Noor Ghazal Aswad Wins Karl R. Wallace Award – College of Communication & Information Sciences

College of Communication & Information Sciences

Noor Ghazal Aswad, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Communication Studies department, received the National Communication Association (NCA) Karl R. Wallace Memorial Award on Sept. 30. The award will be presented at the NCA Awards ceremony in New Orleans this November.

“It’s difficult to put into words the mix of emotions for such a recognition” said Aswad, “Imagine my incredulity to learn that I am only the fourth woman of color to ever receive this award, following the powerhouses Drs. Lisa Flores, Raka Shome, and Karma Chávez. Just to be in their company in this way is humbling, especially that I feel I have yet lots of work to do.”

Aswad received the award for her scholarship on climate change and the political and media rhetoric surrounding immigrants. Her paper, Unsafe Homecoming: Unraveling Environmental Injustice and Land Dispossession in the Syrian Refugee Crisis, overviews land dispossession in in Syria by the Assad regime, emphasizes the plight of Syrian refugees and shows how Syrians’ struggles are intertwined with environmental injustice.

Aswad said, “This award signifies something far greater than just a career milestone – the discipline’s recognition of rhetoric as not just a means of critique, but as a vital tool for building transnational solidarity, for fostering decoloniality, and for advancing justice.”

She continued, “I am deeply grateful to be part of that change and hope more spaces open for scholars from all walks of life who have so much to contribute to the field, and more importantly, our broader culture.”

The Karl R. Wallace Memorial Award is one of the top national honors for any scholar working in rhetoric and public address. Last year, Emerson Cram, Ph.D., won the award for their project, Disability Ecologies.

The department of Communication Studies empowers students to develop an integrated skill set in oral and written communication that will prepare them to be skilled communicators in personal, civic and professional roles.

If you are interested in learning more about Aswad, you can view her academic work here.

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The College of Communication & Information Sciences, with a total enrollment of more than 3,400 students, was founded at The University of Alabama in 1973. Among three academic departments and one school, the College offers five bachelor’s, five master’s and one multidisciplinary doctoral program designed to hone students’ knowledge and skills within the communication and information sciences.

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Rose Davis is a master’s student in SLIS and graduate assistant in C&IS. They are a writer and artist, interested in public library work.