Faculty & Staff Spotlight Barry

Meet Barry Brummett

What do you currently do at UT?
- “I'm the Charles Sapp Centennial Professor in Communication, in the Department of Communication Studies, and am approaching retirement in August  of '22”

When did you decide you wanted to work/get a degree in Communication?
- “I was always interested in academic debate and it seemed like a natural fit.  That didn't last long, but by then I was interested in studying how power is managed in popular culture.”

What’s one of the most memorable things that happened during your Graduate Years?
- “Developing an interest in research and getting two articles published, which was unusual for a graduate student then.”

What was your Master's Thesis/PHD dissertation about?
- “The dissertation was about how audiences are active participants in the rhetorical process.”

What is your favorite Austin restaurant or eating place?
- “Madam Mam's or Mighty Fine Burgers.”

If you were stranded on an island, what three things would you bring?
- “I assume you don't mean people.  If not people, then stuff to read. One volume editions of Rowling, Tolkien, and I suppose the Bible.”

What movie genre is your favorite? 
- “Comedy or fantasy.”

If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
- “I have a superpower! When I wake up I can nearly always know what time it is within five minutes. Other than that, maybe invisibility?”

Where would you love to travel to next?
- “I'm making plans to go to conferences in Paris and Nairobi, Kenya.  Other than those, maybe Switzerland.”

If you could go back in time, what’s one piece of advice you would give to yourself?
- “Take chances, ya little wuss.”

What are you proudest of? 
- “I've made a pretty good father, and not just to biological offspring.”

What is a fun fact about you that most people here don’t know?
- “I lived most of the first six years of my life in the Philippines.”

Barry brummett