Nance Heise

Hi! I’m Nance. I earned my bachelor’s degree from the University of Wyoming with majors in Communication Studies and History. I earned consecutive master’s degrees from Texas State University in Communication Studies and History. I’m now working towards my PhD in Communication Studies at Texas A&M University, and I expect to finish in spring of 2027.

In my research, I focus on discourses of power and resistance. I work in the intersections between critical rhetoric, theory-informed history, and critical-cultural studies, and I have a deep commitment to justice and activist-oriented scholarship. A lot of my previous work in Communication Studies has focused on feminist celebrity activism, while my History work has focused on imperial power, religion, race, and gender in the early modern Atlantic world. I am currently exploring rhetorical history, religious rhetoric, feminist and queer theory, and decolonial / postcolonial studies. I will have a more concrete vision of my dissertation project by fall of 2025. 

In my teaching, I focus on empowering my students by guiding them through their own paths of knowledge-finding. I believe student success can be fostered through inclusive teaching practices, holistic institutional support, and a welcoming, inclusive social atmosphere. I recognize the struggles my students face, and I strive to create class policies and environments that provide students the space to grow and learn. 

I am also incredibly dedicated to institutional and disciplinary service. In my first year at A&M I directed the 2023 Communicating Diversity Conference. I have served as an officer for the Communication Graduate Student Association, representing our graduate students at the university and department levels. Under the direction of Dr. Jennifer Mercieca, I am organizing and convening the new 2024-2025 Rhetoric Working Group sponsored by the Glasscock Center for Humanities Research. Disciplinarily, I am serving a three-year term as the secretary to the Gender Studies Division of the Southern States Communication Association. 

Courses taught

• COMM 203: Public Speaking
• COMM 205: Communication for Technical Professions
• ARSC 101: First Year Seminar (Hullabaloo U)
• COMM 210: Group Communication and Discussion 
• COMM 240: Rhetorical Criticism