Nathan Johnson
Associate Professor
CONTACT
Office: CPR 384
Phone: 813-974-9542
Email
BIO
Nathan R. Johnson is an Associate Professor of Rhetoric at the University of South Florida who studies the history of information technologies, focusing on how infrastructure and labor shape large technical systems. He earned his PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Information School, developing an interdisciplinary approach that integrates science and technology studies (STS), critical information theory, and media studies. In addition, he holds affiliate appointments in the School of Information and the Department of Communication. His award-winning book, (2020), examines how 1940s wartime innovations continue to influence modern information systems. His current work explores smart city technologies, hate crime reporting, and AI policy debates from the 1960s, informing contemporary policy discussions on information technologies as well as the adoption and sustainability of these technologies within organizations.
Johnson has been recognized with the Rhetoric Society of America’s Fellows’ Early Career Award and as the 2018 Alice G. Smith Lecturer, which honors a scholar or author whose achievements have been instrumental in the development of librarianship or information studies. He has won the National Communication Association’s Distinguished Book Chapter Award for Philosophy of Communication, American Society for Engineering Education’s Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award for Best Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion Paper, and American Society for Engineering Education’s Education Research and Methods Division Award for Best Diversity Paper. He is the editor of .
PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS
Dr. Johnson teaches graduate courses on rhetorical history and theory, public rhetorics, research methods, and science and technology studies. His work explores how information infrastructures shape knowledge production and public discourse. He holds affiliate appointments with the Department of Communication and the School of Information, providing students with interdisciplinary opportunities. He has also served on thesis and dissertation committees in English, Communication, and History at 91tvӰԺ and other universities, supporting students in developing research that engages both historical and contemporary issues in rhetoric and information studies.
EDUCATION
Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison
RESEARCH AREAS
Science and Technology Studies; Critical Information Theory; Rhetorical Theory; Media Studies