Luke A. Winslow, Ph.D.

Education

• Ph.D., Communication Studies, The University of Texas at Austin
• M.A., Human Communication Studies, California State University-Fullerton
• B.A., Communication Studies, Azusa Pacific University

Courses

• CSS 3302: Introduction to Rhetorical Theory and Criticism
• CSS 4310: Political Communication
• CSS 5313: Seminar in Rhetoric and Persuasion
• CSS 5352: Methods of Rhetorical Criticism

Research Interests

• Rhetorical studies
• Political communication
• Religious rhetoric

Teaching Philosophy

I love teaching, and I love college, and I love being a college professor. I get to ask important questions and then use the classroom as a place to sort them out. Because ideas are a form of power, I also love teaching because I get to change the world. I saw how important a college professor could be when—as an undergraduate at Azusa Pacific—my teachers changed my life. They instilled in me a passion for the field of communication, and also modeled for me how to live as a Christian citizen-scholar, and I look forward to doing the same at Baylor.

Professional Service

I joined the faculty at Baylor in 2020 after teaching for six years in the School of Communication at San Diego State University. Since earning a PhD in Rhetorical Studies from UT-Austin in 2009, I have published articles in the Review of Communication, International Journal of Sport Communication, Quarterly Journal of Speech, Rhetoric Society Quarterly, Critical Studies in Media Communication, Rhetoric & Public Affairs, Communication & Critical/Cultural Studies, Journal of Communication and Religion, Southern Communication Journal, and Western Journal of Communication. I have written 7 books, including Oligarchy in America: Power, Justice, and the Rule of the Few in 2024, which was featured in the Waco-Tribune Herald, NewsNation, DW News, and The Rolling Stone. In 2025, I published The History and Theory of Rhetoric: An Introduction (8th ed., Routledge) with James Herrick, and in 2026 I published Key Concepts in 21^st Century Rhetoric (Palgrave MacMillan).

Family, Outside Hobbies, and Interests

My family and I love to read, run, swim, and play and watch basketball, football, and soccer. We attend St. Alban's episcopal church. I play a pick-up basketball game at the Baylor gym. I enjoy coaching my kid's HOT soccer and Midway youth basketball teams. We love to go to the Fabled bookshop, eat at In-N-Out, Terry Black's, and Di Campli's, attend Baylor football, basketball, and soccer games, and visit Austin and Houston. 

What is the best thing about being a Baylor Bear?

The best thing about being a Baylor Bear is the balance between rigorous, R1 scholarship and an unapologetically Christian mission.