Angela M. McGowan-Kirsch
Associate Professor of Communication
State University of New York at Fredonia
Angela McGowan-Kirsch is an associate professor of communication at the State University of New York at Fredonia (SUNY Fredonia), where she specializes in rhetoric, leadership, and media literacy. She chairs the American Democracy Project Committee, leads the Civic Discourse General Education Competency Task Force, and is a 2025–2026 SUNY Civil Discourse and Civic Education and Engagement Fellow. In these roles, she advances initiatives that promote informed, responsible, and inclusive civic participation.
Her scholarship explores college students’ democratic engagement, public discourse, and strategies for fostering civil dialogue. She is the editor of Encouraging College Students’ Democratic Engagement in an Era of Political Polarization (2025) and has published widely on media literacy, open pedagogy, and student-centered learning.
McGowan-Kirsch teaches courses in political communication, rhetoric, and leadership, guiding students to apply classroom learning in real-world contexts. A 2023 recipient of the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, she integrates innovative, student-centered approaches to strengthen civic skills, democratic engagement, and civil discourse in both online and in-person settings.
