Star A. Muir

Associate Professor

Rhetoric and technology, public communication, digital natives

Dr. Muir is an Associate Professor of Communication at George Mason University and regularly teaches Comm 300 and Foundations of Public Communication. Dr. Muir received his Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Communication from the University of Pittsburgh, a Master’s degree in Communication from the University of Central Florida, and a Bachelor’s degree in Communication from Wake Forest University.

His research has focused on the impact of digital communication, and he has published in ETC.: A Review of General Semantics, Philosophy and Rhetoric, and the Speech Communication Teacher. His work on distance delivery of video modules won several Communicator and Telly awards for educational programming. At George Mason, Dr. Muir is a member of the Faculty Senate, and also serves on the University Classroom Advisory Committee. What many students do not know is that Dr. Muir’s middle name is Aldebaran, which is the name of a star.

Selected Publications

Muir, S. (2017). Digital natives. In Mike Allen (Ed.), SAGE Encyclopedia of Communication Research Methods (pp. 384-386). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.
Muir, S. (2013). Privacy, identity, and public engagement among Digital Natives. In S.J. Drucker and G. Gumpert (Eds.), Regulating Social Media: Legal and Ethical Considerations (21-43). New York, NY: Peter Lang.
Muir, S. (2012). The gloss and the reality of teaching digital natives: Taking the long view. In S.P. Ferris (Ed.), Teaching, Learning, and the Net Generation: Concepts and Tools for Reaching Digital Learners(19-41). Hershey, PA: IGI Global.

Courses Taught

COMM 300: Rhetorical Criticism

COMM 386: Digital Advocacy

Education

B.A. Wake Forest University, 1980

M.A. University of Central Florida, 1982

Ph.D. University of Pittsburgh, 1990

Recent Presentations

Muir, S. (2015, November 21). Flipping the rhetorical criticism course: Lessons and opportunities. Presentation at the National Communication Association Convention, Las Vegas, NV.
Muir, S. (2015, September 18). The science of learning and the art of teaching. Presentation at the Innovations in Teaching and Learning Conference, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA.
Muir, S. (2014, November 23). Slipping in the sacred: Secular ‘Jedi mind tricks’ for easily distractable learners. Presentation at the National Communication Association Convention, Chicago, IL.
Muir, S. (2013, November 23). Rhetorical criticism for Digital Natives: Using guided discovery and enhancing focused critical analysis. Presentation at the Annual Convention of the National Communication Association, Washington, D.C.
Muir, S. (2012, September 21). Critical thinking and writing in an era of distraction: Engaging today’s students through staged inquiry. Presentation at the Conference on Innovations in Teaching and Learning, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia.
Muir, S. (2013, March 31). Political debates. Presentation to the Fulbright Scholars, U.S. Department of State, Washington, D.C.