# Gary Woodward

Gary C. Woodward (born July 12, 1946, in Denver, Colorado) is an American author and retired professor. He has contributed to the field of political communication and has written on rhetoric and the mass communication.

## Early life

Woodward earned degrees in communication and rhetorical theory from California State University at Sacramento and the University of Pittsburgh (Ph.D. 1972). He has taught in England and in the United States.

## Career

Woodward was a professor emeritus of rhetorical theory at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ), where he taught courses in theories of persuasion, argumentation and debate, and the philosophy of communication. He also served as chairperson of the Department of Communication Studies. He contributed to the modern definition of political communication and helped to distinguish the field as separate from political science or mass media.
He co-authored two textbooks with Robert E. Denton, Jr.: Political Communication in America (first edition 1985, third edition 1999) and Persuasion and Influence in American Life (first edition 1988, eighth edition 2019). These books are used in communication courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels and are cited in academic books and journals. Woodward is also the sole author of scholarly works on subjects including rhetorical theories, communications philosophy, political media, and listening as a means of communication.
Woodward's research has been supported by awards from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library, CBS, and C-SPAN. He has published guest columns as an expert on communications topics for the Trenton Times and NJ.com. He is a member of the National Communication Association, Eastern Communication Association, New Jersey Council for the Humanities, and The Rhetoric Society of America. Woodward is an author of the blog theperfectresponse.com. He has written articles for several prominent publications, including CNN.com, The Dallas Morning News, the Los Angeles Times, the Christian Science Monitor, among others.

## Selected works

Authored works:
* Persuasive Encounters: Case Studies in Constructive Confrontation (1990)
* Perspectives on American Political Media (1997)
* Political Communication in America, 3rd edition (with Robert E. Denton, Jr.) (1999)
* The Idea of Identification (2003)
* Center Stage: Media and the Staging of American Politics (2007)
* The Perfect Response: Studies of The Rhetorical Personality (2010)
* The Rhetoric of Intention in Human Affairs (2013)
* Persuasion and Influence in American Life, 8th edition (with Robert E. Denton, Jr.) (2019)
* The Sonic Imperative: Sound in the Age of Screens (2021)

## Recognition

Woodward was a fellow of the US National Endowment for the Humanities in 1980. He has held leadership positions at the National Communication Association and Eastern Communication Association and has been a speaker and panel chair at their conferences.
Upon its publication in 1986, Political Communication in America was highlighted in American Political Science Review, Presidential Studies Quarterly, Western Political Quarterly, and Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly. Political Communication in America was selected in 1988 by the Department of Education Office of Educational Research and Improvement as one of 30 important books on "Governmental-Political Communication." It has continued to be cited in scholarly work for over 35 years. Persuasion and Influence in American Life was examined in a meta-analysis published by Communication Education as an effective textbook for teaching persuasion techniques.
The Idea of Identification (2003) was reviewed by The Southern Communication Journal. The Perfect Response: Studies of The Rhetorical Personality (2010), was reviewed in Mass Communication and Society. The Rhetoric of Intention in Human Affairs (2013) was reviewed by the Kenneth Burke Society. The Sonic Imperative: Sound in the Age of Screens (2021), was highlighted by a presentation to the Sarnoff Collection, a museum dedicated to RCA chairman David Sarnoff's's life.

## Personal life

Woodward resides in Lambertville, New Jersey.