A professor in the College of Interdisciplinary Studies, matthew heinz has studied the intersections of gender, language, culture and communication from transdisciplinary perspectives for more than 20 years.
Depending on the topic, he approaches his work via performative writing, discourse analysis, poetry, interpretive or social scientific qualitative approaches, or a combination thereof. His applied research includes a needs assessment for 2SLGBTQI+ seniors in British Columbia (2023) and a community-guided transgender needs assessment for Vancouver Island (2013).
Recent work focuses on gender identity and interpersonal communication dynamics. He published Entering Transmasculinity: The Inevitability of Discourse in 2016 (Intellect Press, UK). His work has appeared in journals such as The Journal of Pragmatics, Multilingua, The Journal of International Communication, Communication Studies, Communication Education, SAGE Open, the Journal of Homosexuality, and Women & Language.
Experience
heinz joined the School of Communication and Culture at Royal Roads in 2005. He served as SCC school director (appointed 2006), associate dean (appointed 2008) and dean of the Faculty of Social and Applied Sciences (appointed 2011), founding dean of the College of Interdisciplinary Studies (appointed 2016), and vice-provost (appointed 2017).
Prior to Royal Roads, he taught at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Bowling Green State University, and the University of North Dakota.
Education
2021
Graduate Certificate in Creative Writing – Poetry
Humber College
1998
PhD in Communication Studies
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
1989
Master of Science in Communication Studies
Fort Hays State University
Awards
2001
Outstanding New Teacher Award
U.S. Central States Communication Association
Publications
heinz, m. (2022). LGBTQ2S across Canada: CBC YouTube discourse. In Pain, P. (Ed.), LGBTQ Digital Cultures: A Global Perspective (pp. 236-250).
heinz, m. (2020). Photographic memory. Women & Language, 43(2), 305-315.
heinz, m. (2018). Communicating while transgender: Apprehension, loneliness, and willingness to communicate in a Canadian sample. SAGE Open, 1-17. DOI: 10.1177/2158244018777780
heinz, m. (2017). Being becoming/becoming being: Visual representations of trans bodies. Photoworks: Photography, Art, Visual Culture, 24, 184-197.
heinz, m. (2016). Entering transmasculinity: The inevitability of discourse. Intellect Press, UK.
heinz, m. (2016). Spatial transitions in communication studies. Women’s Studies in Communication, 39(2), 153-156.
heinz, m. (2015). Trans social support needs: Communication research directives.” In L. Spencer & J. Capuzza (Eds.), Transgender communication (pp. 33-50). Lexington.
heinz, m., & MacFarlane, D. (2013). Island Lives: A Transgender Needs Assessment for Vancouver Island. Sage Open, 3. DOI: 10.1177/2158244013503836 .
heinz, m. (2012). Transmen on the web: Inscribing multiple discourses. In K.Ross (Ed.) The Handbook of Gender, Sex, and Media (pp. 326-343). Wiley-Blackwell.
