Dr. Christopher Minnix is the Director of Freshmen Composition and an Assistant Professor in UAB’s English Department. He came to Birmingham from Tucson, AZ in 2012. Dr. Minnix served five of six years with the University of Arizona as the Assistant Director of the writing program.
Dr. Minnix started his academic career at Grace College, a four year liberal arts school in Indiana. He earned his undergraduate degree in Biblical Studies, now referred to as Theological Studies. His interest for language and literature blossomed when he started at Radford University in Virginia. He met his mentor, Dr. Linda Bensel-Myers, when he took EH 505, a required teaching practicum course for graduate students. It was here he was able to fuse his interest for language, philosophy, and history into a master’s degree in Rhetoric and Composition.
Upon completing the graduate program at Radford, Dr. Minnix moved to Knoxville to attend the University of Tennessee. While there he continued teaching while working on his Ph. D. in Rhetoric, Writing, and Linguistics.
As the Director of Freshmen Composition in UAB’s English Department Dr. Minnix hopes to develop the writing program through collaboration with his fellow colleagues. He feels the art of teaching writing goes beyond a focus on grammar and style, but should be geared towards critical thinking and showing students how to develop a relationship with their writing. Dr. Minnix’s goals include providing sufficient resources for other English Composition professors that will open up the discussion for innovation in the classroom. So far, the department has started using new website resources like First Year Composition Resource (FYCRES). The site offers professors a place to share ideas on materials used for first year composition classes. Dr. Minnix encourages a more multi-modal approach to help students develop their writing.
When asked to offer students a single piece of advice, Dr. Minnix responded by advising students to think of their time in college as more than a list of requirements to be met for a degree. He hopes students can see the opportunities college presents for them to collaborate and innovate the future of their program.
Dr. Minnix also teaches graduate students in the Rhetoric and Composition program. In his free time he enjoys playing with his dog, Stanley, and watching Newsroom
