KellyLWilz

Kelly Wilz , Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Communication/Theatre Arts and Gender, Sexuality and Women's Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Marshfield/Wood County. Her research and teaching explore the intersections of education, media literacy, gender, politics, democracy, and popular culture. The focus of her primary research is on rhetorical constructions of gender, violence, and dissent within the context of U.S. war culture and American politics. Related topics of interest include how dehumanizing and demonizing rhetoric extend beyond war to broader patterns of social violence based on intersectional discourses of race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, and other identity markers. Kelly’s academic publications have appeared in multiple edited collections and top-tier journals such as Rhetoric & Public Affairs and the Global Media Journal. An award-winning teacher, she has taught a wide range of classes, including: an introduction to gender and women’s studies, women in popular culture, gender and communication, public speaking, communication, rhetoric, film and television, interpersonal communication, organizational communication, and business communication. A passionate speaker and an inspiring advocate, Kelly has given talks with a wide variety of audiences and forums, such as: an Aging and Disability Resource Center; an Iraq War Symposium; a Lecture Series on Women, Violence, and the Media; on Rape Culture and Silence on college campuses; on Violence and American Masculinity; and more. As a firm believer in public engagement, Kelly also is a cultural critic. She currently is a writer at the American Association of University Professors' Academe Blog. Her work has appeared on The Huffington Post, Thought Catalog, Feministing.com, and other media outlets. Follow her @KellyLWilz, her blog dissentandcookies.org, academeblog.org, and www.linkedin.com/in/kellylwilz. To contact her regarding speaking engagements, email her at kwilz79@gmail.com for pricing and availability.

Posts Written by Kelly

women-in-politics
By KellyLWilz • 8 years ago

A Feminist’s Guide to Critiquing Hillary Clinton

Fair warning:  This blog is not going to be angry.  It will not be written in all caps.  There will be no vulgarity.  And it probably won’t go viral.  I don’t care.

What I do care about is the fact I’ve read over 70+ articles in the past two weeks alone discussing the 2016 election and what I see is a total lack of nuance and a lot of critiques that overgeneralize or underplay the very real role gender plays when people talk about Clinton and/or any other women who dare to step into positions that for so long have only been held by men.

Image of a black gun propped up, with words "Consider your man card reissued."
By KellyLWilz • 8 years ago

Women Don’t Do This: Blaming Mental Illness, Games, and Guns Won’t Stop Next Shooting

I originally wrote this back in June in the wake of the Charleston shootings, but sadly, the claims made here still ring true.  We will never solve the problem of mass shootings in this country unless we get to the root of this problem.  This is not about gun laws.  This is not about violent video games. This has nothing to do with mental illness.

I originally wrote this back in June in the wake of the Charleston shootings, but sadly, the claims made here still ring true.  We will never solve the problem of mass shootings in this country unless we ...
By KellyLWilz • 8 years ago

A Love Letter to My Fellow Rape Survivors Part 2: Your Stories Edition

When I posted “Rape Culture 101: A Love Letter to My Fellow Rape Survivors” within hours, friends, loved ones, and strangers flooded my inbox with personal messages telling their own stories of rape, abuse, and assault.  Within less than 24 hours, I had enough men and women contact me or publicly post their own stories I felt it necessary to write another piece.  I could write an entire book with the number of stories I’ve received since this posting. 

When I posted “Rape Culture 101: A Love Letter to My Fellow Rape Survivors” within hours, friends, loved ones, and strangers flooded my inbox with personal messages telling their own stories of rape, abuse, and ...