Gene Navera_500x500

Gene Segarra Navera

Deputy Director, Senior Lecturer

Contact Information

Telephone: 6516 6082
Email: elcgsn@nus.edu.sg
Office: CELC #02-17 (10 Architecture Drive, Singapore 117511)

Dr. Gene Segarra NAVERA is Senior Lecturer at CELC and a Fellow at the Tembusu College in the University Town.  He has over 20 years of experience in university teaching, research, and service.  Gene holds a PhD in English Language Studies from NUS, an MA in Speech Communication from the University of the Philippines Diliman, and a BA in Communication Arts from the University of the Philippines Los Baños.  Before coming to Singapore to pursue his doctorate, he taught writing and speech communication courses for eight and half years in UP Los Baños where he won the Outstanding Teacher Award for the Humanities and Social Sciences in 2004. Gene teaches interdisciplinary seminars and content-based academic writing courses at the residential colleges and pursues research in the areas of rhetoric and public address, critical discourse studies, and writing and speech communication pedagogies.  He is the author of two books: The Rhetoric of PNoy: Image, Myth, and Rhetorical Citizenship in Philippine Presidential Speeches (2018) and Beauty Spectacle: Pageants, Fan Culture, and the Filipino Adoration for Queens (2025).

Gene’s research and publications critically examine presidential discourse in relation to civics and education, leadership and governance, culture, and healthcare, among others. He also writes critical reflections on the teaching of writing and communication in higher education. Recently, he has done scholarly work on gender, fan culture, and discourse in pageantry and the beauty industry.

Gene also serves as an Editorial /Advisory Board Member of the Springer Series of The Language of Politics, Plaridel: A Philippine Journal of Communication, Media and Society, The PCS Review, The Makiling Review, and the Rhetoric and Communications E-Journal.

Gene is a pageant enthusiast.

Recent Courses Taught and/or Coordinated

  • UTC1116 Spectacles and Society
  • UTS2115 Migrant Workers, Rhetoric, and Performance
  • UTS2116 The University Today
  • RVX1000 Citizen Speak: Persuasion and Polarization in Society
  • UTW1001R Oratory and the Public Mind
  • CS2101 Effective Communication for Computing Professionals

Awards & Recognition

  • Residential Colleges Teaching Excellence Award, AY2024/25
  • Residential Colleges Teaching Excellence Award (Team), AY2024/25
  • Residential Colleges Teaching Excellence Award, AY2018/19
  • Residential Colleges Teaching Commendation, AY 2017/2018
  • Residential Colleges Teaching Commendation, AY2016/2017

 

Publications (since 2020)

  • Jose, M. D. dL. and Navera, G. S. (2026). Homemaking as a civic duty: Contestations on the role of Filipino women in the debate on suffrage. Women’s History Review. https://doi.org/10.1080/09612025.2026.2619349
  • Santos, M. L. and Navera, G. S. (2025). Kaherak-herak na Orag: Gender, violence, and cultural translation in a Bikol Romeo and Juliet. 3L: Language, Linguistics, Literature: The Southeast Asian Journal of English Language Studies. Vol 31(3), 362-374. http://doi.org/10.17576/3L-2025-3103-22
  • Navera, G. S. (2025). Beauty spectacle: Pageants, fan culture, and the Filipino adoration for queens. Quezon City: Vibal Foundation.
  • Navera, G. S. (2023). Towards a framework of empowerment: Reflections on teaching in an age of disruption. Philippine Sociological Review 71, 39-50. https://www.jstor.org/stable/48750340 
  • Navera, G. S. (2023). [Review of the book: Let’s discuss: second-language learners share ideas—teacher’s edition, by D. Kuhn] ELT Journal, 77(1), 115-117. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccac045
  • Navera, G. S. (2022). The critical scholar as rhetorical citizen: Fostering criticality and social responsibility in scholarly writing. In Brooke, M. (ed.) Integrating content and language in higher education: Developing academic literacy, pp. 189-209. Singapore: Springer. DOI: https://doi-org.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/10.1007/978-981-19-4559-5_10 
  • Navera, G. S. (2022). Sustaining a populist persona: CNN Philippines' political interview with President Rodrigo Roa Duterte as image restoration. In Feldman, O. (ed.) Adversarial political interviewing: Worldwide perspectives during polarized times. Singapore: Springer Nature. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-0576-6
  • Navera, G. S. & Bernadas, J. M. A. C. (2022). "Shoot them dead": Rhetorical constructions of the COVID-19 pandemic in Philippine presidential addresses. Journal of Communication in Health Care. DOI: 10.1080/17538068.2022.2054177
  • Lan T. X. and Navera, G. S. (2021). The slanted beam: A critical discourse analysis of anti-Islam and anti-Muslim discourse in China. Discourse and Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/095792652110487.
  • Navera G.S. (2021). The president as macho: machismo, misogyny, and the language of toxic masculinity in Philippine presidential discourse. In Feldman, O. (ed.) When politicians talk: The cultural dynamics of public speaking. Singapore: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-3579-3_11.
  • Brooke, M., Cook, M. S. W., Lee, K. C., Navera, G. S., Tang, K. K. (2020). Trekking the Educator Track at a research-intensive university: Five accounts of different career levels. International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 14(3), Article 3. Available at: https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2028&context=ij-sotl.
  • Navera, G. S. (2020). Belligerence as argument: The allure of the war metaphor in Philippine presidential speeches. Kairos: A Journal of Critical Symposium, 5(1), 67-82. Available at: http://kairostext.in/index.php/kairostext/article/view/98 .

 

Invited Presentations (since 2021)

  • Navera, G. S. (2026). Book Talk: Beyond the Crown: Power, Agency, and the Filipino Beauty Spectacle, 13 March, Sentro Rizal Singapore, The Philippine Embassy, 20 Nassim Road, Singapore.
  • Navera, G. S. (2026). Book Talk: On writing Beauty Spectacle: Reflections on pageants as contested spaces, 26 February, Makiling Film Lab, University of the Philippines Los Banos, College, Laguna.
  • Navera, G. S. (2025). Book Talk: Beauty Spectacle: Pageants, Fan Culture, and the Filipino Adoration for Queens, 10 November, NUS Faculty of Arts and Sciences Research Division, Gender and Sexuality Cluster, Seminar Room AS7 06-42, National University of Singapore.
  • Navera, G. S. (2025). Area Studies Program Book Talk: Beauty Spectacle: Pageants, Fan Culture, and the Filipino Adoration for Queens, 25 September, UP Manila Theater, University of the Philippines Manila.
  • Navera, G. S. (2025). The anatomy of (fe)male political rhetoric in Asia. 3rd FRAMEwork Asia Pacific Communication Conference, 11-12 September, Far Eastern University Manila.
  • Navera, G. S. (2024). “Beauty as media spectacle: Discourse, gender, and pageant as contested space.” NMC5369 Gender and Global Communication, Department of Communications and New Media. 17 October 2024.
  • Navera, G. S. (2024). “Beauty Spectacle: Pageants, Fan Culture, and the Filipino Adoration for Queens.” A Philippine Studies Webinar on Influence, Pageantry, and Suffrage: Perspectives on Filipino Women with Dr. Mary Dorothy dL. Jose and Dr. Veronica Gregorio, August 29. ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute and the Philippine Embassy in Singapore.
  • Navera, G. S. (2023). “English, Pageant Queens and Spectacle: Contesting Language Myths while Embracing Diversity.” Tongue Tied: A Language Symposium. NUS Southeast Asian Society, September 2. Department of Southeast Asian Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, National University of Singapore.
  • Navera, G. S. (2022). “3Ps of discourse research: Perspectives, procedures, prospects (with emphasis on the study of political discourse)”, ENG 109-Approaches to English Discourse & Discourse Analysis e-lecture, English Department, College of Social Sciences & Humanities, December 9. Mindanao State University-Main Campus. Online.
  • Navera, G. S. (2022). “Critical writing, rhetorical citizenship, and sustainability: Integrating ecological consciousness in an academic literacy course.” International Colloquium on ELT and Sustainability 2022, November 26. Language and Literature Department, Eastern Visayas State University, Tacloban City, Philippines. Online.
  • Ramanujan, A., Navera, G. S. and Ziqian, Z. (2022). Pedagogies of disruption: Reflections on future approaches to the teaching of writing and communication, August 4. NTU Language and Communication Speaker Series. Online.
  • Navera, G. S. (2022). On political rhetoric. Forum on Philippine Politics: Assessments and Projections, May 19. NUS Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, National University of Singapore.
  • Navera, G. S. (2022). “Investigating Schemas of Presidential Leadership: Rhetoric, Citizen Engagement and Possibilities for Change”, CSPPS-CPAf Policy Webinar Series, May 2. Center for Strategic Planning and Policy Studies, College of Public Affairs and Development, University of the Philippines Los Banos. Online.
  • Navera, G. S. (2022). “Words are not cheap: Some notes on presidential rhetoric in the Philippines”, Huntahan: The SLSU Research Seminar Series, April 27. Southern Luzon State University. Online.
  • Navera, G. S. (2022). “Reading Presidential Speeches: Towards a Schema-Theoretic Framework of Political Discourse”, ELS 163 e-lecture, April 19. Language and Literature Department, College of Arts and Sciences, Eastern Visayas State University. Online.
  • Navera, G. S. (2022). “Empowerment through Socialization, Solidarity, and Self-care: Reflections on Teaching in an Age of Disruption”, CAMANAVA Studies International Conference, University of the East Caloocan, 21 April 2022. Online.
  • Lorente, B. P., Navera, G. S., Salonga, A. O., and Tupas, R. F. (2022). “Rizal, Decoloniality, and English Language Studies: Reimagining Our Scholarship Through the Lens of Noli and Fili” [Invited Panel]. Linguistics Society of the Philippines International Conference 2022 & the 21st English in Southeast Asia Conference: A Joint Conference, March 12. Ateneo de Manila University, Quezon City, Philippines. Online.
  • Navera, G. S. (2022). “Political rhetoric and campaigning in the 21st century.” Ped Xing 13: Youth in Politics with the theme “Stimulating Youth Participation Beyond the Ballot,” January 29. University of the Philippines Political Society. Online.
  • Navera, G. S. (2021). “Ethical Persuasion: Reviving the Good Person Speaking Well in the Age of Disruption.” Oblation Talk, December 11. University of the Philippines Alumni Association Singapore. Online.

Other Conference Presentations (since 2021)

  • Navera, G. S. (2026). Rhetoric from the gut: Noli, Fili, and the Filipino Migrant Worker Experience in Singapore. In F. Jimenez (Chair), Rhetorics from and for the Philippines [Panel presentation] Rhetoric Society of America Conference 2026, May 24. Portland, Oregon, United States.
  • Navera, G. S. (2026). Beauty queens as storytellers: Reclaiming dignity in Philippine pageant space. Rhetoric Society of America Conference 2026, May 22, Portland, Oregon, United States.
  • Navera, G. S. (2025). Perspective-taking in ‘Communities and Engagement’: Engaged learning in relationship-building with migrant community partners [Paper presentation]. In Higher Education Conference in Singapore (HECS) 2025, 10 December, National University of Singapore. (https://ctlt.nus.edu.sg/hecs-2025/abstracts/hecs2025-pp-navera-gs/)
  • Navera, G. S. (2025). Towards critical fandom: Reflections on pageant fandom in the Philippines. International Conference on Multidisciplinary Filipino Studies 2025, 27 September, Pontifical Royal University of Santo Tomas, Manila.
  • Wai-Cook, M. S. S. and Navera, G. S. (2025). Thought leadership in English language education. 7th CELC Symposium, May 21. National University of Singapore.
  • Navera, G. S. and Wai-Cook, M. S. S. (2025). Reconceptualizing the able communicator of the future: Reflections on the CELC curricula. 7th CELC Symposium, May 22. National University of Singapore.
  • Wai-Cook, M. S. S. and Navera, G. S. (2025). Thought leadership in English language education. 7th CELC Symposium, May 21. National University of Singapore.
  • E, M. K. L., Ramanujan, A., and Navera, G. S. (2025). Using videos to assist students with academic reading. 7th CELC Symposium, May 22. National University of Singapore.
  • Navera, G. S. and Ramanujan, A. (2024). Promoting interdisciplinary learning in the academic writing classroom: Residential college writing courses. English Across the Curriculum 2024, December 5. Hong Kong Polytecthnic University.
  • Ramanujan, A. and Navera, G. S. (2024). Content-based writing instruction: Promoting student-centred learning through a blended format. English Across the Curriculum 2024, December 4. Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
  • Navera, G. S. (2024). “Selective subversion: Repudiation and reaffirmation in Philippine presidential rhetoric.” 21st Biennial Rhetoric Society of America Conference, May 23-26. Denver, Colorado.
  • Navera, G. S. (2023). “Speech as points of departure and return: Reframing democracy in Ferdinand E. Marcos’ ‘Encounter with Destiny’ (1981)”. Freedoms of Speech in Asia: Speech Communication Conference 2023, October 26-27. Malcolm Hall (UP College of Law), University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City.
  • Navera, G. S. (2022). “The critical scholar as rhetorical citizen: Fostering criticality and social responsibility in an age of disruption.” The 6th CELC Symposium. May 31. Online.
  • Navera, G. S. (2021). “Making ‘content specific, rhetorically intensive’ modules work: Reflections on teaching ideas and exposition in a Singapore University”. Asia Roundtable. International Writing Across the Curriculum Conference. Colorado State University, August 5. Online.
  • Navera, G. S. (2021). “The president as macho: The president as macho: Machismo, misogyny, and the language of toxic masculinity in Philippine presidential discourse.” Sociolinguistic Symposium 23. University of Hong Kong, June 7-10. Online.
  • Navera, G. S. (2021). “’Shoot them dead’: Rhetorical constructions of COVID-19 in Philippine Presidential Addresses.” 71st International Communication Association Conference. May 27-31. Online.

 

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