DR. RYA BUTTERFIELD 白丽娅
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​Item #1


​Rhetorical Forms of Symbolic Labor: The Evolution of Iconic Representations in China's Model Worker Awards

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     I was the sole author on this peer reviewed journal article. It was published in Rhetoric & Public Affairs in 2012. ​


​Item #2


​Hu Shi's Model of Rhetorical Pragmatic Argumentation

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     This is a peer reviewed journal article written solely by me. It was published in Advances in the History of Rhetoric in 2019.
​     The content of this article is closely connected to science writing as it is focused on the development of argument aimed at the broader development of the critical, scientific spirit. 


​Item #3


Association for Chinese Communication Studies Website

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     This is a website I built on my own as the Association for Chinese Communication Studies (ACCS) webmaster. I also manage the association's Twitter and Facebook accounts. 


​Item #4


​Peer Review for ​Rhetoric & Public Affairs

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     This entry is the feedback that I provided as an external peer reviewer for Rhetoric & Public Affairs (before I was asked to serve on this journal's editorial board). 
​     It is included here because it is an example of communication with two different audiences, the author(s) and journal editor. It is also representative of the trust I have earned from editors at top-rated journals who aim to publish research of the highest intellectual and methodological rigor. Further, is exemplifies my understanding of methodology and, thus, my understanding of the scientific method. 


Item #5


My first letter to the members of ACCS as the association's president. 

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     In 2014 I was elected to the position of vice president. From there, I went on to serve as the association's president, national program planner and, now, webmaster. 
     I decided to include this entry for two reasons. First, it is an example of communication aimed at a different audience than the previous entries, both students and faculty involved in a national research association with international partnerships.
     Second, it is indicative of the respect and trust I have accepted, with the greatest humility, from the predominantly Chinese and Chinese-American members of a research organization that is focused on the study of communication in a culture that is not my own. 


Item #6


A letter requesting money from the Nicholls Student Government Association to host an event for African American History Month

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     This item represents communication aimed at an audience distinct from the intended audiences of earlier entries. 
     It is a request for funding from the SGA to host an event with guest speakers for African American History Month. The funding was approved and I had the pleasure of hosting a speaking event attended by students and members of the local community. The event also featured a luncheon for the invited speakers and student leaders. 


Item #7


Email and memo correspondence with the University's President, Interim Vice President, and College Dean regarding my efforts to establish the first course in Mandarin Chinese at Nicholls. 

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     This entry includes email (p. 1) and memo (p. 2-3) correspondence with another distinct audience--senior administrators. 
     Just a year after joining the faculty at Nicholls, as an assistant professor, I was asked to attend a luncheon, at Xavier University in New Orleans. It was intended for senior administrators of universities within the University of Louisiana system. As the only assistant professor in the room, I felt out of place and, more importantly, lacked the power to make things happen at the university on my own. Despite this, I engaged and productively networked. In the end, I successfully arranged a MOU with Xavier University and brought Mandarin language learning to the Nicholls campus for the first time.
     Bringing this course to Nicholls was only possible because the instruction would be provided to us through a Confucius Institute (CI) for no more than the cost of the instructor's commute and supplies. This was at the time when many universities were breaking their ties with CIs due to concerns about propaganda in the classroom, among others. 
     Having published research on CIs and guest edited a special issue of a journal devoted to that topic, university officials entrusted me with overseeing the selection of course materials and monitoring the course to ensure students were receiving high quality language education. 
 


Item #8


A video of me welcoming students to the Spring 2019 Speech Forum. 

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     In this video I am speaking to an audience of 338 students. My language is casual for the student audience. 


Item #9


Speech Forum FAQs for student debaters. 

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     The Speech Forum is a public forum style student debate that I organize, moderate, and coach each semester. This entry is a FAQ document I prepared for potential debaters. 
     Each semester's debate topic is a timely controversial issue, including multiple dealing with health and science. For example, recent debates have dealt with such things as gun violence and controversial concerns about funding for Planned Parenthood. As a debate coach and practitioner, I can coach and effectively debate topics from all disciplines. 


Item #10


Sample panels for which I have been invited to fulfill the duties of expert respondent.

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     In my current position, I have no formal need to save talking points I have prepared for panel responses. So, instead, I have included this sampling of sessions as evidence of the wide array of topics on which my colleagues accept me as a communication authority. 
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