Penn College News

Professor addresses communication conferences in New Orleans

Friday, December 9, 2022

Joshua D. Hill, associate professor of speech communication/composition and department head for communication and literature at Pennsylvania College of Technology, presented at two international communication conferences held in New Orleans in mid-November.

At the Religious Communication Association’s annual conference, Hill presented “The ‘Still Small Voice’: A Phenomenological Approach to Divine Communication,” his chapter in a forthcoming book titled, “God Talk: The Problem of Divine-Human Communication.” Six of his co-authors also presented their chapters from the publication, featuring 10 essays by communication scholars. Hill says the purpose of the “God Talk” book, published by Peter Lang, is to explore different possible methodologies to ethically and effectively study the phenomenon of divine-human communication.



Joshua D. HillAt the National Communication Association’s annual conference, Hill shared a paper titled “Beyond Univocal Ontology: Some Rhetorical Implications of Participation” as part of a panel exploring different ontologies underlying the practice of communication. Hill’s presentation focused on the premodern/multicultural ontology of participation, tracing it through Plato, the Neoplatonist tradition, St. Augustine and Thomas Aquinas.

The NCA is the primary disciplinary association for communication studies and serves its member scholars, teachers and practitioners by enabling and supporting their professional interests in research and teaching. The NCA promotes the widespread appreciation of the importance of communication in public and private life, the application of competent communication to improve the quality of human life and relationships, and the use of knowledge about communication to solve human problems.

The RCA is an interfaith academic organization of scholars studying problems of communication and religion. The association fosters scholarship and respectful dialogue that reflects the diverse beliefs, subject matter concerns, methodologies and professions of its members. As an NCA-affiliate organization, the RCA holds its annual conference in conjunction with the NCA’s event.

A Penn College faculty member since Fall 2017, Hill holds a doctorate in rhetoric from Duquesne University and Master of Arts and Bachelor of Arts degrees in English from Texas A&M University.

Hill teaches communication and English, specializing in speech, composition and interpersonal communication. In addition to teaching, he provides professional development and counseling in Writing Across the Curriculum to other Penn College professors.

To learn more about communication courses and other educational offerings within Penn College’s School of Business, Arts & Sciences, call 570-327-4521.

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