Professor Rhodes teaches in English and Communication Studies and currently serves as the Associate Dean of Career Education.
In the classroom, Professor Rhodes tries to design each course as cross between a high-level symposium and a summer camp. In her face-to-face classes, students move around the room, interact, play games, and build relationships. This helps students engage more deeply with the ideas they’re encountering—and with each other. In the online environment, students do group projects, provide their fellow students with feedback, and gain valuable skills through case studies and practical, real-world application activities.
To understand the nature of English and Communication Studies, says Professor Rhodes, “You need to unite head and heart. Whether you’re in the classroom or learning in front of your computer, you must reach outside yourself to attempt to know and understand others. That’s good advice for living your best life, too.”
In addition to her 25+ years of teaching, Professor Rhodes has been a Peace Corps Volunteer, a Park Ranger, a change strategist, and a playwright. Her worst job was folding shop towels all day in a factory. Her best job is the one she has now.