Dr. Gordana Lazic

Department

Communication, Media, Journalism and Film

Role: Faculty
Campus: Springfield

Postal mail

Missouri State University
Communication, Media, Journalism and Film
901 S. National Ave.
Springfield, MO 65897

Biography

Dr. Gordana Lazic is an assistant professor of communication, director of graduate program - MA in Communication, and director of the Public Speaking Course in the Department of Communication, Media, Journalism, and Film at Missouri State University. Her scholarship concerns the intersection of rhetoric, pedagogy, and politics. She has published in venues such as Communication Studies, Communication Teacher, Communication Quarterly, Philosophies, Quarterly Journal of Speech, and Southern Communication Journal, as well as in edited books focusing on political discourse and critical communication pedagogy.

Details

Education

  • PhD, Communication Studies, University of Denver
  • MA, Communication, University of Colorado Denver
  • BA, Serbian Literature and Language, University of Belgrade

Teaching

  • COM 760 Social Movement Communication
  • COM 710 Contemporary Communication Education
  • COM 617 Communication and Diversity in the Workplace
  • COM 350 The Rhetorical Tradition and Contemporary Applications
  • COM 315 Advanced Speaking in Professional Settings
  • COM 260 Communicating with Cultural Competence
  • COM 115 Fundamentals of Public Speaking
  • GEP 101 First-Year Foundations

Professional experience

  • Director, Graduate Program – MA in Communication, August 2025 – present, Missouri State University.
  • Director, Basic Course, May 2022 – present, Missouri State University.
  • Graduate Program Assessment Coordinator, August 2018 – August 2020, Texas Tech University. 
  • Director, Internships, August 2013 – August 2016, University of Colorado Denver.

Professional Affiliations

  • National Communication Association
  • Central States Communication Association

Selected Publications

  • Lazic, G. (forthcoming). Theory of (non)movement: The pedagogy of deniable dissent, reconciliation, and civil society. In A. Aldridge, K. B. Golsan, K. M. Scharp, & S. A. Spates (Eds.), Reconciliation: The Final Step in Achieving Nonviolent Social Change. Cognella Academic Publishing.
  • Lazic, G. (2025). Rhetoric of social conflict. In S. Simmons & S. A. Samoilenko (Eds.), The Handbook of Social and Political Conflict Communication (pp. 107-118). Wiley.
  • Lazic, G. (2025). Assessment and global citizenship. Communication Teacher, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1080/17404622.2024.2399164
  • Lazic, G. (2024). From subjects to assemblages: Insights from Oldboy. Philosophies, 9(148), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies9050148
  • Lazic, G. (2024). Rhetoric of heroism. In S. T. Allison, J. K. Beggan, & G. R. Goethals (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Heroism Studies (pp. 1764-1769). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-48129-1_400
  • Lazic, G. (2023). I’ve got friends in low places: Exploring self-worth and non-traditional mentoring. In G. Pacheco (Ed.), First-Gen Stories for Success (pp. 153-169). Kendal Hunt Publishing Company.
  • LeFebvre, R., Cahill, M., & Lazic, G. (2023). Children’s librarians’ conceptualizations of school readiness. Public Library Quarterly, 42(5), 479-499. https://doi.org/10.1080/01616846.2022.2124069
  • LeFebvre, L., LeFebvre L., Carmack, H., & Lazic, G. (2022). Preparing the next generation of teachers inappropriately: When introductory course directors engage in misbehaviors. Communication Studies, 73(4), 476-496. https://doi.org/10.1080/10510974.2022.2112248
  • Lazic, G., & LeFebvre, R. (2022). Defending the pride lands and marginalized subjects: The Lion Guard as progressive pedagogy. Southern Communication Journal, 87(4), 386-397. https://doi.org/10.1080/1041794X.2022.2085780

Research and professional interests

  • Critical Pedagogy
  • Cultural Studies
  • Rhetorical Criticism
  • Communication and Popular Culture

Awards and honors

  • Board of Governors’ Excellence in Public Affairs Award, Missouri State University, 2025. 
  • Outstanding Graduate Faculty Member Award, Department of Communication, Media, Journalism, and Film, Missouri State University, 2025.
  • Top Paper Award, “From the Pride Lands to global citizens: Multiculturalism, immigration, and linguistic decolonization in The Lion Guard.” Central States Communication Association, 2024.
  • Top Panel Award, Melissa Beall Award, “With diverse vision and unified voice: Actionable advocacy for the foundational communication course and its constituents,” Central States Communication Association, 2024.
  • Top Two Paper Award, Inclusive Scholarship, “From the Pride Lands to global citizens: Multiculturalism, immigration, and linguistic decolonization in The Lion Guard.” Central States Communication Association, 2024.
  • Outstanding Graduate Mentor Award, Graduate College, Missouri State University, 2023.
  • Summer Research Award, College of Arts and Letters, Missouri State University, 2021.
  • Diversity Scholar Stipend, Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning, Missouri State University, 2020.
  • Assessment Grant, Office of Assessment, Missouri State University, 2020.
  • Assessment Innovation Grant, Office of Planning and Assessment, Texas Tech University, 2018.
  • Course Development Grant Program, Worldwide eLearning, Texas Tech University, 2016/2917 & 2017/2018.
  • YUMPS (Young Upwardly Mobile Professors) Grant, Center for Faculty Development, University of Colorado Denver, 2014.