Christine Alfano

Bio

Christine Alfano is the Associate Director of PWR and has been a lecturer in the Program since 1998. She holds a BA from Brown University and PhD from Stanford and specializes in digital media rhetoric, video game studies, and technologies of writing. In her recent PWR courses, “The Rhetoric of Gaming,” "The Rhetoric of Gender and Technology," and “Networked Rhetoric,” Christine challenges students to explore how writing in different technological modes (from traditional Microsoft Word documents, to blogs, threaded discussions, social network profiles, video blogs and wikis) transforms the modern practice of communication and how we represent ourselves online and off in our increasingly technologically-media culture.

She is the co-author (with Dr. Alyssa O'Brien) of the Envision textbook series, the most recent editions being Envision: Writing and Researching Arguments, 5th edition, and Envision In Depth, 4th edition.

Her ongoing research project involves studying effective pedagogical applications of technology for composition studies in the classroom, and she has previously taught classes for Stanford's Center for the Study of Excellence in Teaching (CSET) on Multimodal Argumentation and also Teaching with Technology for local Bay Area high school teachers.

Recently, she received a grant from the Vice Provost for Online Learning (VPOL) to develop a series of video activities designed to support writers in their writing process and also received a Hoagland Curricular Innovation grant with a team from PWR to help develop and pilot an innovative writing studio class to support multilingual student writers.

Academic Appointments

• PWR Advanced Lecturer, Stanford Introductory Studies - Program in Writing and Rhetoric

Administrative Appointments

• Associate Director, Program in Writing and Rhetoric (2014 - Present)
• Writing Specialist, History Department (2013 - 2014)
• Assistant Director, Program in Writing and Rhetoric (2007 - 2010)