Cynthia Messenger
Interim Program Director
Associate Professor, Teaching Stream
About me
I am the interim director of the Writing & Rhetoric Program. Currently, I also serve as the director of the Innis Writing Centre. My academic rank is associate professor, teaching stream.
I spearheaded the W&R minor in 2003 and was director until 2016. I have developed courses on a range of subjects for the minor, including rhetorical analysis, writing for the professional workplace, essay writing, word and image, visual rhetoric, and style and writing.
I have been teaching writing in various genres at U of T for many years and have enjoyed teaching on all three U of T campuses. I have brought to my teaching considerable experience as a writing consultant in the professional workplace, principally in Ontario’s Office of the Lieutenant Governor. I received the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal for my work in that office. In 2024, I served as a consultant on ceremonial writing in the Office of Protocol for the City of Toronto.
My teaching and research
Readings and lectures in my courses reflect my interest in fine art, the decorative arts, rhetoric, and style. I am also interested in professional writing, university policy, and the rhetoric of instruments such as pension plans. Most of my courses feature at least one research-based assignment. The suggested reading and scholarly sources I provide are meant to encourage students to explore more deeply the wide-ranging fields of writing and rhetoric, including visual rhetoric in its various forms. My current research exemplifies the range of my interests and experience. I am working on the rhetoric of display in museums; the discourse of university policy and artificial intelligence; and the rhetoric of pension plan regulation and policy.
Contact
Cynthia Messenger
Interim Program Director
Associate Professor, Teaching Stream
cynthia.messenger@utoronto.ca
Have questions about W&R?
Need more info? Want to discuss if the Writing & Rhetoric Program is right for you? Looking for help choosing courses? Innis College’s Program Coordinator Rima Oassey can help!