Biography
Karen Shea has enjoyed teaching English at Johnson & Wales University for thirty-two years. After teaching English in Japan for four years, she joined the ESL faculty at JWU, teaching writing, grammar, and communication skills courses to international students. In September 2016, she joined the English department, where she teaches courses focusing on composition, communication and rhetorical theory.
In 2017, Shea graduated with a Ph.D. in Rhetoric & Composition from the University of Rhode Island, where she studied the histories, theories and practical applications of writing and rhetoric, ultimately focusing her dissertation research on multiculturalism and comparative rhetoric. She is particularly interested in conducting research related to open-mindedness, experiential education, writing in the disciplines, and high vs. low context communication styles.
Helping JWU students gain confidence in their communication skills by encouraging them to consider every act of writing or speaking as a distinctive rhetorical situation has been both rewarding and educational, and Shea is honored to have the opportunity to contribute to their postsecondary academic and personal growth.
Education
PhD, University of Rhode Island
Rhetoric & Composition / English
MEd, Rhode Island College
Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL)
BA, Connecticut College
English
Credly Badge: Blackboard Ultra Foundations
JWU Center for Teaching & Learning
Educational Effectiveness Envoy
Johnson & Wales University Center for Teaching & Learning
Generative Artificial Intelligence Digital Badge
JWU Center for Teaching & Learning
Instructional Design Technology Informational Series Certificate
JWU Center for Teaching & Learning
Mental Heath First Aid USA Certification
National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Experiential Learning Foundations Certificate
Institute for Experiential Learning
Neurodiversity Microlearning Series Digital Badge
JWU Center for Teaching & Learning
Academic Integrity Workshop Series Badge
JWU Office of Community Standards & Conduct
30-Year JWU Celebration of Service Award
JWU
JWU Game Changer
JWU
The Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education
Shea, K. & Renault, R. The Interrupted Eclipse. (Editor).
Shea, K. & Manke, K. (2019). Living Pragmatism: Alice Dewey’s Open-Minded Approach to Experiential Education and Cross-Cultural Immersion: Recovering Overlooked Pragmatists in Communication. (Book Chapter).
Palgrave Macmillan.
Shea, K. (2016). John Dewey’s Letters from Asia: Implications for Redefining “Openness” in Rhetoric and Composition. (Dissertation).
JWU REAL Certificate Program, “REAL Certificate Program, Session 1: Advancing Your REAL Practice,” JWU Center for Teaching & Learning, Providence, RI. (November 7, 2025).
Portsmouth Public Library, “Overcoming Your Fear of Public Speaking,” Town of Portsmouth, RI, Portsmouth, RI. (September 22, 2025).
University Scholarship & Best Practices Expo, “Supporting Diverse Teaching Styles by Creating Multiple Master Course Shells,” JWU Center for Teaching & Learning, Providence, RI, United States. (February 14, 2025).
POD 2024 Conference, “Supporting Adjunct Faculty Through the Center for Teaching & Learning,” Professional and Organizational Development in Higher Education (POD), Chicago, IL, United States. (November 12, 2024).
University Scholarship and Best Practices Expo, “Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Conceptualizing “Rules” in Graphic Design and Writing,” Johnson & Wales University. (April 12, 2024).
JWU Center for Teaching & Learning, “Writing in the Disciplines: A Workshop for Creating Effective WID Assignments,” JWU Center for Teaching & Learning, Providence, RI. (March 26, 2024).
University Scholarship and Best Practices Expo, “Engaging graphic design students in writing through collaborative learning,” JWU, Providence, RI, United States. (April 23, 2023).
University Scholarship and Best Practices Expo, “Visual Essays: When Design Theory and Practice Meets Rhetoric and Composition,” Johnson & Wales University, Providence, RI, United States. (April 23, 2023).
Atlantic Center for Learning Communities (ACLC) Conference, “Ethos, Logos, & Pathos: The Relevance of Rhetorical Appeals Across the Disciplines,” ACLC, West Hartford. (October, 2019).
Faculty Showcase, “Living Pragmatism: Alice Dewey’s Open-Minded Approach to Experiential Education and Cross-Cultural Immersion,” JWU, Providence, RI. (October 25, 2018).
Conference on College Composition & Communication (CCCC), “Cultivating Engagement Through Open-Mindedness, Hospitality, and Intercultural Dialogue in Basic Writing Classrooms,” CCCC, Portland, OR. (March, 2017).
Northern New England Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (NNETESOL) Conference, “Topic: Using Rhetorical Reading Strategies to Help Oral Communication and Writing Students Read Scholarly Articles,” NNETESOL, Gorham, ME. (November, 2016).
MATSOL Conference (Massachusetts Association of Teachers to Speakers of Other Languages), “Not Only in Words: Multimodality and Prezi in Postsecondary ESL,” MATSOL, Framingham, MA. (May, 2016).
Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC), “Reading Workshop: Pedagogies, Processes, Purposes, Practices,” CCCC, Houston, TX. (April 6, 2016).
Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC), “’I Never Did This in My Country’: Easing Post-Secondary ESL Writers out of Their Comfort Zones by Introducing Them to Rhetorical Reading and Prezi,” CCCC, Tampa, FL. (March, 2015).
MATSOL Conference, “Writing About Writing and Speaking About Speaking: ESL Topics Renewed,” Massachusetts Association of Teachers to Speakers of Other Languages (MATSOL), Framingham, MA, United States. (May 9, 2014).
Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC), “Interpretations and Interactions: Creating Opportunities for Critical Reflection on the Social Development of Language through Literacy Narratives and Literacy Event Analyses in the Democratic Writing Classroom,” CCCC, Indianapolis, IN, United States. (March, 2014).