Dr. Stephen C. Wood "DocWood" received his Ph.D. from the University of Maryland and has been teaching at the University of Rhode Island since 1982.  From 1982-1992 he was the Director of Intercollegiate Debate. From 1992 to summer 2004 he was the Chair of Communication Studies.

Dr. Wood teaches classes in the Rhetoric of Sports in Film (Com375x), Television Criticism (Com300B), and Television Advertising (Com445), all electives in the Film Studies minor. Professor Wood has published in the areas of political rhetoric, argumentation and debate, free speech, leadership, and the intersection between baseball and film. His baseball and film research has culminated in a highly regarded book Reel Baseball published in 2003 by McFarland.