Kerry Moss is a first-year communication and rhetorical studies (CRS) graduate student who is from Milwaukee. Prior to CRS, Moss studied at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, and majored in secondary English education (grades 6-12), as well as spent four years in the Peace Corps, where she trained English teachers.
Moss’s experiences enabled her to gain a better grasp of what communication is and how to properly deliver a message through both visual and auditory methods. This encouraged Moss to analyze the deeper details of literature and the resonance of these artifacts.
“I spent four years in the Peace Corps and was training English teachers,” she says. “Everything an English teacher does is about communication; whether it is oral, written or presentational, they are constantly studying communication. Learning about how literature holds the notion of how language works, the structure of it and how it is communicated has immensely contributed to my understanding of this field.”
Moss’s educational background and knowledge of communication has encouraged her to view the rhetoric of failure– specifically within educational institutions. As a previous English instructor, Moss is intrigued by how words are utilized in a classroom and how these words contribute to the development of a specific mentality. She intends to apply this interest throughout her time in the CRS graduate program, as she wants to clarify the relationship between an individual’s choice of words and the meaning of these words, and how this relationship impacts one’s experiences.
“Coming from a teaching background, I am very interested in exploring the rhetoric of failure in educational institutions,” she says. “I began to become more conscious of people’s words and the mindset that was behind these words. If language has this power (to affect one’s mindset), then the choices that we make are also a way to determine and create our future. And if we look at what is out there, then how can we improve our communication to impact the education that occurs in schools?”
Though relocating from Milwaukee to Syracuse was a big change for Moss, she looks forward to being immersed in a new location as well as pursuing her education in the CRS graduate program. She looks forward to meeting every member of the CRS community, hearing how this program has assisted their research as well as their perceptions toward various rhetorical topics.
“Right now, I am hoping to just learn and absorb everything,” she says. “I am so excited to be a part of a community that is filled with individuals who are interested in many things. And although I am interested in studying the rhetoric of failure in education, I know that I am pretty open to see where this program will lead me. For me, it is about finding a path and enjoying the experiences that I have with the CRS community.”
–This article was written by the CRS student news team. Contact the team at .