About Me

My name is Roberto Leon and I am an assistant professor at Georgia College and State University, Georgia's public liberal arts university.  My research and teaching emphasize ethical argumentation, historical awareness, and comparative rhetoric. 

RESEARCH

My research interests include history of rhetoric, comparative rhetoric, and writing pedagogy education. I publish both scholarly articles and theory-informed teaching materials.  Recent publications include:

“What’s AI Got to Do with It?: An Analysis of GenAI Competency Frameworks.” In Christopher D. M. Andrews, Elena Kalodner-Martin, Nicole O’Connell, Hua Wang, Lydia Wilkes, and Charles Woods, eds. Proceedings of the Computers and Writing Conference 2025. WAC Clearinghouse, 2026, pp. 93-103.

“Matteo Ricci, S.J.’s Tianzhu Shiyi: A Case for Including Dialectic in Comparative Rhetorics.”  In Sophie Conte, Bartosz Awianowicz, John Brereton, Cinthia Gannett, Manfred Krauss, and Elizabethada Wright, eds. Jesuit Rhetorics Across Space and Time: Local and Global Perspectives. Brill, 2026, pp. 427-447.

“The Influence of Structural Invention on Erasmus’s De copia rerum Commentarius secundus.”  Rhetorica: A Journal of the History of Rhetoric, vol. 43, no. 4, 2025, pp. 384-417.

“I ka ʻŌlelo nō ke Ola (In Words there is Life): An Introduction to Hawaiian Rhetoric.” Expanding the History of Rhetoric Pedagogy Initiative.  American Society for the History of Rhetoric, November 2025.

Review of Global Rhetorical Traditions, edited by Tarez Samra Graban and Hui Wu. Journal for the History of Rhetoric, vol. 27, no. 3, 2024, pp. 412-416. 

I also have forthcoming textbook chapters on stasis theory and the history of Writing Studies.

TEACHING

I primarily teach first year composition, Intro to Technical and Professional Writing, and Composition Pedagogy. I have also designed and taught courses in rhetorical theory, technical writing, grammar, basic writing, L2 oral fluency, and tutoring oral fluency.  

SERVICE

I currently serve as Teaching Fellows Coordinator, focused on professional development for graduate student instructors. With my colleagues, Drs. Emily Pucker and Joy Bracewell, I also contribute to curriculum and faculty development, including piloting a writing-enriched curriculum (WEC) initiative. I am also a copyeditor with Composition Studies journal.