Dr. Christopher House (M.A., Syracuse University, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh) is a 2011-2012 Predoctoral Diversity Fellow at Ithaca College. Dr. House, a Ronald E. McNair Research Scholar, Syracuse University fellow, and University of Pittsburgh K. Leroy Irvis fellow, is a doctoral candidate at the University of Pittsburgh in the Department of Communication. His research interests are in the domain of Religious Rhetoric, African American rhetoric, Public Address and Rhetorical Theory.
His ongoing dissertation project is situated at the intersection of race, religion and health communication. In this study titled, “Rhetoric(s) of The Black Church: Race, Religion & HIV/AIDS Across the African Diaspora” Mr. House examines the rhetorical strategies, underpinnings and justifications of pastoral communication surrounding the HIV/AIDS crisis that disproportionately affects people of African descent. In this study he focuses on three areas of the world currently ravaged by AIDS--sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean, and the United States-- as they can best provide a representative sample of both world-wide HIV/AIDS cases and diverse Christian churches that speak to the multitudes on a weekly, sometimes daily, basis through a culturally geographic and theologically grounded religious rhetoric.
Drawing on his dissertation research, Mr. House’s forthcoming publication "Standing in a Prophet's Stead: Rhetoric, Power and HIV/AIDS" will appear in a special January 2012 volume of the Memphis Theological Seminary Journal. This special volume focuses on rhetoric and religion. In this article, he raises critical questions concerning the politics of religious leaders speaking for another within the context of the HIV/AIDS epidemic given the historic backdrop of religious discourses of moral judgment against people living with HIV/AIDS. Similarly, his essay “A Voice Crying in the Wilderness: A Wounded Healer, The HIV/ AIDS Rhetoric of Rev. James L. Cherry,” has been designated a “Top Student Debut Paper in Rhetorical Studies” by the National Communication Association’s Religious Communication Association. He will present the paper in New Orleans in November 2011.
Dr. House is an accomplished public, motivational, and inspirational speaker, workshop leader, and lecturer for several religious, non-profit and community organizations in the United States, the Caribbean, Canada, and several African countries. In addition to his academic and professional responsibilities, Dr. House enjoys spending time with his nieces and nephews and rooting for his favorite sports teams.