Spring Break
Conspiracy theories and public speaking pique prof's interests
Monica Collin
Issue date: 4/22/08 Section: Campus News
Though most of her childhood was spent in Iowa, communications professor Chara Van Horn spent time growing up in Illinois, Ohio and New Mexico as well.
Van Horn was hired by the Communications Department at UT Martin in August 2007 to teach public speaking.
Van Horn spent most of her adult life in Texas and attended college at West Texas A & M. She started out as a pre-med student but soon changed to Radio-TV Film. While taking communication classes for this major, she discovered public speaking and acquired a passion for it.
"I view it as a performance, where I can let my inner diva out," Van Horn said.
After graduating from West Texas A & M with a double major in Radio-TV Film and Speech, Van Horn took a job in Wisconsin working at a radio station. It didn't take long for her to realize this wasn't for her, so she went back to West Texas A & M for a Master's in Communication.
Upon receiving her degree, Van Horn began teaching at Texas A & M University at Kingsville as a lecturer and director of Forensics where she also served as speech and debate coach.
Not long after, Van Horn decided to pursue a Ph.D. at Georgia State University in Atlanta. Her Ph.D. will be in public communication with emphasis in rhetorical theory and criticism in political communication. She has completed all but her dissertation, which she is working on while teaching at UT Martin.
Van Horn was the middle child in a large family which moved around frequently. Her grandfather was a conspiracy theorist, which inspired her dissertation. Van Horn said her dissertation focuses on the intersection between conspiracy theories and the Warren Commission and 9/11 reports-a rhetorical criticism about the reports and their relationships to conspiracy theory.
Exposure to conspiracy theory has been an influential part of Van Horn's life. She graduated high school in Roswell, New Mexico which was the site of an alleged UFO crash in 1947. Last Tuesday, Van Horn led the discussion at UTM on the Stephenville, Texas UFO sightings.
Van Horn was hired by the Communications Department at UT Martin in August 2007 to teach public speaking.
Van Horn spent most of her adult life in Texas and attended college at West Texas A & M. She started out as a pre-med student but soon changed to Radio-TV Film. While taking communication classes for this major, she discovered public speaking and acquired a passion for it.
"I view it as a performance, where I can let my inner diva out," Van Horn said.
After graduating from West Texas A & M with a double major in Radio-TV Film and Speech, Van Horn took a job in Wisconsin working at a radio station. It didn't take long for her to realize this wasn't for her, so she went back to West Texas A & M for a Master's in Communication.
Upon receiving her degree, Van Horn began teaching at Texas A & M University at Kingsville as a lecturer and director of Forensics where she also served as speech and debate coach.
Not long after, Van Horn decided to pursue a Ph.D. at Georgia State University in Atlanta. Her Ph.D. will be in public communication with emphasis in rhetorical theory and criticism in political communication. She has completed all but her dissertation, which she is working on while teaching at UT Martin.
Van Horn was the middle child in a large family which moved around frequently. Her grandfather was a conspiracy theorist, which inspired her dissertation. Van Horn said her dissertation focuses on the intersection between conspiracy theories and the Warren Commission and 9/11 reports-a rhetorical criticism about the reports and their relationships to conspiracy theory.
Exposure to conspiracy theory has been an influential part of Van Horn's life. She graduated high school in Roswell, New Mexico which was the site of an alleged UFO crash in 1947. Last Tuesday, Van Horn led the discussion at UTM on the Stephenville, Texas UFO sightings.
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