Sonja K. Foss papers

Dr. Sonja K. Foss is a rhetorical scholar and professor emerita of communication at the University of Colorado Denver.

Sonja Kay Foss and her twin sister, Karen A. Foss, were born in Portland, Oregon, on January 26, 1950, to Lyle W. Foss and Hazel Mortenson Foss. Foss grew up in Eugene, Oregon, where her father was a sales representative, and her mother was the director of the Widowed Services Program at the University of Oregon. Foss earned a B.A. in romance languages (Spanish and French) from the University of Oregon in 1972, an M.A. in speech (rhetoric and public address) from the University of Oregon in 1973, and a Ph.D. in communication studies from Northwestern University in 1976. Foss married Anthony Radich in 1972. After completing her Ph.D., Foss moved with Radich to Reno, Nevada, where she worked as a customer service representative for Banta West, a book manufacturing company. When the company closed, Foss began teaching.

Foss taught at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University [Virginia Tech] from 1977-1978, Norfolk State University from 1978-1980, the University of Denver from 1980-1986, the University of Oregon from 1986-1989, Ohio State University from 1990-1996, and the University of Colorado Denver from 1997-2019. She was a visiting professor at the University of Georgia in spring 1985 and at St. Louis University from 1989-1990. At the University of Colorado Denver, Foss served as the chair of the Department of Communication from 1997- 2003, in spring 2005, and in fall 2007.

Foss’s research and teaching interests include contemporary rhetorical theory and criticism, feminist perspectives on communication, the incorporation of marginalized voices into rhetorical theory, visual rhetoric, and the reconceptualization of communication theories and concepts. Foss regularly presents her research at regional and national conferences. She has written and contributed to many articles, book chapters, and books, including Contemporary Perspectives on Rhetoric (1985), Women Speak: The Eloquence of Women's Lives (1991), Inviting Transformation: Presentational Speaking for a Changing World (1994), Rhetorical Criticism: Exploration and Practice (1988), Feminist Rhetorical Theories (1999), Readings in Contemporary Rhetoric (2002), Readings in Feminist Rhetorical Theory (2004), Destination Dissertation: A Traveler's Guide to a Done Dissertation (2007), Gender Stories: Negotiating Identity in a Binary World (2013), and Inviting Understanding: A Portrait of Invitational Rhetoric (2020).

Foss serves on the editorial boards of various communication journals, and from 1981-1988, served as the coeditor with her sister Karen Foss, who is also a rhetorical scholar, of the journal Women's Studies in Communication. In 1997, Foss founded Scholars' Retreat, writing retreats that provide individualized assistance for graduate students and faculty members working on their theses, dissertations, and other academic publications.

Foss has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Francine Merritt Award for contributions to women in communication from the Speech Communication Association in 1993, the Gender Scholar of the Year from the Southern Communication Association in 2005, the Distinguished Scholar Award from the Western States Communication Association in 2011, the Douglas W. Ehninger Distinguished Rhetorical Scholar Award from the National Communication Association in 2012, and the Outstanding Faculty Achievement Award from the University of Colorado Denver in 2013.