BIO

Marlana Portolano received an M.A. in English and American literature and a Ph.D. in classical rhetoric from The Catholic University of America.  She teaches the history and theory of rhetoric from ancient to contemporary times as well as an occasional literature course that overlaps with the rhetorical tradition.  Most recently this includes a topics course on utopian literature and one on love in the Western tradition.  On the flip-side of rhetoric as an oratorical art, Dr. Portolano is also the unofficial campus spokesperson for Cued Speech, a silent method of oral communication for the deaf -- a population often preemptively excluded from oratory.  Here are some of her most recent publications:

The Passionate Empiricist:  The Rhetoric of John Quincy Adams in the Service of Science, SUNY Press, 2009.

"Cued American English: A Variety in the Visual Mode," World Englishes, Winter 2009.