Faculty Biographies
Jill McCracken
Professor, Writing Studies
CONTACT
Office: DAV 250
Phone: 727-873-4740
Email: mccracken@usf.edu
BIO
Jill McCracken is a scholar of gender and sexuality. Her research delves into how power, language, gender and sexuality are intertwined. Her academic interests include the rhetoric of marginalized communities, public policy, gender studies, reproductive technologies and civic engagement.
McCracken integrates community-based, participatory research into her work. She recently completed a Fulbright Specialist Project in collaboration with the New Zealand Prostitutes’ Collective to investigate the presence of violence and trafficking in the sex industry in a country where prostitution is decriminalized. McCracken is the co-founder and co-director of Sex Workers Outreach Project (SWOP) Behind Bars, which works to decrease the harms caused by criminalization of sex work by working directly with people involved in the sex industry. She was a founding member of SWOP-USA and a board member of the Desiree Alliance, a volunteer-led group that focuses on providing harm reduction, political advocacy and health services for sex workers.
McCracken is the author of “Learning with Women in Jail: Creating Community-Based Participatory Research,” which documents the research process she and her co-researchers created and conducted to better understand incarceration and recidivism. Her book “Street Sex Workers’ Discourse: Realizing Material Change Through Agential Choices” analyzes the representation of street-based sex work, the power of everyday language, and how it influences the real-world conditions of street-based sex workers. She has also published numerous book chapters, articles, and industry technical reports.
McCracken teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in rhetoric, writing and gender studies. She earned the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching for 2012-2013. Beyond USF, McCracken regularly engages in training, public speaking and community advocacy with marginalized groups, including sex workers, incarcerated women, at-risk youth, victims of human trafficking and individuals who have been convicted of trafficking others in the sex industry. She designs research projects and analyzes policies related to these concerns.
Learn more about McCracken research and publications.
EDUCATION
- M.A., University of Arizona
- Ph.D., University of Arizona