Dr. Philip Perdue

Dr. Perdue – Curriculum Vitae »

Education background

Ph.D., Rhetoric, Indiana University, Bloomington
M.A., Communication and Culture, Indiana University, Bloomington
B.A., Interdisciplinary Concentration: Rhetoric, Religion, and Politics in the American Public Sphere, Western Washington University, Bellingham

Research fields / areas of specialty / teaching

• Communication Studies
• Rhetorical Theory and Criticism
• Visual Rhetoric
• Religious Studies

Professional Memberships / Organizations / Activities

• National Communication Association
• Rhetoric Society of America
• Reading The Pictures

Certifications

• Advanced Pedagogy Certificate, Department of Communication and Culture, Indiana University

About Dr. Perdue

My time in higher education started in 1993 when I enrolled at Pensacola Christian College to train as a commercial artist. I wanted a degree in visual art and design, but by 1996 plans had changed and I headed out to Washington state. Living in the Pacific Northwest, I chased a music career, as one does, while also reading up on history, religion, and politics.

Such interests led me back to school in 2004, this time at the Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies in Bellingham, WA. I soaked up as many oddball courses as I could. A supportive faculty member there encouraged me to give graduate school a try, so I enrolled at Indiana University in 2011 and focused on visual rhetoric, media, and religious studies. Lots of college basketball, too.

I joined the PC faculty in 2019. These days I write about news photographs, Christian nationalism, and communication strategies people use to keep things working in their favor. Should such topics seem uninviting, ask me instead about stand-up comedy or what to do with scrap wood. I’d also like to paint a mural, so if you have any leads on that I’m all ears.