As William Banks argues, Rhetoric and Composition has recently “seen an embodied turn, a turn that centers bodies in our writing as a materialist techné rather than merely a metaphor” (2022, p. xi). My research contributes to this embodied turn, asking how we can use our bodies to produce and disseminate knowledge and, further, how the academy can hold space for these kinds of embodied ways of knowing.
To requests copies of any presentation materials, please send me an email.
M.A./Ph.D., English (Rhetoric), Doctoral Minor: Race & Writing Studies (July 2025)
Dissertation: From Writers to Content Creators: Teaching, Embodiment, & Multimodal Composition (Defended with Distinction)
Committee: Justin Hodgson (chair), Katie Silvester, Dana Anderson, & Robert Terrill
Indiana University, Bloomington, IN.
Bachelor of Arts, Major: English, Minor: Linguistics, Certificate for the Professions: Spanish
University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 2018
Dissertation Overview: This project investigates how to improve writing instruction in higher education, especially for students with marginalized bodies. Situating my work at the nexus of two burgeoning subfields of Rhetoric and Composition—multimodal composition and embodied composition—I argue that the practice of video blogging (vlogging) can be mined for its scholarly and pedagogical potentials. As folks intentionally craft and situate their embodied selves on screen for particular audiences and purposes, they are engaging in rhetorical acts. In my work, I explore what these rhetorical acts teach us about awareness of the composing process and articulate how they help us shape pedagogical approaches. I argue that embodied-multimodal composition fosters more engaged, empathetic, and rhetorically savvy students.
Research and Teaching Interests: Composition Pedagogy; Multimodal Composition; Embodied Rhetorics; Feminist Rhetorics; Digital Literacy; Writing Center Studies
Publications & Projects
Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles
Fischer, Sarah, Laura Rosche, and Megan McCool. “Doing It Herself: Cultivating a Feminist Ecological Ethos as a Female Graduate Student.”
Xchanges, vol. 15, no. 1, 2021.
Book Chapters
Fischer, Sarah. “Is the Writing Center Safe Yet? Narrative Vignettes of Women’s
Bodily Security in our ‘Cozy Home’.” Disruptive Stories: Amplifying Voices from the Writing
Center Margins, edited by Kleinfeld, Lee, & Prebel., Utah State University Press. 2024.
Book Reviews
Fischer, Sarah. “Review of Melissa Nicolas and Anna Sicari’s Our Body of Work: Embodied
Administration and Teaching.” Composition Forum, vol. 52, 2023.
Interviews
Fischer, Sarah. "Michelle LaFrance on her book, Institutional Ethnography." CaMP Anthropology. 2020.
Digital Projects
Fischer, Sarah and Saurabh Anand (co-editors). “Digital Literacy, Multimodality, & The Writing Center.”
Digital Rhetoric Collaborative, Blog Carnival 22, September 2024.
Assistant Professor
Department of Writing Studies, University of Miami
WRS105: Multiliteracies and Rhetorical Foundations (1 section) (face-to-face)
First-year writing course taught with a Writing About Writing approach
Associate Instructor (Instructor of Record)
Department of English, Indiana University, 2019-2020; 2021-2024
Courses marked with * were self-designed
W131: Reading Writing and Inquiry (2 sections) (face-to-face)
First-year writing course themed around topics of race and language; taught using a rhetorical approach to writing
W131 Multilingual: Reading Writing and Inquiry (3 sections) (face-to-face)
First-year writing course for multilingual writers themed around culture, identity, and languaging; taught using a rhetorical approach to writing
W171: Projects in Digital Literacy (1 sections) (face-to-face)
First-year digital literacy course themed around digital monuments; taught using Adobe Express, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Premiere Rush, and Minecraft EDU.
*W171: Like, Comment, Subscribe: The Role of Social Media Influencers (4 sections) (face-to-face)
First-year digital literacy course themed around the rhetorical strategies of social media influencers; taught using Adobe Express, Adobe Premiere Rush, Adobe Premiere Pro, and Wix.com
*R209: Public Storytelling Through Video (1 section) (online, synchronous)
8-week Intensive Writing course themed around the rhetorical strategies used on video-based social media platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram; taught using Adobe Premiere Rush
Associate Instructor (Instructor of Record)
College of Arts and Sciences, Indiana University, 2020-2021
P155: Public Oral Communication (4 sections) (online, synchronous)
Public speaking course taught using rhetorical approaches to communication
Teaching Apprentice
Department of English, Indiana University, Spring 2023 (face-to-face)
L756: Embodiment and Writing: Attuning to Perspectives in Rhetoric and Composition
Graduate Seminar in which I assisted in building the syllabus, facilitating discussion, and designing weekly assignments
Dissertation Writing Group Facilitator -- The Writing Center
University of Miami, Fall 2025 (face-to-face and online)
Article Writing Workshop Coordinator (Graduate Assistantship) – Writing Tutorial Services
Indiana University, Fall 2024 (face-to-face and online)
Writing Center Consultant – Writing Tutorial Services
Indiana University, 2019-present (face-to-face and online)
Writing Group Facilitator – Writing Tutorial Services
Indiana University, 2021-present (face-to-face and online)
Conference Presentations
“Embracing Students' B-Sides of Composing: Generative AI, Prompt Engineering, & Active Learning Pedagogy”
Conference on College Composition and Communication, Baltimore, MD, April 9-12, 2025
“Graduate Student Experience with Digital Storytelling: Disrupting Inequality & Fostering Agency”
(Roundtable Discussion with the Digital Rhetoric Collaborative)
Computers & Writing Conference, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX, June 21-23, 2024
“Digital Literacy & Active Learning: A Case Study on an Alternative Approach to
Computers & Writing Conference, UC Davis, CA, June 22-25, 2023
“Embracing the Strange: Defamiliarizing the Writing Process through
Embodied-Multimodal Composition”
Indiana University Graduate Student Conference, Online, March 24-25, 2023
“Pedagogies of Flesh: Embodied, Lived Experience as Feminist Practices for Teaching and
Researching | Vlogging as Hope”
Conference on College Composition and Communication, Chicago, IL, February 15-18, 2023
“Towards a More Equitable Writing Center: Rethinking Commonplace Tutoring Strategies
for Working with Multilingual Writers”
Conference on College Composition and Communication, Online, March 9, 2022
“Ruptured Hopes: Interrogating Reciprocity in Community Writing Partnerships”
Conference on College Composition and Communication, Milwaukee, WI, March 25-28, 2020 (cancelled due to COVID-19)
“Doing It Herself: Cultivating A Feminist Ecological Ethē as a Female Graduate Student”
Feminisms and Rhetorics Conference, Harrisonburg, VA, November 13-16, 2019
“Rethinking Reciprocal Relationships through Conversations about Consent in Community Writing”
Indiana University Graduate Student Conference, Bloomington, IN, March 1-2, 2019
Workshop Presentations
“Supercharge Your Dissertation: Establishing a Daily Writing Practice”
Writing Tutorial Services at Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, May 2, 2024
“Assigning & Assessing Multimodal Portfolios”
Digital Gardener Initiative at Indiana University, Online, March 21-22, 2024
“Building Digital Portfolios: Platforms & Pedagogies”
Digital Gardener Initiative at Indiana University, Online, November 10, 2023
“Tutoring Strategies for Reflective Writing Assignments”
Writing Tutorial Services at Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, November 9, 2023
“Academic Websites and Digital Portfolios in the Writing Classroom”
Digital Gardener Initiative at Indiana University, Online, April 19, 2023
“Writing for Scholarship Application Essays”
Gilman Scholarship Information Session at Indiana University, In-person and Online, Fall 2019; Spring 2020; Fall 2021; Spring 2021
“Integrating Hypothesis With Canvas (An Interactive Workshop)”
IU Online Conference, Indiana University, October 28-29, 2021
“Embodied Writing and Tutoring Practices”
Writing Tutorial Services at Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, February 25-26, 2021
Invited Talks
“From Writing Tutoring to Social Media Coordination”
Writing Tutorial Services at Indiana University, Online, April 15, 2023
“Academia + YouTube: Performing Academia on YouTube/Producing YouTube
In Academia”
Indiana University Rhetoric Colloquium, Bloomington, IN, September 22, 2022
“Teaching Multilingual Writers: 5 Quick Tips”
University of Toronto, Online, June 10, 2022
“Engaging with Communities, Stories, and Fields of Practice Beyond the Academy:
Grounded Methods and Methodologies”
L756: Field Work at Indiana University, Online, October 1, 2021
Honors & Awards
Excellence in Teaching Award Honorable Mention
Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools, 2024
Presented annually to a graduate student who exemplifies excellence in the teaching and learning mission of their university.
Lieber Memorial Associate Instructor Award
Indiana University, 2024
Presented annually to 2 graduate students across all IU campuses; the highest level of recognition for teaching for Associate Instructors.
Culbertson Teaching Portfolio Award
Indiana University, Department of English, 2020
Presented annually to 3 IU Bloomington graduate students in the English Department who are in their 1st year of teaching composition.
Grants & Fellowships
Culbertson Dissertation Fellowship ($13,000)
Indiana University, Department of English, Spring 2025
Louise McNutt Fellowship ($10,000)
Indiana University, Department of English, Fall 2023
Culbertson Travel Fund Award (various)
Indiana University, Department of English, 2019; 2020; 2023; 2024
First-Year Graduate Student Fellowship ($18,000)
Indiana University, Department of English, Fall-Spring 2018
Service
RSA Student Chapter—Committee Co-Chair
Indiana University, Department of English, 2021-2022
RSA Student Chapter—Committee Member
Indiana University, Department of English, 2018-present
Graduate Student Advisory Council—Pedagogy & Composition Committee Co-Chair
Indiana University, Department of English, 2020-2021
IWCA Outstanding Book Award—Committee Member
International Writing Centers Association, 2019
VITAL—English as a New Language Tutor
Monroe County Public Library, 2019
Professional Development
Digital Rhetoric Collaborative Graduate Student Fellow 2023-2024
Sweetland Digital Rhetoric Collaborative, University of Michigan, September 2023-August 2024
Digital Gardener Initiative Faculty Fellows Cohort
Indiana University, September 2023-present
Digital Gardener Initiative Graduate Student Cohort
Indiana University, Online, Fall 2022-Spring 2023
Adobe Creative Campus Faculty Fellow 2022
Online, June 21-27, 2022
Practicum on Teaching Multilingual Writers
Online, August 2021
Practicum on Teaching First-Year Composition
Indiana University, August-December 2019
“Code Switching: Race and Digital Rhetoric” Seminar
Rhetoric Society of America Summer Institute 2019, College Park, MD, June 3-6, 2019