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Alexander J. Helberg
Visiting Assistant Professor in the Allan K. Smith Center for Writing and Rhetoric
Phone: (860) 297-2175 Office Location: 115 Vernon Street 105A
Send e-mail to Alexander J. Helberg
Trinity College faculty member since 2021
General ProfileTeachingResearchPublications/PresentationsHonors/Awards
Degrees:
Ph.D., Carnegie Mellon Univ.
M.A., Carnegie Mellon Univ.
B.S., Univ. of Wisconsin, La Crosse

Alex Helberg studied at Carnegie Mellon University, where he earned his Master’s and Doctoral degrees studying the rhetoric of public engagement in activist and advocacy contexts under the direction of Dr. Linda Flower. During his time at Carnegie Mellon, Helberg actively researched and participated in local food justice movements, ranging from hunger charities to radical food distribution collectives. He also worked to develop technology-enhanced learning tools, such as DocuScope Classroom, while researching the role of language modeling and student metacognition in writing classrooms.

These dual foci on social justice advocacy and technology have led to his current line of research investigating how rhetoric and writing literacy practices could (or should) be affected by the sudden onset of generative A.I. technologies, and the degree to which these technologies pose ethical problems within and outside of the classroom. His courses in digital rhetoric employ a critical approach to helping students analyze new media ecologies, digital discourse communities, and multimodal communication practices.

Helberg is currently the co-Executive Producer of the public scholarship project and podcast re:verb.