About
Dr. Bagley uses critical/cultural and rhetorical theory to study voice, particularly within sport and public memory: how do athletes develop and deploy their voice as highly embodied subjects? How do the stories communities tell about their past make sense of the present?
Her research examines the athlete voice within social change efforts, rhetoric of public memory when it comes to desegregation in higher education,and LGBTQ+ advocacy and social movements. By analyzing sports jerseys, campus landmarks, athletic traditions, and public debates, Bagley reveals how these symbols can either reinforce exclusion or open possibilities for more just and inclusive communities.
Impact Beyond the University
Bagley’s work speaks directly to institutions wrestling with their histories and responsibilities in the present. Her research provides language and frameworks for universities, athletic programs, and community organizations seeking to confront legacies of segregation, rethink commemorative practices, and better support LGBTQ+ students, athletes and activists.
Through public talks, consulting, and collaboration, she helps stakeholders reconsider whose stories are told on campus tours, in stadiums, and in public spaces.
A Passion for Teaching and Social Change
In the classroom, Bagley invites students to look critically at the spaces and stories they often take for granted. She encourages them to analyze sport spaces and rituals, campus symbols, popular culture through a rhetorical lens, connecting theory to the issues they see around them every day.
Her courses challenge students to think about how communication can preserve harmful myths or help communities imagine more equitable futures. With expertise in online instructional design, Dr. Bagley provides creative applications and discussion-based learning to equip students to become reflective, engaged citizens who understand the stakes of the discourse that surrounds us.