women Rewrote the Story of War. Pritzker Military Museum & Library. 16 Mar. 2021: Microsoft Teams.

  • Letter Writing: From Personal Connection to Sharing Values. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. 19 Feb. 2021: YouTube.

  • Rod and WWII. Serling Fest 2018. 6 Jul. 2018: Binghamton, NY.

  • Paradoxes of War. MOOC through Coursera with Princeton University. 24 Jan.-4 Apr. 2016.

  • The Camera Never Lies (Film, Images and Historical Interpretation). MOOC through Coursera with the University of London International Programmes. 4 Aug.-12 Sep. 2014.

  • Remembering as Citizens: Rhetoric, Memory, & Citizenship. RSA Summer Institute at UCB. 24-26 Jun. 2011: Boulder, CO.

Political rhetoric & media

  • First Ladies’ Night: Edith Roosevelt's Needlework. National First Ladies’ Library. 8 Aug. 2022: Zoom.

  • Legacy Lecture: The Future of the First Lady. National First Ladies Library. 9 Sep. 2021: Zoom.

  • Religion and Politics: Then and Now. 22 Mar. 2021: YouTube. 

  • Female Representations in Political Pins 1976-2016. Bowling Green State University Browne Popular Culture Library with the National First Ladies Library virtual lecture. 13 Nov. 2020: online.

  • The Future of American Political Cartoons: A Symposium in Honor of Pat Oliphant. University of Virginia Library. 23-24 Oct. 2020: Zoom.

  • The Art of Political Cartooning. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. 13 Oct. 2020: YouTube.

  • IDW: The Mueller Report in 10-Minutes. Comic-Con@Home. 24 Jul. 2020: YouTube.

  • 20th-Century Political Cartoons at the Library of Congress. Sara W. Duke, curator of the Prints & Photographs Division. LOC Live Office Hours via WebEx. 16 Jun. 2020.

  • Expanding Public Sphere Vocabulary. Annual Public Sphere Pre-Convention Seminar at NCA. 20 Nov. 2008: San Diego, CA.

  • The Rhetoric of Religion: Perspectives and Prospects. RSA Summer Institute at RPI. 22-24 Jun. 2007: Troy, NY. 

  • Discourses of Citizenship. eca Pre-Conference. 23 Apr. 2003: Washington, DC.

Spectralities studies

  • Candyman as Urban Myth and Artistic Inspiration, Candyman: Housing, Fear, & Reclaiming the Narrative. Chicago History Museum. 25 Sep. 2021: Zoom.

  • You Better Watch Out, with Sara Cleto and Brittany Warman, co-founders of the Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the Fantastic. Profs & Pints Online. 11 Dec. 2020: Crowdcast.

  • Nightmares Before Christmas, with William Egginton, professor of humanities and director of the Alexander Grass Humanities Institute at Johns Hopkins University. Profs & Pints Online. 6 Dec. 2020: Crowdcast.

  • Latinx Magic: Latinx Authors on Speculative Fiction. Student Library Journal Summit. 24 Oct. 2020: online.

  • Hearing Bomb Testing on Early Cold War Television, Reba Wissner. Distinguished Lecture Series, National Atomic Testing Museum. 8 Oct. 2020: Zoom.

  • Newfangled Vampires and Zombies in Latin American Literature & Film. Rozanne M. Brooks Lecture Series. 3 Apr. 2019: SUNY Cortland.

  • The Gothic Revival, 1700-1850: Interdisciplinary Perspectives. MOOC through Coursera with the University of Stirling, Scotland. 29 Feb.-4 Apr. 2016.

Methodology

  • (Re)Making Data in Qualitative Research. NCA Short Course. 18 Nov. 2021: Seattle, WA.

  • Applied Data Science. MOOC through Syracuse University’s iSchool. Completed 31 Jul. 2014.

  • ICPSR Social Science Data Archive. Learning and Teaching Excellence Center, SUNY Potsdam. 15 Oct. 2010: Potsdam, NY.  

  • Rhetorical Criticism. RSA Summer Institute at Penn State. 22-25 Jun. 2009: State College, PA.

Publishing, promotion, & funding

  • CBLDF: Recoding Censorship. Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. 24 Jun. 2021: Zoom.

  • Raise Your Profile and Get Media Coverage: For Comics Scholars, with Dr. Sheena Howard. 13 Dec. 2020: Webinar.

  • Copyright Office Presents: 150 Years of Celebrating Creativity. Library of Congress. 5 Aug. 2020: WebEx.

  • Grant Writing Basics. Online tutorial through Udemy. May 2016.

  • How to get Published: Turning Your Convention Papers into a Publication. NCA CARD Call. 15 Feb. 2012: Teleconference.

  • Smooth Sailing through the IRB Process: Introducing the Newly Revised Campus IRB Policy and Application. Sponsored by the Learning and Teaching Excellence Center. 28 Sep. 2007: SUNY Potsdam.

  • Professional Development Funding: New Faculty Seminar. Sponsored by the Office of the Provost & the Learning and Teaching Excellence Center. 29 Sep. 2006: SUNY Potsdam.

Research Ethics

  • Publons Academy: Become a Master of Peer Review. Web of Science Group. Summer 2019.

  • CITI Program Training: Researchers & Staff Human Research: 7 Apr. 2010, 7 Sep. 2012, 7 Aug. 2015; Social & Behavioral Responsible Conduct of Research: 7 Apr. 2010,  7 Aug. 2015; Humanities Responsible Conduct of Research: 7 Apr. 2010,  7 Aug. 2015, 13 Oct. 2019

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