Carnegie Mellon

Necia K. Werner
PhD candidate in rhetoric, Carnegie Mellon University

Address:                       Contact:
Department of English                 Phone: (412) 268-7509
Carnegie Mellon University           Fax: (412) 268-7989
5000 Forbes Avenue                   email: nkw@andrew.cmu.edu
Baker Hall 259
Pittsburgh, PA 15213


[Education]
[Teaching]
[Publications]
[Presentations]
[Professional Orgs.]

About Me: I came to Carnegie Mellon's rhetoric program from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where I worked in the psychology department as a research assistant in Dr. Morton Gernsbacher's language comprehension lab and as an editorial assistant for Memory & Cognition. It was there that I became interested in science as a persuasive enterprise, and in the rhetorical dimensions of cognitive neuroscience and editorial peer review. I have presented work in both these areas, and my dissertation research explores the role of values and objectivity in shaping scientific peer review practices during moments of controversy and change. I also teach courses in professional and technical writing and currently serve as Assistant Director of our undergraduate and masters programs in professional and technical writing.
Research/Teaching Interests:
rhetoric of science and technology, professional and technical writing, argumentation, genre theory, discourse analysis, research methods

Things I Enjoy:
Collecting/analyzing technical documents, enthymemes, zombie movies
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Education


Ph.D. Candidate in Rhetoric (2002-present)
Carnegie Mellon University


M.A. in Rhetoric (2002)
Carnegie Mellon University


B.S. in English and Psychology (1997)

University of Wisconsin-Madison 
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Teaching

76-271: Introduction to Professional and Technical Writing
76-270: Writing for the Professions
76-101:
Interpretation & Argument  [return]

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Publications

Journal Articles
Gernsbacher, M.A, Palladino, P., Robertson, R.R.W., & Werner, N.K. (2004). Managing mental representations during narrative comprehension. Discourse Processes, 37, 145-164.

Gernsbacher, M.A, Keysar, B., Robertson, R.R.W., & Werner, N.K. (2001). The role of suppression and enhancement in understanding metaphors. Journal of Memory and Language, 45, 433-450.
   
Book Chapters
Gernsbacher, M.A, Robertson, R.R.W., & Werner, N.K. (2002). The costs and benefits of meaning. In D.S. Gorfein's (Ed.) On the Consequences of Meaning Selection. APA Books, Washington DC. pp. 119-137. 
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Presentations

Werner, N. K. (2007, March). Genre, ideology and values: Analysis of a scientific peer review controversy. Paper to be presented at the 58th annual meeting of the Conference on College Composition and Communication, New York, NY.

Werner, N. K.
(2006, November). Discourse on method: Arguments about fMRI in cognitive neuroscience. Paper presented at the 92nd annual meeting of the National Communication Association, San Antonio, TX.

Werner, N. K.
(2006, November). The discursive construction of accountability in an open peer review forum. Paper presented at the 92nd annual meeting of the National Communication Association, San Antonio, TX.

Werner, N. K.
(2006, June). Cultural assumptions and genre expectations in professional writing: The job application package. Paper presented at the 2nd annual Communication Symposium at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA.

Stewart, C. O., Baumgardt, D., & Werner, N. K. (2005, November). News frames and the reporting of a campus controversy: A Critical Discourse Analysis. Paper presented at the 91st annual meeting of the National Communication Association, Boston, MA.


Werner, N. K. (2004, May). Scientific dialectic in the public sphere: Analysis of the electronic peer review process. Paper presented at the 11th biennial conference of the Rhetoric Society of America, Austin, TX.

Ritivoi, A., & Werner, N. K. (2003, November). ‘Gist the facts ma’am: Testimony and the limits of memory. Paper presented at the 89th annual meeting of the National Communication Association, Miami, FL.

Werner, N. K. (2003, July). The role of epideictic rhetoric in shaping science: The case of brain imaging in cognitive science. Paper presented at the 18th biennial Penn State Conference on Rhetoric and Composition, State College, PA.

Werner, N. K. (2002, November). Functional magnetic resonance imaging and the mind-body problem: A rhetorical analysis of Conversations in the Cognitive Neurosciences. Paper presented at the annual NCA pre-conference meeting of the American Association for the Rhetoric of Science and Technology, New Orleans, LA. 
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Professional Organizations

American Association for the Rhetoric of Science and Technology
National Communication Association
National Council for Teachers of English
Rhetoric Society of America
Society for Technical Communication  
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