Dr. William Duffy

 

 

 

• Finalist. Alumni Association Distinguished Teaching Award. University of Memphis. 2024. 

• Division of Research and Innovation. Fine Arts, Humanities, and Social Science Research Support Grant. $2,900. University of Memphis. 2020.

• When Prayer Meets Protest: Essays on Religion, Rhetoric, and Resistance. Co-edited with Korbyn Peebles.Studies in Communication, Culture, Race, and Religion Series. Peter Lang. 2027.
• Beyond Conversation: Collaboration and the Production of Writing. Utah State University Press, 2021. 

• “Virtue Ethics: Conversing with the Dissonant Remainders of Democracy.” The Handbook of Communication Ethics. Second Edition. Ed. Amit Pinchevski, Patrice M. Buzzanell, and Jason Hannan. Routledge. 2025. 33-47.

• “The Afterlife of Unfinished Writing.” If at First You Don’t Succeed: Writing, Rhetoric, and the Question of Failure. Ed. Stephen Corbett. WAC Clearinghouse and University Press of Colorado. 2024. 171-74.

• "Definition as Invention: Turning a Familiar Concept into a Critical Keyword." Revising Moves: Writing
  Stories of Re(Making). Ed. Allison Carr, Christina LaVecchia, Laura Micciche, Hannah Rule, and Jayne Stone. Utah State University Press. 2024. 181-91.

              *Winner of the 2026 Best Edited Volume Award from the Conference on College Composition and Communication

• “Composition, Critics, and Care Work: An Undisciplined Reflection on Disciplinary Expertise.” Coauthored with Jacob Babb. Composition and Rhetoric in Contentious Times. Ed. Rachel McCabe and Jennifer Juszkiewicz. Utah State University Press. 2023. 17-34. 

• “What is Rhetoric? A ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ Primer.” Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing, Volume 5.  Parlor Press and WAC Clearinghouse. 2023. 247-65.
• *Reprinted in Composition at CMU, edited by Nikki Mantyla, 2025 

• “Trump’s Thumbs: Pollice Verso and the Spectacle of Ambiguity.” Rhetoric Society Quarterly 53.3 (2023): 405-18. 

• “Doubt.” Coauthored with John Pell. Democracies in America: Keywords for the 19th Century and Today. Ed. Berton Emerson and Gregory Laski. Oxford University Press, 2022. 270-79. 

•  “Agentic Discord in Writing Studies: Toward Autoethnographic Accounts of Disciplinary Lore.” Self-Culture-Writing: Autoethnography for/as Writing Studies. Ed. Rebecca Jackson and Jackie Grutsch McKinney. Utah State University Press, 2021. 149-58.

• “Practically Wise and Good: Understanding Phronesis as a Rhetorical Virtue.” After Plato: Rhetoric, Ethics, and the Teaching of Writing. Ed. John Duffy and Lois Agnew. Utah State University Press, 2020. 37-50.

• “Whose Shibboleths? AI Policy, Translingual Practice, and Compositional Purity.”  22nd Biennial
    Rhetoric Society of America [RSA] National Conference. Portland, OR. May 2026.

• From Double-Entry Notebooks to Humans-in-the-Loop: Following Ann Berthoff’s Rhetorical Tail
  in the Design of an Applied AI Program’s Core Curriculum.” Southern Regional Composition Conference. Arkansas State University. 28 March 2025.

• “Is There a Policy for That? Generative Artificial Intelligence and the Classification of Rhetorical Production.” 21th Biennial RS National Conference. Denver, CO. May 2024.

• “Tinkering Toward Competency: Using GenAI to Teach Writing as Design.” UM3D Winter Summit. University of Memphis. February 2024.

• “(Re)making Space in an Age of Prohibition: Classroom Design and Civic Action.” Coauthored with John Pell. 20th Biennial RSA National Conference. Baltimore, MD. May 2022.
  
  
• Roundtable Speaker. “Exploring Eco-Cognitive Approaches to Digital Composition.” 72st Annual CCCC. April 2021.

UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS (2013-Present)

Department of English

Honors College 

Honors Forum 1100: How to Conspiracy Theory

Keynotes and Invited Talks

• Invited Lecture. “From Sarcastic Parrots to Ambiguous Octopuses: Teaching and Learning with
  Generative AI.” Pomeranian University (Poland). 26 November 2025. 
• Invited Lecture. “Inductive, Inclusive, Iterative: Developing AI Literacy in Practice.” AI Community of Practice and the Institute for Intelligent Systems. 18 September 2025.
• Invited Lecture. “Rethinking AI Literacy for Humanities Teachers.” Tribhuvan University (Nepal). 14 May 2025. 
• Invited Lecture. “Making Meaning with AI in Health Communication.” Pokhara University (Nepal). 13 May 2025. 
• Keynote. “Inductive, Inclusive, Iterative: Developing AI Literacy in Practice.” Faculty Development
  Symposium. Western Carolina University. 28 February 2025.
• Invited Lecture. “Writing Across Boundaries: Generative AI-Driven Innovations in Pedagogy and
  Practice.” Co-presented with Emily Gillo. Global Expert Lecture Series. Central Luzon State University (The Philippines). 17 December 2024.

Interviews and Podcasts

• Featured Interview. “Writing the Rules: Humanities Perspectives on Generative AI.” UM3D Podcast. 29 September 2025.
• Featured Interview. “AI in Education.” The President’s Perspective with Bill Hardgrove. Vol. 46. 2024.

Workshops and Roundtables 

• Featured Speaker. “Building Better Teams, One Match at a Time.” IIS Research Lightning Talk
  Symposium. University of Memphis. 7 November 2025.
• Workshop Co-Facilitator. Deb Talbot Summer Institute. “AI Literacy for Memphis-Shelby County
  Secondary ELA Teachers.” University of Memphis. 14-15 July 2025.  
• Workshop Facilitator. “Design Thinking for AI Literacy” Faculty Development Symposium. Western Carolina University. 28 February 2025.
• Featured Speaker. “AI and Writing.” Dissertation Writers’ Retreat. University of Memphis McWherter
  Library. 3 June 2024.
• Featured Speaker. “AI in the Humanities” Roundtable. College of Arts and Sciences. University of
  Memphis. 7 November 2023.

 

State of Tennessee

• TN AI Advisory Council. Education Committee. 2026-Present.

 

University of Memphis

• Provost’s AI Community of Practice Task Force. 2025-Present. 
• Dean of Students’ “College to Career” Task Force. 2024-2025.
• Provost’s “AI for All” Task Force. 2024-2025.
• Elected Representative for the Humanities. University Graduate Council. 2022-2023.
• Professional Development Coordinator. English Department. 2017-2021.
• Center for Writing and Communication Advisory Committee. 2016-2017.
• Lead Marshall. College of Arts and Sciences. University Commencement. August 2014.

 

   English Department Committee Work

• Chair, Tenure and Promotion Committee. 2025-Present
• Graduate Studies Committee. 2016-Present; Committee chair, 2021-2025
• Policies and Procedures Committee. 2016-2021
• Lower Division Programs Committee. 2014-2016.
• Tech Comm Faculty Search Committee. 2021-22; 2016-17.
• Director of Composition Faculty Search Committee. 2015-16.
• Instructor Search Committees. 2016; 2014; 2021; 2024.
• Ad Hoc Literature/Composition PhD Planning Committee. 2019.
• Ad Hoc Retention and Recruitment Committee. 2018.
• Ad Hoc Mentoring and Faculty Development Committee. 2013-14.
  
  

   English Department Workshops

• Panel Discussant. CAP Workshop. “Navigating Difficult Student Interactions.” 20 February 2018.
• Panel Discussant. CAP Workshop. “Thinking Early and Often About the Job Market.” 1 September 2015.
• Roundtable Speaker. “Conversations Across Concentrations” Workshop. March 24, 2015.
• Facilitator. Graduate Student Job Materials Workshop. Fall 2014.