Lois Self

Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison

Specialty:

History of Rhetoric and Public Address, Gender Communication

Profile:

Department Chair and consultant for interdisciplinary curriculum development in women's studies and multiculturalism.

Lois Self was born in Durham, NC and earned a BA with honors in History at St. Andrews Presbyterian College, an MA in American History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Ph.D. in Communication Arts at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. She has taught at Northern Illinois University since 1979 and is co-author of a textbook on multicultural aspects of communication skills.

She has written numerous articles and professional papers which have been presented at conferences throughout the U.S. and abroad. She has also visited Ireland and Thailand to consult on the development of Women's Studies and conduct research. She has chaired the Women's Caucus of the Speech Communication Association and the Chicago Area Women's Studies Association. Professor Self also consults with various non-profit, professional and corporate groups on gender and communication skills and issues in the workplace. Her research centers on gender issues in rhetoric and communication studies. She directed Northern's interdisciplinary Women's Studies Program for nine years and served on the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Senate and has chaired the Provost's Task Force on Multicultural Curriculum Reform. She now serves as the Chair of the Department of Communication at Northern. She also serves as the Executive Secretary of the Northern Illinois Newspaper Association.

Dr. Self and her husband, Robert Self, who teaches film and literature and directs the Freshman English Program at NIU, live in Sycamore, IL. Their daughter Sarah is a junior at Oberlin College

In her "spare" time, Lois enjoys working with educational and civic organizations, reading, riding horses, and walking on beaches. 

Contact Information

Faculty

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