Faculty
Barry Thatcher
Professor
Email:
bathatch@nmsu.edu
Office Address:
New Mexico State University
Department of English
P.O. Box 30001, MSC 3E
Las Cruces, NM 88003
Phone:
(575) 646-1529
Fax:
(575) 646-7725
Biographical Statement
- Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Professional Communication, ESL Minor, Purdue University (1997).
- B.A. and M.A. English (1989, 1991), North Carolina State University.
I have been at NMSU since 2001, and I have previously taught at Ohio University and La Universidad San Francisco de Quito. I have been a "profesor invitado" at various universities in Mexico. I was born in Idaho but have lived in many places, including four years in Ecuador.
Research and Consulting Interests
My research and consulting focus on cross-border, U.S.-Latin American rhetorical theory, practice, and research methods. I work closely with U.S. and Mexican government agencies, universities, and non-profit organizations to improve mutual respect and understanding, and as a corollary, facilitate crossb-border trade and economic, social, and cultural development. Some of my projects include assessing effectiveness of pre-surgery consent forms for Spanish-speaking hospital patients; developing border health literacy through adult ESL instruction; working on Eco Vida, a border media campaign to promote effective environmental stewardship; research and develop methods for testing tracking technologies for cross-border commercial transportation; and training Mexican truck drivers in U.S. hazmat compliance.
Teaching Interests
I teach a variety of graduate courses including English 665 Intercultural Rhetoric; English 519 Modern Rhetorical Theory; English 548 Composition Research; and English 601 Qualitative Research. My favorite undergraduate course is English 211 Intercultural Writing.
Publications-Journals
Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Rhetoric, Professional Communication, and Globalization. Peer-reviewed, online journal using open source software. First edition to appear in September 2010 and on a quarterly basis after that.
Publications-Books
(Under contract). Intercultural Rhetoric and Professional Communication: Technological Advances and Organizational Behavior. IGI-Global Press.
(2010). Thatcher, Barry and St. Amant, Kirk (co-editors). Teaching intercultural rhetoric and technical communication: Theories, curriculum, pedagogies, and practices. Baywood Publishing.
(2009). Garza Almanza, Victoriano and Thatcher, Barry (co-editors). Comunicación médica y científica en Mexico. Casa Editorial de El Colegio de Chihuahua: Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico.
(2008). Thatcher, Barry and Evia, Carlos (co-editors). Outsourcing Technical Communications. Baywood Publishing.
Publications-Selected Articles
(2010). Understanding digital literacy across cultures. In (eds.) Spilka, Rachel. Anthology of digital literacy for technical communication: 21st Century Theory and Practice. Routledge Press.
(2010). Reading and writing new media across cultures: Issues of fit, reciprocity, and cultural change. In (eds.) Kalmbach, Jim and Ball, Cheryl, Reading and writing new media. Hampton Press Series New Dimensions in Computers and Composition.
(2009). with Urbina, Natalia. Comunicación médica y de salud en la región fronteriza de México y Los Estados Unidos. In (eds.) Garza Almanza, Victoriano and Thatcher, Barry, Comunicación médica y científica en Mexico. Casa Editorial de El Colegio de Chihuahua: Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico.
(2008). Thatcher, Barry and Garza Almanza, Victoriano. Outsourcing in Mexican maquilas. In (Eds), B. Thatcher and C. Evia, Outsourcing technical communications. Baywood Publishing.
(2008). Thatcher, Barry. U.S.-Mexico Border Rhetorics. In (ed.) Andrew Woods, The Borderlands: An encyclopedia of culture and politics on the U.S.-Mexico Border. Greenwood Press.
(2006). Intercultural rhetoric, technology, and writing in Mexican maquilas. Special Technology Transfer Edition of Technical Communication Quarterly 15(3): 383-405.
(2005).With V. Garza-Almanza. ISO 14000 e Industria Maquiladora. Chihuahua Hoy 2005. Visones de su historia, economía, política y cultura. Chihuahua, México: Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez: Ichicult-Doble Hélice.
(2005). Situating L2 writing in global communication technologies. Computers & Composition 22 (3):279-295.
(2004). Rhetorics and communication media across cultures. Journal of English for Academic Purposes 3: 305-320.
Professional Experience
Founder, Border Writing, Las Cruces, NM (2001-present) (www.borderwriting.com)
• Research and develop training materials for Mexican manufacturing plants
• Create hazmat training center for Mexican transportation personnel.
• Develop ISO 14000 Environmental Certification training materials for border manufacturing plants.
• Develop health literacy materials for border health research initiatives.
• Develop EPA test plan for implementing an RFID system that monitors cross-border hazmat movement.
Vice President, Border Environmental Health Committee, Las Cruces, NM (2008-present).
• Help this non-profit organization with research and extension in U.S.-Mexico border health areas.