Beginning in high school, David Zarefsky, PhD was always interested in politics and communication, having participated in debate competitions and studied public arguments. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Science, a Master of Arts, and a Doctor of Philosophy with highest distinction, all from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. Dr. Zarefsky began his career in education in 1968 as an instructor of communication studies and as the director of the forensics divisions in the National High School Institute at Northwestern University. Continuing the rest of his career at the university, he was promoted to assistant professor in 1974, department chair in 1975, associate professor in 1977, full professor in 1982, associate dean of the School of Speech in 1983, and finally, dean in 1988. Today, he continues his work as a professor at Northwestern.

In addition to his tenure at the university, Dr. Zarefsky has also extended his expertise to various other institutions as well. He has been a visiting professor of English at Harvard University, a Watson visiting collaborator in the humanities at Syracuse University, a Dole visiting scholar of politics at the University of Kansas, a visiting professor of communication arts and sciences at Pennsylvania State University, and a visiting senior scholar at the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. Additionally, as the director of numerous theses and dissertations, several of his PhD students have gone on to receive awards for their dissertations. As a respected member of his field, Dr. Zarefsky’s lectures have been videotaped for national distribution by the Center for the Teaching Professions. Specializing in American, historical, and contemporary rhetoric, Dr. Zarefsky has become a prolific author and a widely accomplished educator throughout his career.

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