Chris Outzen, M.F.A. (he/him/his)

Image of Christopher Outzen
  • Senior Lecturer
  • Director of Forensics
  • Communication and Journalism

Welcome to my page. I have served as an educator and the director of forensics at UWEC since fall 2020, working to help students discover their voice and identity in the same ways that communication and forensics helped me over a decade ago. I competed for the University of Northern Iowa as an undergraduate, specializing in public address events, and discovered the empowerment which comes from researching, writing, and delivering your own thoughts to an audience. Since then, I have devoted my life to competitive speech and debate activities we call forensics. Prior to arriving at UWEC, I earned my MFA-Forensics from Minnesota State University-Mankato in 2014 and then served as an instructor and director of forensics at Truman State University for six years. 

In addition to my teaching and administrative responsibilities here at UWEC, I also currently serve as the executive secretary of the Valley Forensic League and as vice chair for District IV of the American Forensic Association National Speech Tournament. I also continue to serve as an editorial board member for the National Forensic Journal and review submissions for multiple divisions of the National Communication Association (NCA). My own research has been presented at NCA and has been published in Speaker & Gavel, Forensic of Pi Kappa Delta, and The Journal of Social Media in Society.

When not working, I enjoy walks and board games with my husband and reading contemporary fiction, memoirs, and speculative fiction. 

Teaching Interests

Current Courses

  • CJ 202- Fundamentals of Speech
  • CJ 301- Intercultural Communication
  • CJ 312- Communication & Gender (alternate spring semesters)

Other Teaching Experience

  • Oral Interpretation of Literature
  • Communication Theory
  • Critical Perspectives of Performance
  • Art & Science of Humor
Research and Creative Activities

RESEARCH INTERESTS

  • Stress & Burnout in Forensic Professionals
  • Mentorship & Marginalized Identities
  • Liminal Spaces of Forensics
  • Forensic Culture
  • Autoethnography/Queer Narratives

 

Education

MFA, Minnesota State University, Mankato (Forensics)

BA, University of Northern Iowa (General Communication)

Published Research

Published Articles/Chapters

  • Outzen, C.P. (2016).  Looking over my shoulder: An autoethnographic account of a first-year forensic director.  The Forensic of Pi Kappa Delta, 101(2), 17-33.
  • Outzen, C.P., Youngvorst, L.J., & Cronn-Mills, D. (2013). The next 50 years of forensics: Acknowledging problems, preparing solutions. Speaker & Gavel, 50(2), 33-45.
  • Outzen, C.P. & Cronn-Mills, D. (2012).  What's in a name?  Defending forensics: A response to Kimble's "By any other name."  Speaker & Gavel, 49(2), 81-87.
  • Welker, K., Philpot, S., Krysiuk, A. & Outzen, C. (2020).  #Fitspiration and mental health for LGBTQ+ college students.  The Journal of Social Media in Society, 9(2), 173-189
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Presented Papers

  • Outzen, C.P. (2015). Kluwe and critical rhetoric: A critique of freedom and domination in Chris Kluwe's "Lustful Cockmonster" letter to Emmet C. Burns. Presented as part of the paper panel Embracing Queer Rhetorical Perspectives at the 2015 National Communication Association conference in Las Vegas, November 19-22. 
  • Outzen, C.P. (2015). "I'm not looking down": New directors and the highwire of directing forensic programs. Presented as part of the paper panel Passing the Torch: Engaging the Next Generation of Forensics Coaches and Educators at the 2015 National Communication Association conference in Las Vegas, November 19-22. 
  • Outzen, C.P. (2015). The literature may speak, but can you? Asking the tough questions about race, literature, and interpretation. Presented as part of the paper panel eRACEd: Race, Power, and Privilege in Individual Events at the 2015 National Communication Association conference in Las Vegas, November 19-22. 
  • Outzen, C.P. (2013).  An autoethnographic exploration of one gay man's tangle with body control: Connecting my gay identity to my not quite as gay body.  Presented as part of the paper panel Ethnographies of Sexual Behavior, Intimacy, and Desire at the 2013 National Communication Association conference in Washington D.C., November 21-24. 
  • Outzen, C.P. (2013). Topic selection in public address forensics events: Connecting current forensics norms to topics beyond competition. Presented as part of the paper panel Top Student Papers in Argumentation and Forensics at the 2013 National Communication Association conference in Washington D.C., November 21-24. 
  • Outzen, C.P. (2012). Morse v. Frederick: Implications for the Free Expression of Students. Presented as part of the paper panel The State of the First Amendment at the 2012 National Communication Association conference in Orlando, Florida, November 15-18. 
Honors and Recognitions
  • Quality Award Honoree, 2021, Minnesota State University-Mankato Forensics
  • Educator of the Year Finalist, 2019, Truman State University
  • Bob R. Derryberry New Forensic Educator Award, 2018, Pi Kappa Delta
  • Educator of the Year Semi-Finalist, 2018, Truman State University
  • Outstanding Thesis/Dissertation Award, 2015, American Forensic Association
  • Nadine B. Andreas Teaching Assistantship, 2013/2104, Minnesota State University, Mankato
  • Purple and  Gold Award for Conspicuous Achievements in Forensics, 2011, University of Northern Iowa