James Petre, Ph.D.

James T. Petre, Ph.D. joined the faculty in fall 2014. Dr. Petre received his Ph.D. in Speech Communication with a specialization in Rhetoric and Philosophy of Communication from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. He enjoys teaching courses such as Persuasion, Examining Communication, Public Speaking, and Honors Public Speaking.

Dr. Petre’s primary research focus is rhetorical theory and criticism, particularly related to politics and economics. His dissertation, Realignments of doxa in U.S. American politics: Tracing the rhetorical histories of Franklin Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan, and Barack Obama used the lens of doxa to examine how U.S. presidential candidates create and respond to shifts in basic assumptions regarding the proper role of government. He recently published an article that provided the initial framework for his dissertation in the Iowa Journal of Communication. Dr. Petre has also presented at and served as a reviewer for several conferences including the National Communication Association (NCA), and the Central States Communication Association (CSCA). Last year, he served as the Chair and Program Planner for the Rhetorical Theory and Criticism interest group for the CSCA conference in Madison, Wisconsin.

In addition to his teaching and research, Dr. Petre serves the university community in a variety of capacities. He is currently chairing the Communication Studies Program Review Committee, and serves on the Curriculum and Planning and Assessment Committees for the Department of Communication Studies. He is also a member of the Bloomsburg University Safety Committee, and the College of Liberal Arts Faculty Enhancement Committee. Additionally, Dr. Petre serves as a Faculty Advisor for Bloomsburg University’s chapter of Lambda Pi Eta, the Communication Studies Honor Society, and as a Faculty Co-Advisor for the Personal Money Management Club, which is a new student organization on campus.