Thomas A. Discenna

Professor
Office: 326 Wilson
Phone: (248) 370-4128
Email: [email protected]

Thomas A. Discenna is a professor of communication who generalizes in the study of rhetoric, critical discourse analysis and the philosophy of communication. His scholarship focuses primarily on academic labor though he maintains an abiding interest in the work of early twentieth century German philosopher Ernst Cassirer.  He was the founding advisor to WXOU-FM, President of the OU chapter of the American Association of University Professors and the recipient of the 2020 Distinguished Article Award from the Philosophy of Communication Division of the National Communication Association. 

Research

His work on labor has appeared in journals such as Communication Quarterly, International Journal of Communication, and Western Journal of Communication and he is the author of Discourses of Denial: The Rhetoric of American Academic Labor (Routledge series in Critical Discourse Analysis).  His work on Cassirer has appeared in Rhetorica and Philosophical Profiles in the Theory of Communication. He is currently at work on a book about Battlestar Galactica. 

Teaching, Service and Life

Professor Discenna hosts a podcast on the Education channel of the New Books Network. He teaches a variety of courses in the department including Introduction to Communication, Persuasion and Social Change, and Discourse Theory. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his family, is an avid cyclist and a reluctant runner.  He is not certain what is chasing him but is sure that it is catching up and it bears him an ill-will.