Fenobia I. Dallas, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Dept. of Rhetoric & Professional Writing
Saginaw Valley State University

My main interest lies in the intersecting and overlapping worlds of the 1950's through 1974 and the status of African American neighborhoods and community. The impact of the post-World War II society on African American communities can be seen in the social, economic, political, educational, religious, and ideological engagement of the time, through the present. Examining these multiple perspectives may offer some insight for addressing contemporary community issues.

My secondary interests are the military service of African Americans; African mythology as a precursor to Greek mythology (and by extension, African rhetoric as a precursor to Greek rhetoric); science fiction's portrayal of the future; and the paucity of African Americans in higher education.

I consider language use, cultural and social agency, and the widening gap between the economically rich and the economically poor among my foremost interests. The use of technology and technological devices in creative ways can be an asset in addressing the economic gap. Language, cultural agency and social interaction can be addressed through the use of technological tools such as cell phones, smart phones, and other devices that serve as platforms to bring information to the user to provide a basis of communal discourse.

Barber, John T., and Alice A. Tait, eds. The Information Society and the Black Community. Westport, CT: Prager, 2001.

Caldwell, John, and Anna Everett, eds. New Media: Theories and Practices of Digitextuality.Taylor & Francis, 2003.

Guinier, Lani. The Tyranny of the Majority: Fundamental Fairness in Representative Democracy. New York: The Free Press, 1994.

James, Joy. Transcending the Talented Tenth: Black Leaders and American Intellectuals. New York: Routledge, 1997.

Lippi-Green, Rosina. English with an Accent: Language, Ideology, and Discrimination in the United States. London: Routledge, 1997.