Jackson B. Miller

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Jackson B. Miller
Professor of Communication Arts and Chair of the Department of Theatre & Communication Arts

Ford Hall T105

Dr. Jackson Miller has been a member of the communication arts faculty since 2001. He has previously served as dean of faculty and associate dean of faculty at Linfield and has held numerous other leadership positions on campus.

Dr. Miller’s research and teaching focus on protest and reform rhetoric, performance theory and nonverbal communication. He has taught debate courses for inmates at the Oregon State Penitentiary and presented debate workshops throughout the world in places like China, Guatemala, Mexico and Turkey.

Dr. Miller also has expertise in interactive theatre techniques, and he has facilitated more than 80 sexual assault prevention trainings on military bases and on college campuses.

Education

B.S., M.A. Ohio University
Ph.D., Southern Illinois University at Carbondale

Academic interests

Protest and reform rhetoric
Performance theory and methodology
Communication and cultural identity
Nonverbal communication
Interactive theatre techniques
Oral history
British-parliamentary debate
Political communication
The initiative and referendum system in Oregon

Publications

“Listening and Taking Notes.” Building Global Relations through Debate. Beijing: Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press, 2016.
(Co-author with Chen Xiangjing) “Administering Debate Tournaments.” Building Global Relations through Debate. Beijing: Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press, 2016.
(Co-author with Janelle Davis) “Decolonizing Occupy Oakland: Listening for Native American Voices in a Struggle against Social Inequality.” Culture, Social Class, and Race in Public Relations: Perspectives and Applications. Lanham, MD: Lexington, 2012.
Tolerancia crítica y ciudadanía activa: Una introducción práctica al debate educativo. New York: International Debate Education Association, 2010.
“Performing Pennsylvania Hall: Aural Appeals in Angelina Grimké’s Abolitionist Discourse.” Liminalities 3 (2007).
“Coyote's Tale on the Old Oregon Trail: Challenging Cultural Memory through Narrative at the Tamástslikt Cultural Institute." Text and Performance Quarterly 25 (2005): 220-238.
"Practicing the Ancient Art of Memoria in the Modern Classroom." Communication Teacher 19 (2005) 48-52.
“Coast to Coast and Culture to Culture: An Intercultural Perspective on Regional Differences in Forensics Pedagogy and Practice.” National Forensic Journal 23.2 (2005): 1-18.
"'Legal or Illegal? Documented or Undocumented?' The Struggle over Brookhaven’s Neighborhood Preservation Act." Communication Quarterly 51 (2003): 73-89.
"Conflict Workshops." in Teaching Ideas for the Basic Communication Course IV . eds. Lawrence W. Hugenberg and Barbara S. Hugenberg. Vol. 4. Dubuque: Kendall-Hunt, 2000.
"'Indians,' 'Braves,' and 'Redskins': A Performative Struggle for Control of an Image." Quarterly Journal of Speech 85 (1999): 188-202.

Creative works

Kickin’ Sand and Tellin’ Lies (co-author with Chris Forrer) – A fictional account (based on stories collected during oral history interviews) about one young man’s effort to find acceptance in the Dory community at a time when the fleet was facing many threats (world premiere in November 2012 in the Marshall Theatre at Linfield College, McMinnville, OR; subsequent performance at the Pacific City Community Center, Pacific City, OR, November 2012).

82,769 Signatures (writer/compiler/director) – An interactive show focusing Oregon’s ballot initiative process (world premiere in October 2008 in the Marshall Theatre at Linfield College, McMinnville, OR).

Cicero Speaks (writer/compiler, director & performer) – A one-person show which explores the life and ideas of ancient Rome's greatest orator (world premiere in October 2003 in the Theatre Courtyard at Linfield College, McMinnville, OR; subsequent performances throughout the state of Oregon as a featured program in the Oregon Humanities Council Chautauqua Series).

Of the People, Buy the People, For the People? (writer/compiler & director) – A modern readers theatre production focusing on the rhetoric of the 2000 Presidential campaign (world premiere in October 2000 in the Performance Studio at Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY).

Quest for Understanding: An Evening with John Dewey (writer/compiler, director & performer) – A one-person show about the life and ideas of American philosopher and educator John Dewey (world premiere in October 1997 in the Marion Kleinau Theatre at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL; subsequent performances at the 25th Annual Meeting of the Society for the Advancement of American Philosophy in Milwaukee, March 1998 and the International Association for Management Education Undergraduate Program Seminar in St. Louis, January 1999).