Discover My Research
This page provides information about my research, including my three peer-reviewed books and some significant essay publications. Contact me to request copies of my writing.
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Published Books
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Journal Articles & Book Chapters
30+
Conference Presentations
Books
Rhetoric, Politics, and Hamilton: An American Musical
Jeffrey P. Mehltretter Drury & Sara A. Mehltretter Drury (Eds.), Peter Lang, 2021
A passion project, this volume includes eleven chapters by different communication scholars analyzing various aspects of the hit musical. The chapters are organized around three main themes: public memory, social identity, and democratic change.
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Argumentation in Everyday Life
Jeffrey P. Mehltretter Drury, SAGE Publishing, 2019
This textbook is designed for undergraduate students to learn the basics of how argue effectively and ethically in a variety of contexts. The example-rich chapters offer numerous practical applications of the content in personal, professional, and public life.
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Speaking With the People’s Voice
Jeffrey P. Mehltretter Drury, Texas A&M University Press, 2014
This book analyzes how presidents invoke public opinion as a form of governance. I studied more than 220 presidential speeches from JFK to GWB to uncover three different, recurring argumentative patterns tailored to various situations, goals, and audiences.
Purchase Speaking with the People’s Voice
Some Noteworthy Essay Publications
Evaluating Social Media Arguments
“Is Cogent Argumentation Possible Through Social Media?” in Local Theories of Argument. Edited by Dale Hample. New York: Routledge, 2021.
This essay uses Michael Calvin McGee’s concept of fragmentation as a vehicle to evaluate arguments in a social media context, through a case study of two tweets.
Exploring “Agency” in Rhetoric
“Beyond ‘Rhetorical Agency’: Skutnik’s Story in the 1982 State of the Union Address.” Western Journal of Communication 82 (2018): 40-58.
This essay offers theoretical insights about the concept of agency through an analysis of Reagan’s use of Lenny Skutnik in the 1982 State of the Union address.
Studying Appeals to Unity & Healing
“Robert F. Kennedy, ‘Statement on the Death of Reverend Martin Luther King, Rally in Indianapolis, Indiana’ (4 April 1968) and Robert F. Kennedy, ‘Remarks at the Cleveland City Club’ (5 April 1968).” Voices of Democracy 11 (2016): 1-24. Online, 2017.
This essay, co-authored with Cole Crouch, analyzes Kennedy’s famous speeches as a form of prophetic rhetoric.
Understanding Rogue Rhetors
“The Rhetoric of Rogue Ethos: Chris Christie’s Swing from ‘Boss’ to ‘Bully.’” Journal of Contemporary Rhetoric 4 (2014): 19-38.
Through a case study of Chris Christie’s rhetoric, this essay offers the concept of “rogue ethos” to understand how some political rhetors might gain favor through violations of civic norms.
