Rate My Professor Susan Delaney

Susan Adams Delaney serves as Associate Professor in the Writing Department within Ithaca College's School of Humanities and Sciences. She also directs the Integrative Core Curriculum (ICC), a role she has held since at least 2018, overseeing the institution's core educational framework. Delaney's educational background is diverse, beginning with a B.A. in Dramatic Art from Whitman College in 1986. She pursued graduate studies at Western Washington University, earning an M.A. in Theater in 1992 and an M.A. in English in 1999. Her doctoral work culminated in a Ph.D. in Composition and Cultural Rhetoric from Syracuse University in 2007, where her dissertation, 'Rhetorical Performance: Inscription, Embodiment, and Resistance in the Work of 19th Century Actress/Writers,' examined rhetorical strategies in historical performance contexts.

Delaney's academic interests focus on academic writing for first-year students, professional and research writing, and the experiences of neurodivergent individuals in higher education as both students and teachers. Listed specialties encompass academic writing, research and professional writing, and neurodivergent students and teachers. As a first-generation college student, LGBTQ+ individual, and neurodivergent person herself, Delaney employs the tools of composition and rhetoric to investigate how language and symbols facilitate understanding of personal and social identities. Hailing from Seattle, she was raised in a family that valued independence, curiosity, and persistent inquiry into 'why' questions. This foundation informs her approach, sustained by broad reading, podcasts, television, interpersonal dialogues, and engagement with students. In her teaching at Ithaca College, Delaney addresses academic writing needs of first-year students and professional writing skills. She maintains an office in Smiddy Hall 409, providing drop-in hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5-5:45 p.m., Wednesdays 9:30-11 a.m. on Zoom, and by appointment. Her contributions extend to faculty and curriculum development through the ICC.