Ailea Merriam-Pigg
Rhetoric, Politics, and Culture
Lecturer
6164 Vilas Hall
Biography
Publications
- “Casting as a Rhetorical Act: Color-Purposeful Casting and Hamilton’s Anti-White Casting Call”; in Rise Up: The Revolutionary Rhetoric of Hamilton, 2022
- Metagaming Attention: Defining the Metagame Through the Economy of Attention on Twitch; Popular Culture Studies Journal, 2021
- From Applied Research to Participatory Action, Part I: Beyond the “Bucket Theory” of Community-Based Leadership; Practicing Anthropology, 2021
- (Spanish Version) De la Investigación Aplicada a la Acción Participativa, Parte I : Más Allá de la “teorÍa del Balde” del Liderazgo Comunitario; Practicing Anthropology, 2021
- Driver Picks the Music. Shotgun Shuts His Cakehole; In Media Res, 2020
- A Study in Hoomanism: Understanding Meaning in Geeky Philanthropy and Cyberanthropology; MA Project (San Jose State University), 2017
- “‘No One Mourns the Wicked’: Evolving Perspectives on the Wicked Witch of the West”; in I Want to Do Bad Things: Modern Interpretations of Evil, 2014
- Non-Academic articles written for Geek & Sundry are now archived with Nerdist.
- Ailea has also written non-academic articles for Nerdy but Flirty.
Courses Taught
*Current course(s) in bold
- CA 100 (Fall 2022, Fall 2021 and Fall 2018, TA)- Introduction to Speech Composition
- CA 155 (Spring 2021, TA)- Introduction to Digital Media Production
- CA 200 (Spring 2026, Fall 2025, Summer 2025, Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Summer 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2023, Summer 2022 and Fall 2021, Lecturer; Spring 2020, TA)- Introduction to Digital Communication
- CA 260 (Fall 2019, TA)- Communication and Human Behavior
- CA 262 (Spring 2019, TA)- Theory of Argumentation and Debate
- CA 310 (Fall 2025 and Fall 2024, Grader)- The Discourse of Dictators, Demagogues, and Extremists
- CA 310 (Spring 2024, Grader)- The Rhetoric of Reproductive Justice
- CA 310 (Summer 2019, Grader)- Gender and Communication
- CA 360 (Spring 2023 and Fall 2022, TA)- Introduction to Rhetoric in Politics and Culture
- CA 370 (Fall 2020, TA)- Great Speakers and Speeches
- CA 371 (Summer 2021, Lecturer; Summer 2020 and 2019, Grader; Spring 2019, Grader)- Communication and Conflict Resolution
- CA 373 (Summer 2023, Lecturer; Summer 2020 and 2019, Grader; Spring 2019, Grader)- Intercultural Communication and Rhetoric
- CA 522 (Fall 2024 and Fall 2023, Grader)- Digital Storytelling for Social Media
- CA 570 (Spring 2025 and Spring 2023, Guest Lecturer)- Classical Theory
Professional Positions
- Chair for Game Studies Division, National Communication Association (2026-current)
- Future Faculty Partner Chair for UW Teaching Academy, UW-Madison (2023-current)
- Secretary for Disability Issues Caucus, National Communication Association (2024-2026)
- Chair for Game Studies Division, National Communication Association (2025-2026)
- Vice Chair for Game Studies Division, National Communication Association (2024-2025)
- Program Planner/Volunteer Coordinator for the Program Planning Committee, Midwest Winter Workshop (2023-2024)
- Vice Chair Elect for Game Studies Division, National Communication Association (2022-2023)
- Student Representative for Disability Issues Caucus, National Communication Association (2022-2023)
- Graduate Student Representative for Graduate Student Organization, UW-Madison (2022-2023)
- Graduate Student Representative for Comic Studies Special Interest Group, Society for Cinema and Media Studies (2020-2023)
- Graduate Student Representative for Game Studies Division, National Communication Association (2021-2022)
- Secretary, Badger Rhetoric, UW-Madison (2019-2021)
- Audio Editor, Playback, UW-Madison (2018-2019)
Awards and Fellowships
- Baxter Inclusive Excellence Award, UW-Madison (Spring 2025)
- Risser Award, UW-Madison (Spring 2025)
- Helen K. Herman Award, UW-Madison (Spring 2024)
- Charles Chester Pearce Award, UW-Madison (Spring 2023)
- Weaver Excellence Award, UW-Madison (Spring 2022)
- Lauer/Corbett Award, Rhetoric Society of America (Spring 2022, Spring 2024)
- Elliott Dissertation Scholarship, UW-Madison (Spring 2022)
- Graduate School Fellowship, UW-Madison (Spring 2022)
- Top Overall Paper Award, Game Studies Division, National Communication Association (Fall 2021)
- Frankenburger Award, UW-Madison (Spring 2021)
- Helen K. Herman Award, UW-Madison (Spring 2020)
- CommB TA Fellow, UW-Madison (Spring 2020)