Faculty Profile
Werner Stavenhagen
Instructor
Writing Program
105A Moon Library
Education
- Ph.D. Composition and Cultural Rhetoric, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 2016 [degree in the academic field of theories of writing and communication strategies]
- MA English- La Sierra University, Riverside, CA 1997
- BA Theology-Pacific Union College, Angwin, CA 1990
Bio
Kurt’s scholarship explores contemplation as foundational to human and environmental health. His work highlights the natural world as central to identity ("Relational Literacy," 2019) and shows how contemplative practices foster memorable, reflective learning ("Contemplation as Kairotic Composure," 2019). He has recently presented at national and regional conferences on the transformative power of nature-based meditation, the value in mapping an author’s ties to key stakeholders and locales when assessing their claims (cf. Powell and Hidalgo, 2018, 2019), and the integration of AI into the classroom ("Kicking It Back With Chat GPT," 2023).
Kurt’s book The Chase (2022) reimagines the ancient love poem The Song of Songs through modern metaphors and vivid imagery, highlighting its central insight: Love is not a choice between the sacred and the human but a fusion rooted in the earth’s abundance.
Currently, Kurt is creating a series of short meditation videos and working on a paraphrase and prayerbook of the Psalms.
In his personal life, Kurt finds camaraderie in facilitating a men’s group, enjoys his regular meditation and prayer time, and takes every opportunity to head out the door to hike—especially along the shores of Lake Ontario near his home.
Courses
Environmental Writing (EWP 190), Research Writing and Humanities (EWP 290), and Writing for Science and Environmental Professionals (EWP 407).
Research Interests
- Eco-spirituality; biophilia; contemplation; the intersections between the practices of gratitude, meditation, and health.
- Environmental Rhetoric
- Composition and Rhetoric
- Nature Writing
- Professional Writing
Presentations and Publications
Publications
The Chase. Bowker, 2022.
“Relational Literacy.” Published in a special section of the Journal of the Assembly on Expanded Perspectives on Learning entitled, “Encountering the Natural World: Environmental Education in the Arts and Humanities.” July 2019.
“Contemplation as Kairotic Composure.” Published in a special issue of the journal Across the Disciplines entitled, “Contemplative Writing Across the Disciplines.” March 2019.
“Whose Honey, Whose Hive: Rhetorical Agency in Colony Collapse Disorder.” The presentation was selected for publication from the 5th Iowa State University Summer Symposium on Science Communication, June 2016; in Jean Goodwin (Ed.), Confronting the Challenges of Public Participation: Issues in Environmental, Planning and Health Decision-Making (pp. 227-233). Charleston, SC: CreateSpace.
Review of Home Ground: Language for An American Landscape (Eds. Barry Lopez and Debra Gwartney) in Community Literacy Journal, Fall, 2009.
Presentations
“Embodying Permission: Using Lifewriting to Co-create Spaces That Reinvent the Required College Research-Writing Class.” AEPL Annual Writing Conference (June 2024).
“Kicking It Back with ChatGPT: Coaching Shared Screen AI Literacies through Inquiry-Driven Classroom Exercises.” SUNY Council on Writing Annual Conference (October 2023).
“Transforming/Teaching: A Roundtable on Inner Work and Its Effect on Our Writing Classrooms.” Eastern Association of Pennsylvania State Universities Annual Conference. October 2022.
“Zoom Pedagogy Tips.” SUNY-ESF’s Hardy L. Shirley Faculty Mentoring Colloquium. January 2021.
“Relational Literacy: Toward Revisioning Ecocomposition as a Co-creative, Co-performative Space.” 2019 Conference on College Composition and Communication, Pittsburg, PA
“Plant Something: Performance-Rhetoric, Community Writing, and Food Activism.” All-day pre-conference workshop associated with the 2019 Conference on College Composition and Communication, Pittsburg, PA
“Contemplative Exercises to Promote Kinship with the Earth and Each Other: an Introduction to the Theory and Practice of Relational Literacy.” 2018 Assembly of Expanded Perspectives on Learning Conference, Estes Park, CO
“Toward Relational Literacy: Using Kinship Theory to Integrate the Voices of Nonhumans in Education.” 2018 Rhetorical Society of America Conference, Minneapolis, MN
“The Language, Literacy, and Labor of Food Justice: Bees and Beekeepers.” 2018 Conference on College Composition and Communication, St Louis, MO
“Cultivating New Lines of Inquiry: Rural Research and Advocacy.” 2017 Conference on College Composition and Communication, Portland, OR
“Coaching the Publication of an Undergraduate Online Magazine.” 2017 Conference on College Composition and Communication, Portland, OR
“Whose Honey, Whose Hive: Rhetorical Agency in Colony Collapse Disorder.” 2016 Iowa State University Summer Symposium on Science Communication, Ames, IA
“A Tale of Two Countries: France and the U.S. Stakeholder Agency in Colony Collapse Disorder.” 2015 Environmental Studies Presentation Series, SUNY-ESF, Syracuse, NY
“Mindfulness Classroom Exercises: Avoiding the Pitfalls of Prescription.” 2015 Faculty Brownbag Discussions, Syracuse University Humanities Center, Syracuse, NY