Dr. Lionnell Smith

Biography

Badu Smith is an award-winning communication educator with over ten years of teaching experience. He is a Fulbright-Hays Scholar and recipient of the Monica Pombo Early Career Teaching Award from the Carolinas Communication Association. His research primarily focuses on critical intercultural communication studies, emphasizing language, race, and power, as well as critical communication pedagogy. Badu uses rhetorical and critical qualitative methods to address cultural and linguistic hegemony present in academic discourse communities and educational power systems. His work advocates for a fair and equitable curriculum in communication instruction, ensuring students are exposed to diverse voices, particularly from marginalized groups. Badu employs critical, revolutionary, and decolonial pedagogical frameworks to promote antiracist and Afrocentric approaches to teaching communication and rhetoric. He has published in notable journals such as Departures Critical Qualitative Research, Listening: Journal of Communication Ethics, Religion, and Culture, and Dialogues in Social Justice: Adult Education Journal. Active in several professional associations, Badu frequently presents peer-reviewed papers and participates in discussion panels.

Research Interests

Courses