Details
April 3, 2024
8:30AM - 12:30PM
First Ladies Then and Now: Communicating Their Message
FLARE presents the Central States Communication Association Pre-Conference
Grand Amway Hotel, Grand Rapids, MI
The field of First Ladies Studies has grown dramatically since the first course was offered in 1982 at the University of Texas-Austin and Betty Ford and Rosalynn Carter hosted the first conference on first ladies in Grand Rapids in 1984. Communication scholars have been at the heart of the growth in scholarship, publications, conference programs, and interviews in various media. With the creation of the interdisciplinary association, founded by seven scholars--including four from communication--and new publications, including the first-ever college textbook, this is an area of study with tremendous potential for communication scholarship, especially for graduate students and early career faculty. To trace the history of this interdisciplinary field of inquiry, Central States is partnering with FLARE--First Ladies Association for Research and Education--to mark the 40th anniversary of the conference at the Gerald R. Ford Museum in Grand Rapids.
"Welcome and comments on the 1984 conference from Gleaves Whitney"
Gleaves Whitney, Gerald R. Ford Foundation
"Welcome and comments on the 1984 conference from Myra Gutin"
Myra Gutin, Rider University
"40 Years Later: The Growth of First Ladies Studies Pedagogy"
Diana Carlin, Saint Louis University; Katie Sibley, St. Joseph's University;
Brooke Clement, Gerald R. Ford Library and Museum;
Kay Sebring-Roberts Kuhlmann, Independent Scholar
"Coffee Break"
"Freedom in the American First Ladyship: The Rhetorical Case of Dr. Jill Biden"
Kelly L. Winfrey, Iowa State University;
Jody Natalle, University of North Carolina Greensboro;
Nichola Gutgold, Penn State Lehigh Valley;
Tammy Vigil, Boston University
"The Next 40 Years: Where Are First Ladies Studies Going and Where Do You Fit In?"
Myra Gutin, Rider University
In-person and virtual options available. Please follow this link: https://associationdatabase.com/aws/CSCA/pt/sp/convention_reg to complete the required registration form. Note, FLARE Lifetime members are eligible to attend at no cost; pre-registration is required.
