Expertise
Rhetoric and Composition, Gender and Sexuality Studies
Research Interests
Reproductive Justice; Rhetoric of Vasectomy; Discourses of Teenage Pregnancy and Motherhood; Visual Rhetoric; Embodied Rhetoric & Rhetoric of the Body; Feminist Theory and Pedagogy; Professional Writing; Community Engagement; Action-Oriented Research; and Service Learning.
Education
- Ph.D.: Rhetoric, Composition, and the Teaching of English, (2013), University of Arizona
Supporting Area: Gender and Women's Studies - M.A.: Rhetoric, Composition, and the Teaching of English, (2008), University of Arizona
- B.A.: English and Creative Writing, (2006), University of Arizona
Biosketch
Jenna Vinson specializes in feminist rhetorical studies. Her latest book, "Stop Saying Snip! The Rhetoric of Vasectomy" (2026), explores why few men in the U.S. get vasectomies. Vinson illustrates that something is happening rhetorically—through meaning-making symbols and the material practices they manifest—that sustains a collective disinterest in vasectomies. Calling for action to address rhetorical barriers to vasectomy uptake, this book intervenes in the misogynistic cultural expectation that it is women’s responsibility to endure the pain, labor and risks of managing fertility.
Vinson's first book, "Embodying the Problem: The Persuasive Power of the Teen Mother" (2017), challenges the pathologizing discourses of teenage pregnancy and investigates the creative strategies some young mothering women use to resist negative representations of their lives.
Her articles have appeared in journals such as "Reflections: A Journal of Community-Engaged Writing and Rhetoric," "Present Tense: A Journal of Rhetoric in Society, Sexuality Research and Social Policy," "Feminist Formations", and more. She has also published chapters in edited collections such as "Inclusive Aims: Rhetoric’s Role in Reproductive Justice," "Mother-Blame Game," and the "21st Century Motherhood Movement."
Selected Contracts, Fellowships, Grants and Sponsored Research
- Youth perspectives on Lowell: A community-based digital storytelling project (2018), Grant - UMass Lowell 2020 Community Impact Grant
Dutta, U. (Co-Principal), Vinson, J.E. (Co-Principal)