Lisa S. Villadsen

Primary fields of research

My primary research interest concerns rhetoric's role in public life, and I study it through rhetorical criticism. I am especially interested in how rhetoric reflects and reveals the norms undergirding messages and discussions in the public realm, primarily in a political context. This is why I do most of my work in these areas: 

• Rhetorical citizenship
• Public debate and dissent
• Official apologies

Current research

I am currenty working on projects on:

• Political debate, broadly conceived, incl. dissent 
• Rhetorical citizenship as a theoretircal and critical approach
• Norms for public debate, incl. listening offentlig debat
• Official apologies in collective memory

Teaching

At the BA level I teach Rhetorical Criticism 

At the MA level I teach Debate Culture and Rhetorical Citizenship. 

I have previously taught:

BA: Introduction to Rhetoric, General Rhetoric I and II, Speech workshop, Public Speaking, Rhetorical Theory and Analysis, Introduktion til Retorik, Philosophy of Science for Rhetoric, Apologia and Official Apologies.

KA: Rhetoric and the Postmodern, Rhetorical Citizenshio, The Rhetoric of Official apologies.

At the Ph.D. level I have taught at Ph.D. courses in Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Belgium on topics such as rhetorical criticism, rhetorical agency, political rhetoric and rhetorical approaches to text analysis. 

Most recently I have advised at the BA, MA and PhD levels on these topics:

• Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Moderaternes election campaign rhetoric in a constitutve perspective. 
• The tv program "Ellen Imellem" and 'cross cutting' conversations
• Inger Støjberg's rhetorical power
• The concept WOKE
• The concept parresia in contemporary rhetoric 
• Populism in Social Democratic political rhetoric  
• The pharse "taking care of Danmark" in political rhetoric
• Anger as a rhetorical form  

CV

Education

2000   Ph.d.  Northwestern University, USA, Department of  Communication Studies. Title: “The Rhetoric of Seduction”

1995   MA  Northwestern University, USA, Department of Communication Studies. Title: “Robert G. Ingersoll’s Eulogy for Walt Whitman: Toward a Popular Aesthetic of Communication”

1993   BA  University of Copenhagen, Dept. of Philosophy, Education and Rehtoric (Rhetoric and Law)

Academic appointments:

Professor of Rhetoric. Department of Communication, Aug. 2020 - present

Head of Studies: Dept. of Media, Cognition and Communication, University of Copenhagen, Feb. 2013. - Jan. 2016

Associate Professor of Rhetoric: Dept. of Media, Cognition and Communication, University of Copenhagen, August 2005 - 2020

Amanuensis: Dept. of Media, Cognition and Communication, University of Copenhagen, Dec. 2004 - July 2005

Assitant Professor of Rhetoric: Dept. of Media, Cognition and Communication, University of Copenhagen, Aug. 2000 - Dec. 2004

Amanuensis: Dept. of Media, Cognition and Communication, University of Copenhagen, Aug. 1999 - July 2000

External Lecturer: Dept. of Media, Cognition and Communication, University of Copenhagen, Sept. 1998  - July 1999

Teaching Assistant: Northwestern University, Sept. 1993 - June 1998                       

Leadership experience

2020-2024         Member of the “repræsentantskab” for The Danish Language Council, deputy chair of the board.

2019-present      Head of Section: Section of Rhetoric. Department of Communication, UCPH

2012-2019         Head of Section: Section of Rhetoric.Department of Media, Cognition and Communication, UCPH

2012-2019         Ph.D. Coordinator, Section of Rhetoric. Department of Media, Cognition and Communication, UCPH

2013- 2016      Head of Studies. Department of Media, Cognition and Communication, UCPH

2012-2013         Organizer of ”Rhetoric in Society 4” Conference. Jan. 15-18, 2013.

2012-2013       Leader of the research group “Rhetoric Forum”. Section of Rhetoric, Department of Media, Cognition and Communication, UCPH

2011-2014         Editor-in-chief, Rhetorica Scandinavica (Nordic rhetoric journal).

2007-2012       Leader of the strategic research group “Public Debate”, Section of Rhetoric, Department of Media, Cognition and Communication, UCPH

2007-2009         Grant holder and responsible for the Researchers’ Network ”Rhetorical Citizenship: Perspectives on Deliberative Democracy” (funded by the Danish Research Council for the Humanities):

• Research seminars
• Guest lectures
• Faculty seminars
• International interdisciplinary conference ”Rhetorical Citizenship and Deliberative Democracy”, UCPH, Oct. 2008

2005-2015         National editor (Denmark) Rhetorica Scandinavica.

Special issues editor Rhetorica Scandinavica:

Epideictic Rhetoric (2005)

Rhetorical Criticism (2003)

Professional development

2023                 Course on leadership and leader roles in research envirnoments. Arr. Dept. of Communication and Mobilize

2020                 Leading Research – a leadership course. 4-day course. Arr.: LUKU, Leadership Development at UCPH. Oct.-Nov. 2020. Registered.

2020 RSA Career Retreat on Leadership. 1-day retreat. Arr.: Professor Victoria Gallagher, North Carolina State University and Professor David Kaufer, Carnegie Mellon University. May 21, 2020. Registered.

2014                 Organizational law for Heads of Study and Education Leaders. Arr. UCPH Competence & Leadership Development

Media and message training for leaders. 1-day media training course. Arr. UCPH Competence & Leadership Development

2013-2014         “LUKU basis”. 6-day course on administrative, strategic, scientific and personnel leadership, incl. 360 degrees feedback. In addition: three half-day learning group meetings.Arr.: UCPH HR

2013                  University finance control.1-day course. Arr. UCPH Central Economic Unit (Koncern-økonomi, KU)

2011                 Supervision of Ph.D. students. Two-day course offered by PUMA, UCPH.

2009-10             Research Management Course. Copenhagen Business School. Nine-day course, Nov. 2009-Mar. 2010.

2008                 Implement’s Project Leader Training Course. Seven-day course, Oct.-Dec. 2008.             

Other activities

2012-present: Head of Section and Ph.d. coordinator,  Section of Rhetoric, Dept. of Media, Cognition and Communication, University of Copenhagen

2012-2015   Leader of the research group Rhetoric Forum, Section of Rhetoric, Dept. of Media, Cognition and Communication, University of Copenhagen

2011-2014  Editor in chief, Rhetorica Scandinavica, Journal for rhetoric research  

2007-2012 Leader of Leder af the research group Public Debate, Section of Rhetoric, Dept. of Media, Cognition and Communication, University of Copenhagen

2007-2009 Leader of the research network "Rhetorical Citizneship. Perspectives on Deliberative Democracy" (FKK grant), including an internationalconference "Rhetorical Citiznehsip and Deliberative Democracy" UCPH, Oct. 2008. 

2005 -2015  National editor at Rhetorica  Scandinavica, Nordic journal for research in rhetoric 

Service etc. 

2012 -2016 : Member of Board of Directors, Rhetoric Society of America

Feb. 2011 – Nov. 2014: Member of RSA International Task Force