NC State’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences has named Jason Swarts head of the Department of English, effective July 1.
Currently, Swarts serves the department as associate head, director of undergraduate programs, director of undergraduate advising and a professor of English specializing in technical communication. He teaches courses on various subjects, recently focusing on information architecture and discourse analysis. His research explores mobile communication and computer-supported cooperative work.
“Jason has a demonstrated commitment to excellence in teaching and scholarship and brings more than 20 years of experience and knowledge to his new position,” says Deanna Dannels, dean of the college. “His resourcefulness, insight and expertise will help position our community for strategic growth and provide faculty and staff with impactful opportunities.”
Swarts joined the college’s faculty as an assistant professor in 2002 and rose to associate professor in 2007 before being named to his current rank in 2014. Previously, he directed the department’s Professional Writing Program and also served as director of the college’s Ph.D. program in Communication, Rhetoric and Digital Media. His academic career also includes working as assistant director of the writing center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
During his tenure in the English department, he has developed several courses, including Communication in Networked Society, Designing Web Communication and Verbal Data Analysis.
Additionally, he created Resume Composer, an interactive resume and cover letter writing software program. He has also led national and local workshops and presented at international, national and regional conferences.
Swarts is the author of two books: Wicked, Incomplete, and Uncertain: User Support in the Wild and the Role of Technical Communication and Together with Technology: Writing Review, Enculturation and Technological Mediation. He has also written numerous journal articles and has won several best article awards from the National Council of Teachers of English and the Society for Technical Communication.
Swarts holds a Ph.D. in communication and rhetoric from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He earned a master’s degree in the teaching of writing and a bachelor’s degree in English from Illinois State University.
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