Biography

Joe Bellon (Ph.D., University of Georgia, 1999) is Senior Lecturer in communication and directs the GSU Debate Program. His research interests are focused on public argument, social movements, the intersection of popular culture and politics, the writings of Kenneth Burke, and postmodern philosophy. His research essays have appeared in Critical Studies in Mass Communication and Argumentation and Advocacy. He is known nationally for his novice-oriented Policy Debate Manual, which is used annually by thousands of students participating in the Urban Debate League (UDL) movement. As the debate coach at Georgia State, Bellon has qualified teams for the National Debate Tournament (including the first all-UDL team to qualify in the tournament’s history) and coached teams to the elimination rounds of the CEDA National Tournament. He has built one of the largest college debate tournaments in the country, he has offered one-day workshops to hundreds of high school students throughout the state, and has hosted high school district competitions and college regional qualifiers for the National Debate Tournament.