Recent Publications & Research
For a list of my recent scholarly activities, please visit my CV page.
Medical Rhetoric
My interests in medical rhetoric use methodologies derived from applied linguistics and critical discourse analysis. I am particularly interested in the language used by and about patients who are depressed in the United States. Thus, I consider texts like phramaceutical advertising, doctor-patient encounters, published memoirs, online support groups, and ethnographic interviews. My book-length study of the discourses of depression, Black Dogs and Blue Words: Depression and Gender in the Age of Self-Care, will be published by Rutgers University Press in March 2010.
Composition Theory & Pedagogy
Writing is one of the most complex and daunting tasks for most teachers and students - one acquires the skills of written communication over time and in specific communities. For example, although scientists are often maligned for their reliance on the passive voice, my interest is not in making such judgments, but rather in exploring the ways that particular writing practices evolve and are used to accomplish important tasks for the community. Some of my recent projects include:
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