Talks

Upcoming

“Communication, gender, and the politics of making the first move with online dating.” Scholarly Selections Series: Washington History Museum. (Oct 2020)

“The politics of women making the first move on Bumble: Online dating, gender norms, and managing women through online talk.” Think and Drink, Tacoma. (November 2020).

“Black women and sexualized media.” (with Carolyn West) SIAS Brown Bag (Fall 2020)

Public Scholarship

Researching the quest for love, lust, and connection during the time of COVID-19
May, 2020 – SIAS Brown Bag Speaker Series

As people rapidly change their ways of communicating and being in the world, researchers must contend with new challenges and opportunities for doing research related to digital environments. Through a case study of online dating research, Dr. Riki Thompson discusses methods for engaging in reflective research practices that are responsive to rapid technological shifts and serendipitous moments while utilizing a principle of care and giving back to community participants. Her current research focuses on how people use social media to find love, lust, and connection in the digital age. She has done extensive ethnographic interviews with over a hundred people around the world, ranging from 20-76 years old, and representing diverse sexual orientations, relationship styles, gender and racial identities.

The Constructed Self of Online Dating
May 2019 – Washington State Library Series at the Washington Corrections Center for Women in Gig Harbor

Dr. Thompson’s work looks at the way identity is constructed and communicated in social media and dating apps.

Dating in the Digital Age: Swiping, Liking, & Selling the Selfie
December 11, 2018 – Grit City Think & Drink, Tacoma

How do people find love, connection, and belonging in the digital age? Success in the online dating world starts with a catchy profile as well as messaging strategies that make others want to chat and eventually meet. In this Think and Drink, Dr. Thompson will share her current research about how people attempt to construct a desirable self through online dating profiles and what makes them swipe right and like others.  

Championing Critical Conversations about College
February 26, 2018 – UW Tacoma

Collaboration in the Classroom
June 14, 2013 – University of Washington

Students and instructors are finding creative ways to use Canvas to collaborate during class. Riki Thompson and Ken Rufo explain how they are providing collective feedback on writing, and creating comprehensive lecture notes.

Scholarly Talks

“From the medieval to the digital, and back again: Multimodality, innovation, and adaptation,” with Matthew Collins. Critical Approaches to Discourse Analysis across Disciplines International Conference (UK, July 2018)

“Telling the story of me & we: Online dating and identity construction for the non-monogamous” PCA/ACA – Popular Culture Association · American Culture Association (Indianapolis, March 2018)

“Developing professional development for NGSS and CCSS:  Stories of interdisciplinary collaboration and transformation,” with Jose Rios, Mei Zhu, and Belinda Louie.
Critical Questions in Education Conference (March 2018)

“Collaborative Effort and Outcome in Providing In-Person and Online Professional Development to High-Need K-12 Schools in Washington State,” with Mei Zhu, Jose Rios, and Belinda Louie. MAA – Annual Meeting of Mathematical Association of America (January 2018)

“Developing Professional Development for NGSS and CCSS: Stories of Interdisciplinary Collaboration and Transformation” with Jose Rios, Belinda Louie, and Mei Zhu.
ASTE – Association for Science Teacher Education (January 2017)

 “Transformation of Interdisciplinary Teacher Educators: Collaborating to Develop Online Teacher Training for the Common Core State Standards and the Next Generation Science Standards” with Belinda Louie, Jose Rios, and Mei Zhu. AERA – American Educational Research Association (April 2015)

“Argumentation: Convergence among CCSS-ELA, CCSS-M, and NGSS” with Belinda Louie, Jose Rios, and Mei Zhu. WERA – Washington Educational Research Association (December 2014)

“Looking for acceptance: Negotiating online community through selfie-bios.” Social Media & Society Conference (Toronto, September 2014)

“What not to wear: Governing women through fashion.” CADAAD – Critical Approaches to Discourse Analysis across Disciplines International Conference (Portugal, July 2012)

“Considering the digi: Questions the writing class faces in the Digital Age.” Oregon Rhetoric & Composition Conference (Portland, May 2010)

“Virtually thinking out loud in the electronic classroom:  Metacognition and issues of audience, frequency, and medium for reflection.” CCCC- Conference on College Composition & Communication (New Orleans, March 2009)

“The good, the bad, & the ugly of writing in the web 2.0 world: Negotiating writing & technology in the digital age.” Thomas R. Watson Conference- The New Work of Composing (October 2008)

“Responding to the online journal interest form: ‘Screwed up, but working on it.’”               Rhetoric Society of America (May 2008)

“(Re)Gendering depression as a problem for “Real Men”: Narrative & governing mental health through public service announcements.” GURT – Georgetown Linguistics Department Conference on Narrative (March 2008)

“Picking up the thread: Answering the call to converse on mental health forums.”              New Zealand International Discourse Conference (Aukland, NZ, December 2007)

“Resisting traditional self-help: Discursive constructions of (un)wellness & healing online.” Western States Rhetoric & Literacy Conference (October 2005)

“Personal names & transnationalism: Identity construction in the lives of Korean-Americans.” American Association for Applied Linguistics (May 2004)

“Genre analysis in the “extracurriculum”: The healing journal as the site of genre evolution in discourse community.” Western States Composition Conference (October 2002)

“African American vernacular English & dialect awareness in English departments.”               Society of Caribbean Linguistics International Conference (August 2002)

“Understanding trauma & the discourse of healing: A discourse analysis of virtual journals of child sexual abuse survivors.” Hawaii International Conference on Social Sciences (June 2002)

“Dialect awareness & African American vernacular English in English departments.” Hawaii International Conference on Social Sciences (June 2002)

“Loss & reclamation of self through child sexual abuse narratives of women: The power of language to silence & ‘break the silence.’” IGALA 2 – Second International Gender & Language Association Conference, Lancaster, UK (April 2002)

Updated July, 2020