Professor of Language and Culture
I teach mainly on BA (Hons) English: Creative and Professional Writing where I specialise in English Language, particularly sociolinguistics. My research specialisms are in language and gender, particularly masculinities, femininities, and sexuality. This intersects with my other research into children's fiction, particularly books for younger readers. I am also interested in media discourses and how politeness theory can be applied to unscripted media texts.
In 2018/19, I was Guest Professor at Örebro University, Sweden where I worked with the Media and Communications team.
I am co-editor of the Bloomsbury International Library of Gender in Popular Culture, and co-convenor of the Ross Priory Broadcast Talk Seminar Groups.
With Sunderland Culture, I run the Rebel Women of Sunderland project that seeks to raise awareness of some of the remarkable women who are linked to the city.
Teaching and supervision
I teach at all levels, from Foundation to PhD, across all English Language subjects. I have supervised several PhD theses which were in the areas of gender, racism, and children's fiction.
Research interests for potential research students
I am interested in supervising students who have an interest in politeness theory, gender, and media discourses.
Research
My research is linked to my teaching in that one feeds into the other. I have particular interests in gender and have written extensively on this topic. I am co-editor of the Bloomsbury International Library of Gender in Popular Culture. I am one of the convenors of the Ross Priory International Broadcast Talk Seminar Group. I have a developing research interest in how food is communicated, and I'm a member of a European group that is exploring this from an interdisciplinary perspective: FoodKom.
I have particular expertise in politeness theory and its application to unscripted spoken interaction in the media. I am also interested in the integration of social media with traditional media. My particular interest in gender relates to 21st century developments in femininity and masculinity.
