Education
Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison
M.A., University of Wisconsin-Madison
B.A., Northwestern University
Jennifer Keohane is Associate Professor in the Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Baltimore, where she directs the undergraduate program in digital communication. She holds a PhD in rhetoric, politics, and culture from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research focuses on how social movement advocates use rhetoric to make change in the world and the gendered politics of public memory. Dr. Keohane is the author of Feminist Voices and Communist Rhetoric in Cold War America. The book explores how women affiliated with the Communist Party during the early Cold War sustained feminist activism during a repressive time period in U.S. history. She has published rhetorical scholarship in Rhetoric Review, Women’s Studies in Communication, the Journal for the History of Rhetoric, Rhetoric Society Quarterly, the Southern Communication Journal, and the Western Journal of Communication. She also studies character assassination in conjunction with the Lab for Character Assassination and Reputation Politics (CARP), which she co-founded.
social movements, public communication, rhetoric, gender, debate, public memory
argumentation and debate, public speaking, research methods, rhetorical criticism
Books
Shiraev, E., Keohane, J., Icks, M., & Samoilenko, S. (2021). Character Assassination and Reputation Management: Theory and Applications. Routledge.
Samoilenko, S., Icks, M., Keohane, J., & Shiraev, E. (2020). Routledge Handbook of Character Assassination and Reputation Management. Routledge. 434 pps.
Book Chapters
Keohane, J. (2025). Cancel Culture Rhetoric. Wiley. 131-140.
Keohane, J., Icks, M., Shiraev, E., & Samoilenko, S. (2025). Character Assassination in Politics: Gendered and Racialized Attacks on Kamala Harris. Wiley. 281-290.
Keohane, J. (2023). Holding out for a Hero: The Rhetorical Battle over the National Garden of American Heroes in the United States. Springer. 109-124.
Keohane, J. (2020). The Rhetorical and Ethical Implications of Character Assassination in the Age of McCarthy. Routledge. 269-81.
Refereed Journal Articles
Keohane, J. (2024). "Such a Nasty Woman": Character Attacks in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Debates. Historica. 47(3), 22-28.
Keohane, J. (2024). Cancel Culture Rhetoric and Moral Conflict in Contemporary Democratic Societies. American Behavioral Scientist.
Leyva, S., & Keohane, J. (2024). “Hope and History Rhyme": Poetry as Public Memory. The Hopkins Review. 17(1),
Keohane, J. (2023). Home/Work: The Rhetoricity of Commemorative Labor at the Belmont-Paul House. Western Journal of Communication. 87(1), 130-149.
Keohane, J. (2023). Nobody Likes Ike: The National Civic Art Society and Commemorative Containment in Washington, D.C. Southern Journal of Communication. 88(1), 40-52.
Keohane, J. (2021). Producing Detroit: Narratives of Space and Place in the 1932 Ford Hunger March and Funeral Protest. Journal for the History of Rhetoric. 24(2), 171-194.
Keohane, J. (2021). "On Display Eight Hours a Day”: Gendering and Racializing Clerical Work during the early Cold War.”. Peitho. 23(2),
Keohane, J., & Jakes, K. (2021). Soldiers and Scholars: Evaluating Female Engagement Teams in the War in Afghanistan. Women's Studies in Communication. 44(1), 102-118.
Book Reviews
Keohane, J. (2021). Review: Sara Hillin, The Rhetorical Arts of Women in Aviation, 1911–1970. Rhetorica. 39(4/5), 472-474.
Keohane, J. (2021). Review: Lynée Lewis Gaillet and Helen Gaillet Bailey, eds. Remembering Women Differently: Refiguring Rhetorical Work. Rhetorica. 39(3),
Keohane, J., & Leyva, S. "Poetry and Public Memory," The Writers' Center, Bethesda, MD. (2025).
Keohane, J., & Leyva, S. Launch of the Hopkins Review’s Collective/Lyric I Folio, ""Hope and History Rhyme": Poetry as Public Memory," The Hopkins Review, Baltimore, MD. (2025).
Keohane, J. Transforming the Classroom Experience with Braver Angels Debates and Dialogue, "Crafting Resolutions," College Debates and Discourse Alliance, Online. (2025).
Keohane, J. Teaching and Learning Day, "Using Debates to Have Tough Conversations in the Classroom," Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Technology, Baltimore, MD. (2024).
Keohane, J. Bee Bridge Builders Symposium, "Debate 101," Conflict Negotiation and Management Program, Baltimore, MD. (2024).
Keohane, J. Civility in Action Symposium Series, "A Civil Table?”," Carroll University, Waukesha, Wisconsin, Online. (2024).
Keohane, J. Social Media: Its Effect on Free Speech, the News, and Social Norms, GreatTalks.org and Alexander, Baltimore, MD. (2024).
Keohane, J. Today's Democratic Peril: A Dialogue about Free Expression, "The Campus Debates and Discourse Alliance," University of Pittsburgh, Department of Communication, Pittsburgh, PA. (2024).
Keohane, J. RED Talks, "Brave Spaces and Braver Angels: The College Debates and Discourse Alliance," Bogomolny Library, Baltimore, MD. (2024).
Jakes, K., & Keohane, J. National Communication Association Conference, "Cleaving Racism from American Nationalism: Rhetorical Attempts of Members of the Daughters of the American Revolution," National Communication Association, National Harbor, MD. (2023).
Keohane, J. Veteran's Speaker Series, "Soldiers and Scholars: Evaluating Female Engagement Teams during the War in Afghanistan," Bob Parsons Veterans Center, Baltimore, MD. (2023).
Keohane, J., & Jakes, K. National Communication Association Annual Conference, "Revising the National Story: Black Women, Genealogy, and the Daughters of the American Revolution," National Communication Association, New Orleans, LA. (2022).
Keohane, J. Fourth International Conference in Scandalogy, "Holding out for a Hero: The Rhetorical Battle over the National Garden of American Heroes in the United States," University of Bamberg, Bamberg, Germany. (2022).
Keohane, J., & Jakes, K. Rhetoric Society of America Biennial Conference, "Changing Patriots, Changing Patriotism: Black Women’s Quest for Membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution," Rhetoric Society of America, Baltimore, MD. (2022).
Keohane, J. Inspired Discoveries, "A Rhetorical Origin Story," University of Baltimore Library, Baltimore. (2022).
Keohane, J. National Communication Association, "Reviewing new books in political communication," Rhetoric and Communication Theory Division, Seattle, WA. (2021).
Keohane, J., Leyva, S., & Ross, J. "Poetry as Public Memory," Pennsylvania College of Art and Design, Lancaster, PA. (2021).
Keohane, J. Character Assassination and Cancel Culture, "OK, Karen: Cancel Culture as a Rhetorical Strategy," Lab for Character Assassination and Reputation Politics, Virtual. (2021).
Keohane, J., Leyva, S., & Ross, J. "Poetry as Public Memory," Ivy Bookstore, Baltimore, MD. (2021).
Keohane, J. Eastern Communication Association, "“On Display Eight Hours a Day”: Gendering and Racializing Clerical Work during the early Cold War," Eastern Communication Association, Virtual. (2021).
Keohane, J. Webinar on Character Assassination, "The Rhetorical and Ethical Implications of Character Assassination in the Age of McCarthy," Lab for Character Assassination and Reputation Politics, Virtual. (2020).
Keohane, Jennifer (Supporting), "College Debates and Discourse Program" Sponsored by John Templeton Foundation Grant 62358, Private, $20000. (2023 - 2024).
Bee Real: I appeared on CELTT's Bee Real Podcast to discuss building community on college campuses
https://open.spotify.com/show/32GStoi9VPXUqBIly9njNV (2024).
The PropWatch Project: I gave an interview about social media and character assassination to a nonprofit group dedicated to helping the public understand propaganda. https://www.propwatch.org/article.php?id=308 (2022).
Webinar on Corporate Reputation Management: I moderated a conversation with W. Timothy Coombs of Texas A&M University on his theories of situational crisis communication. (2022).
Webinar on Scandals in Global Media Systems: I moderated a webinar for the CARP Lab featuring two researchers from a research lab based in Germany. We spoke about the types of scandals in politics and how social media can exacerbate them. (2022).
Berfrois: I was invited to write a short essay about the rhetorical history of character assassination for a literary magazine named Berfrois.
Keohane, Jennifer. “Shot through the Hart: A Brief (and Incomplete) Rhetorical History of Character Assassination in Politics.” Berfrois. November 2, 2021. https://www.berfrois.com/2021/11/jennifer-keohane-on-gary-hart/ (2021).
The University of Baltimore Alumni Magazine: Christianna McCausland wrote a short article about my research in the UBalt alumni magazine.
McCausland, Christianna. “The Take Down.” The University of Baltimore Alumni Magazine. Fall 2021. https://blogs.ubalt.edu/ubmag/the-take-down/ (2021).
C-Suite Blueprint Radio with Ed Barks: I gave an interview on character assassination and corporate reputation management for Mr. Barks's podcast. Mr. Barks is a recognized communication professional. https://bit.ly/3g0e0rE (2021).
Washington Examiner: I published an opinion editorial on character assassination in politics.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/op-eds/amnesty-abortion-and-acid-why-negative-campaigning-works (2020).
Webinar on Character Assassination and Gender: I participated in a webinar with the Washington Examiner on character attacks facing female politicians.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/videos/character-assassination-on-women-in-politics-through-the-ages (2020).
The Break it Down Show: I was interviewed with my co-author by Pete Turner for his podcast the Break it Down Show. We spoke about our recent research paper about Female Engagement Teams in the War in Afghanistan. (2020).
Webinar on the 2020 Election and Character Assassination: I participated in a webinar on character assassination hosted by the Washington Examiner.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMJ2CWTlGsk&t=2s (2020).
Washington Examiner: I published an opinion editorial about character assassination.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/op-eds/destined-for-character-attacks-a-national-history-of-ugly-rhetoric (2020).
"Character Attacks against "Women's Libbers" in the 1960s" (Writing Results)
This book chapter will be published in the 2nd edition of Character Assassination throughout the Ages
"Enacting the Reasonable Advocate: Frances Perkins and New Deal Rhetoric" (Writing Results)
This is a project I'm undertaking on the rhetoric of Frances Perkins, FDR's Secretary of Labor.
"Poetry as Public Memory" (On-Going)
We are working on a much larger-scale project including a potential database of the intersection between public memorializing and poetry.